Quiet Cities will take place on 25 and 26 November 2014 at Twickenham Stadium. The two-day event will feature a full conference programme, a networking dinner, exhibition, and live demonstrations of the latest quiet logistics equipment.

TfL will share London’s best practice on retiming deliveries and showcase its work on facilitating out-of-hours deliveries, while representatives of overseas cities will discuss the work they have implemented to allow off-peak deliveries.

“Transport for London is proud to sponsor the Quiet Cities global summit,” said Ian Wainwright, TfL head of freight and fleet.

“Freight in London relies on the capital’s road network but the demands placed on it are changing.

“Our role at TfL is to ensure the logistics industry can sustainably serve London’s growing economy and population.

“Moving deliveries out of the morning peak is central to TfL’s Delivering a Road Freight Legacy. We know that with the right level of support deliveries can take place at different times and still suit customers, residents and operators.”

DHL added: “Being able to deliver off-peak and retime deliveries as required is essential for the long-term health of the logistics sector.”

For more information and to register your interest, go to quietcities.com or email laura.hailstone@roadtransport.com

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Demonstrated in the Noise Abatement Society’s (NAS) Quiet Delivery Depot at Commercial Motor Live earlier this month, the top 2mm layer of the Roll Cage Floor features hard mineral corundum, while the rest is made from used truck tyres.

“Each square metre of matting (costing £100/m2) weighs 24kg and is anti-slip. Tests have shown a noise reduction of up to 44% on empty cages using the mats,” said MD Chris Harrison.

Initially developed for Tesco for permanent use at store delivery points in residential areas, Harrison believes the logistics industry could develop other applications for the product.

“At the show, several firms expressed an interest in using the matting on the floor of trailers, while one company wondered if it could keep several metres of it in a truck for specific delivery points,” he said.

Also on display was Impactawall, the firm’s new product that acts as an acoustic barrier system. The rubber wall panels are formed from a honeycomb structure and are aimed at reducing noise around loading bays and delivery depots.

Harrison said the NAS is planning to put interested parties together to conduct trials using both the Roll Cage Floor and rubber wall tiles.
Another highlight of the Quiet Delivery Depot was Dhollandia Tail Lifts’ ultra low-noise retractable tail-lift.

“Most of the manual operation of a tail-lift is to do with the rear and side ramps, which is inherently noisy,” said Chris Lay, business unit director at Dhollandia.

“We’ve taken the manual elements away by making them hydraulic and electro-mechanically operational. The tail-lift also comes with an ultra low-noise power pack and ultra low-noise platform coating. We’ve reduced the noise rating from about 100dB to 65dB.”

And an intelligent shutter door from CV component manufacturer Albert Jagger generated a lot of interest from visitors.

The second generation of the remote-controlled Centa-drive was demonstrated with a lightweight, composite door and was almost silent as MT watched it open and close.

Following the successful night-time delivery work that took place during the Olympics, Lisa Lavia, MD of the NAS, said: “I am hopeful that quiet equipment for the transport industry is on course to become the industry norm in the near future.”

• For more information on quiet products go to www.noiseabatementsociety.com

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Operators need to focus on improving driver behaviour if night-time deliveries are to become a permanent way of working after the London Olympics.

“It was disappointing that some deliveries we observed didn’t seem to be happening with more rigour; I was expecting it to be observable that drivers were really taking care and trying to be quiet,” says Lisa Lavia, MD of the Noise Abatement Society, who accompanied MT. “Some of the drivers were actually shouting right below residents’ windows.”

Between 11pm and 3am on 7-8 August, MT visited several areas of London, including the West End, the City and Earls Court Road.

Chris Douglas, director of Transport & Travel Research, who also accompanied MT, says: “It was surprising that some of the drivers we saw clearly either hadn’t been briefed, or had been briefed but didn’t get it, because some of the measures they could have used to minimise noise are very straightforward. Just taking a little more time and not letting things fall into place, for example.”

