Improving planning processes for increased resource utilization in road transport operations

Paper i proceeding, 2012

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to investigate resource utilization in road based freight transport operations, how transport planning processes affect utilization, and if there are ways to improve the planning processes in order to increase resource utilization. Research approach: The empirical evidence has been collected through two different case studies, one with focus on vehicle resource utilization and the other with focus on transportation planning processes. A literature study was conducted to review models and theories from the manufacturing planning in the operations management research area. It was used to provide a theoretical foundation for analyzing the planning process data in order to highlight problem areas, and suggest how they could be improved. Findings and Originality: The findings show evidence of issues in the planning processes for transport operations, lack of collaboration, and how resource utilization is affected by the planning process. This article tie back to previous related research, identifies a gap in the literature, and suggests how to amend the main identified issues that still remain unsolved for the industry from a new perspective. Research impact: The main research contribution is attempting to fill the identified literary gap, and thoroughly investigating resource utilization on a level previously conducted. One of the future implications is that the study can be regularly repeated to keep track of resource utilization changes in the transportation industry. Practical impact: The issues investigated are concrete, the evidence is shown clearly and the issues have a direct impact on economic sustainability in the transportation industry. The importance of addressing them will affect the long-term economical aspects of the industry, and there are suggestions as to what needs be done to address them.