The urban food distribution scheme is different according to the type of supply chain it relates
with. In this study, we focus on the “last mile” logistics, notably for retailing, often consists of
light goods vehicles (LCV) deliveries taking place over short distances, reconciling many
customers and a variety of shipments. The “last mile” is one of the most important yet
problematic parts of the supply chain due to two facts: (1) the small scale distribution of
goods in urban environment is the least efficient part of the supply chain due to the high
atomization of receivers and to their increasing requirements, and (2) the high degree of
“empty running” implies extra costs. As LCVs perform a greater proportion of their vehicle
trips and vehicle kilometers in urban areas than HGVs, they make a greater contribution to
urban congestion than HGVs. Operations involving de-consolidation from a few HGVs to
many LCVs at urban distribution centers (UDCs) because of traffic restriction on HGVs may
result in worsening urban congestion.
To describe this complex scenario related to urban food transport, we focus on selected
components characterizing city logistics and perishable goods logistics processes, on the basis
of the technical guidelines issued by the Regione Emilia Romagna, Mobility and Transport
Department (Rosini, 2005). According to them, there are logistics, technological,
organizational variables characterizing the performance of city logistics, as described in table
1.