Douglas and Lavia were involved with the 10 TfL-funded quiet delivery trials late last year, which led to the creation of the TfL Quiet Delivery Code of Practice (CoP), which has been widely publicised. Anyone considering night-time deliveries during the Games was advised to use it.

While there were some examples of good practice, Lavia says some of the noisier deliveries were from firms that had definitely seen the CoP.

The post Drivers breaking quiet nights code appeared first on Motor Transport.

There is an increasing appetite on the Continent for this simple win-win solution, which improves efficiency, environmental performance and seems to have no drawbacks.

It was with a sense of pride that I, along with the Noise Abatement Society (NAS), the DfT, Transport and Travel Research (TTR) and Sainsbury’s, shared the results of the recently completed Quiet Deliveries Demonstration Scheme (QDDS) with a delegation from the FTA’s Danish equivalent, International Transport Denmark (ITD). Pride, because this simple concept that actually started in Holland has been tirelessly championed and rigorously tested in the UK, sparking interest beyond these shores.

Like FTA, the ITD is not afraid to spearhead initiatives that will ultimately save the businesses in its membership money and time and allow them to meet their own carbon-reduction targets. The Danish contingent, which included the Danish Transport Authority, Business Link South Denmark and a representative from the bread company Lantmännen Schulstad, was keen to understand how the results of the QDDS could translate into Denmark, taking into account the practicalities, benefits and challenges of delivering goods out-of-hours that were found in the UK.

One of the most obvious challenges to overcome was ensuring that the local residents’ right to a good night’s sleep were not compromised by lifting late-night or early-morning delivery bans. Lisa Lavia, MD of the NAS, has played a massive part in ensuring this remains a central component of night-time deliveries. It is partly this background of responsibility for one’s community that has driven its success. Lisa’s enthusiasm for rolling out the scheme is testament to that.

“Interest in the QDDS trials is increasing, with several countries seeking to adapt the scheme locally. We know that if best practice is shared and strict guidelines are adhered to, night-time deliveries are an efficient and pragmatic solution to a growing problem.”

By saving fuel and time, the investment in quiet equipment, such as reversing alarms, and the driver training needed to make night-time deliveries quiet, represents a solid return. But it’s not just businesses that can benefit, everyone would gain from lower road congestion, cleaner air and a more reliable supply chain. Indeed, earlier this year, transport minister Mike Penning backed night-time deliveries, declaring them a ‘win-win’ for the environment and business, stating that if done correctly, delivering out-of-hours need not be a nuisance to residents.

This ministerial buy-in was not lost on ITD’s chairman and owner of the transport company HP Therkelsen, Mogens Therkelsen. “We were impressed by the rigorous and scientific nature of the QDDS trials and it was invaluable to learn first-hand how FTA, NAS and the DfT worked together to create fair and meaningful trials.”
With the Olympics challenging London’s supply chain next summer, there is also a sense of timeliness underpinning the QDDS. How can we deliver more freight with less time to do so? By lifting lorry bans and allowing deliveries to be made at night.

Clearly there is a strong appetite among the Danes to introduce night-time delivery trials similar to those we completed earlier this year. The demonstrable environmental, economic and road safety benefits of delivering goods out-of-hours are hard to ignore and I am sure the FTA will be working more closely with Mogens and the others to help them develop a robust methodology that works for them.

• See our night-time delivery feature inside the Olympic supplement, free with this issue of Motor Transport.

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“Night-time deliveries are f***ing great; there’s no idiots getting in your way on the streets,” this driver called to his mate as I walked past him incognito. I was having a snoop around various parts of London during the twilight hours last week, accompanied by the MD of the Noise Abatement Society and the director of Transport & Travel Research, both of whom have been heavily involved in quiet delivery trials over the past couple of years (see p3).

With the Olympic Route Network in force between 6am and midnight, it was predicted that the majority of deliveries in London would take place at night during the Olympics. There were fears of operators fighting for kerbside space. This certainly wasn’t the case on the night I was out on the streets of London. Things did get a little busier from 1am onwards but nothing like I was expecting.

What was good to see was the number of different operators’ liveries I spotted, proving many were giving out-of-hours deliveries a try.

