In the Media

For the first time in the United States or Europe, the Urban Freight Lab led a test of a common carrier locker system in a public building.

SCTL's Urban Freight Lab conducted a pilot study at Seattle Municipal Tower in April. “We anticipated that if we had a locker system, we would reduce the delivery time,” said Ph.D. student Haena Kim, who led the pilot study. “But what we saw was a 78% reduction in time. That’s astonishing."

The Urban Freight Lab and Seattle Dept. of Transportation found e-commerce and urban growth has led to a dramatic increase of vehicles circling the urban core. Without steps to correct inefficiencies, the number of truck trips in the downtown area of Seattle could double by 2023.

Drones offer an interesting alternative when delivering goods. "We've brought the technology to a point where it opens up some really new possibilities that are exciting," Anne Goodchild, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington, said.

Driverless trucks are advancing quickly, and they could revolutionize how companies move all the stuff we buy. Barbara Ivanov weighs in.

The issue of ships switching from diesel to other sources of fuel is an intriguing one. "Changing to alternative fuels means changing the vessels and their engine technology," Anne Goodchild, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington, said.

"We are at the edge of a revolution, there's a wave of change that you can see hitting both passenger transport as well as freight," SCTL Director Anne Goodchild told CNBC.

In a 2013 study conducted at the University of Washington, civil engineers Anne Goodchild and Erica Wygonik found that ordering groceries online could reduce carbon emissions anywhere from 20 to 75 percent.

The city of Seattle has partnered with the University of Washington's Urban Freight Lab to collect data that will help them tackle the final 50 feet from a city-owned curb to someone’s front door.

The Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Master's Program (SCTL) at the University of Washington is designed to give students the skills and experience required to realize their career ambitions. This online program was designed to be work-compatible; most of the students in the program are busy supply chain and logistics professionals with families, and many of them travel the globe for their jobs.

As more and more deliveries pile up, and firms continue to test new methods of delivery and drop off, freight is still rarely factored into the transit planning conversation, said Anne Goodchild, who runs the Urban Freight Lab at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Master of Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics alum Wayne Levinson ('17) has been appointed to the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Haz-Mat committee of the Transportation Intermediaries Association.

Barbara Ivanov, director of the Urban Freight Lab at the University of Washington, is focused on a test of smart lockers in a 62-story building in downtown Seattle: “We’re trying to determine if smart lockers can reduce the time trucks spend at the building as well as total truck dwell time and undeliverable patterns."

Barb Ivanov, director of the Urban Freight Lab: "This month and next we’re pilot testing a common-carrier smart locker system located near loading bays under a 62-floor office tower. Now we already know that smart lockers work in general. We’re not pilot testing that. Instead, we’re trying to determine if smart lockers can reduce truck dwell time as well as reduce the level of failed first delivery attempts This is a test. But it’s a very focused test."

MHI will preview its 2018 Annual Industry Report during its April 11 Keynote at MODEX, with Scott Sopher, principal with Deloitte Consulting's Supply Chain practice; George W. Prest, CEO, MHI; and a panel of manufacturing and supply chain professionals, including Barb Ivanov, Urban Freight Lab director.