Predicting the effects of logistics innovations on freight systems: Directions for research

Logistics processes underlying freight transport are changing rapidly, driven by progress in information technology and an unparalleled growth of consumer involvement in supply chains. This development is also driving change in freight transport flows, by all modes of transport. We argue that an understanding of logistics innovations is a prerequisite for effective explorations of future freight flows and design of transport policies. Our main objective is to review these innovations and derive needs for research into freight modelling. We focus on 3 basic dimensions of model improvement: the structural elements of the system that are modelled, the functional relations between these elements, and the dynamic properties of models.