A pre-arranged stop-off at a Carlsberg delivery near Marble Arch provided a good insight into the benefits for the drivers of doing night work. The three-man Carlsberg crew all spoke enthusiastically about how delivering at night enabled them to get around London a lot quicker. They also said their customers were happier to stay on a bit longer at the end of their day to receive the delivery rather than go home and then come back during the morning to receive the drinks order.

With the quiet delivery experts on hand we certainly observed some good quiet delivery practices – lengths of rubber hose on load securing chains for instance – but overall it appears there is a lot more work to be done by operators in training and explaining to drivers the importance of implementing quiet delivery behaviour. Most deliveries were being carried out as though it was broad daylight, with a lot of shouting from drivers and careless slamming and banging going on.

Luckily, there appear to have been very few reports of noise complaints from residents during the Games.

Improved efficiency, improved safety and reduced vehicle emissions are real benefits of operating at night, so if all it needs is a little more driver training to enable operators to continue delivering at night, this is surely something to which the industry can commit.

The post Night-time proves the right time to deliver appeared first on Motor Transport.

Faster round-trip journey times; reduced vehicle turnaround times at stores; better fuel consumption from less time spent stationary, idling in congestion; improved shift productivity from drivers and vehicles; increased product availability in store; less congestion; better local air quality and fewer carbon emissions. To any transport operation, this list of benefits is music to the ears.

The brainchild of the Noise Abatement Society (NAS) and the FTA, the QDDS was set up in November 2009 in conjunction with the DfT to investigate the potential benefits from relaxing delivery curfews for quiet deliveries. After a thorough selection process, trials at six sites belonging to Tesco, Superdrug, Asda, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s, took place over a 15-month period, ending in March this year. Although only four of the trials were completed, valuable lessons were learnt.

Alternative times

The scheme was managed by freight specialists at transport consultants Transport & Travel Research (TTR), with other members of the project team consisting of NAS, the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and AEA Technology.

Chris Douglas, QDDS project manager and director of TTR, tells MT: “From an operational point of view, out-of-hours deliveries make a lot of sense. If you can run your operation at an alternative time of day where there is less idling time and quicker average speeds, you’re going to save fuel. Rather than try to shoe-horn deliveries into a small, highly-congested window, common sense says we should try to use other delivery windows. It needs to be done in a way that includes best practice – both technological and behavioural.”

James Hookham, MD of policy and communications at the FTA, agrees: “These trials show that quiet night-time deliveries can be done, but it’s not a question of a blanket lifting of existing delivery restrictions as every site is different and has different issues. Sometimes residents’ complaints are justified, sometimes they’re not. We now have a toolkit to show operators and retailers how they can apply to conduct their own night-time trials, which is encouraging for those who want to extend delivery windows.”

The Process

Before each trial was allowed to proceed, a working group was formed for each site, usually consisting of the store manager, local environmental health officer, someone from the QDDS project team, and the logistics/transport manager from the retailer or its third-party operator. The working group would agree the objectives for the trial and NAS would conduct a site assessment report, highlighting the key noise risk areas. In the case of Trial 1 at Sainsbury’s in Bournemouth, Dorset, the key noise pollutants were from roll cage movement, yard gates, the vehicles themselves, and unloading activity.

Driver charter

A series of actions was agreed by the working group and incorporated into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). A driver charter was developed by Sainsbury’s to brief drivers on behavioural practices when delivering to the store during the trial, such as switching off reversing alarms and engines when not moving vehicles. During the trial, weekly reports were circulated and Bournemouth Borough Council arranged for a resident to complete noise logs, which were distributed to the working group members. The members of the group remained in contact during the trial and, on review, the trial was deemed a success.

No complaints were received throughout the trial and an effective working relationship was established between Bournemouth council and Sainsbury’s. Another success was the involvement of ‘direct deliverers’ (bread and milk) in the trial and the willingness to disseminate best practice (including the contents of the driver charter) in their own businesses.

