Commercial Vehicle Load Zone programs in U.S. cities

The rapid growth of commercial vehicle traffic in urban areas has increased competition for limited curb space, prompting cities to implement curb management strategies targeting freight transport demand. A Commercial Vehicle Load Zone (CVLZ) program is defined as a collection of infrastructure, policy, and regulatory strategies adopted by public agencies to manage commercial vehicle access and facilitate loading/unloading and provision of services in urban areas. This study identifies and reviews CVLZ programs from 13 US cities, performing a comparative analysis from a policy, regulatory, and infrastructure planning perspective.

The analysis reveals substantial heterogeneity in the allocation and regulation of curb access for freight vehicles. Differences arise in how cities classify load zones, define eligible users, determine allocation processes, and monetize them. Infrastructure data show that most cities allocate less than one percent of their curb space to freight, though denser and more clustered networks appear in cities like Seattle and San Francisco.

The study contributes a first formal definition and typology of CVLZ programs, providing a foundation for future research on freight curb management, including questions about optimal pricing, spatial allocation, and the adaptation of curb policies to emerging zero-emission and micromobility freight modes.