The noise-monitoring results indicated that the introduction of operational best practice can have a minor effect on the whole delivery and loading /unloading procedure. But the major contributors to noise levels remain the vehicle engine on arrival, on-site manoeuvring and departure.

In terms of operational efficiency, Sainsbury’s reported improvements in fuel consumption of 5.7% for night-time operations compared to daytime equivalents. The store also reported trading benefits of night-time deliveries with improved stock replenishment and availability, as well as better utilisation of store staff.

“The successful outcome of the trial demonstrates that working together in this way can deliver sustained results, which all parties can be satisfied with,” says Morag White, environment manager, logistics, at Sainsbury’s. “Following the trial, the delivery times have remained as they were, overseen by both parties, which continue to monitor store delivery performance.”

Lasting legacy

With the London 2012 Olympics heavily affecting deliveries next summer, many retailers need to look at ways around the Olympic Route Network (ORN) restrictions, and night-time deliveries are seen as an option.

“The Olympics are an ideal opportunity for well-managed, well-controlled, out-of-hours deliveries,” says Douglas. “There’s an ideal opportunity with the Olympics to review how deliveries take place and if best practice can be implemented in 2012, hopefully we can create a lasting legacy to service premises.”

Hookham is hopeful the QDDS results will show TfL that there is a workable solution for night-time deliveries. “We’ve pushed the boundaries back a long way with these trials. Retailers that need to extend their delivery window during the Olympics should download the guide and ensure they understand any restrictions in place on their sites. Is it a planning consent; is it a curfew restriction – they need to know why it’s in place so they can find the best way to tackle it.”

Jerry Ward, manager of legal operations at John Lewis Partnership, says: “We have to look at out-of-hours deliveries as we have a Waitrose and John Lewis store opening soon at the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, close to the Olympic Park. We’ve also got a couple of Waitrose stores affected by the ORN.

“We’re trying to get information from TfL about the Olympics so we can plan, but it seems to take a long time to come through to the relevant people. We’ll look at the QDDS guide for retailers,” adds Ward.

Cost case

Wincanton has been running what it calls silent deliveries for WH Smith for the past eight years, and largely manages this through behavioural training rather than expensive quiet kit for its fleet.

Gareth Smith, Wincanton solutions director, says: “We could do more, such as investing in special quiet equipment, but with councils reticent on allowing night-time deliveries, it’s not worth it. We mainly do it through driver training – but that only takes you so far.”

Smith says it is frustrating that London boroughs make their own decisions on delivery curfews. “We might be able to deliver out-of-hours in one borough, but in the next we’re not allowed. We could do with a collective agreement among all the boroughs. That would make it worthwhile for us to invest in sliding doors, for example, rather than close-and-shut doors.

“The work we do for WH Smiths is successful – we don’t have complaints from residents. We support the trials that have been done,” adds Smith.

“For the future of high-street deliveries, we believe 50% of deliveries should be done out-of-hours. We can be more efficient and effective if we’re not caught in traffic, plus there’s less carbon being emitted. Also, there is improved safety as there’s less chance of accidents as there’s less traffic around and fewer cyclists and pedestrians.”

Consolidation centres

Smith predicts that in the future we will see pre-retail consolidation centres outside city centres. “Investing in quiet equipment is a significant capital investment, so perhaps we need to consider shared user activities on the high street. A pre-retail consolidation centre would have the final mile deliveries pre-loaded on high-spec, low-noise vehicles.”

Hookham adds: “If we don’t want all the retail outlets to be built out of town and we want to keep town centres thriving, then it should be made as easy as possible for retailers to receive deliveries.”

Douglas’s advice to retailers and their transport partners is to be realistic about where to consider introducing out-of-hours trials. “There may be too many sensitivities and it won’t be feasible. But for every one that isn’t, there will be lots of sites that will be perfect for quiet out-of-hours deliveries.”

THINKING OF SETTING UP A QUIET DELIVERY TRAIL?

•  Provide as much in-depth information as possible (in the structure of an application form) to the local authority.
•  Appoint a competent person to produce a site assessment report to review store delivery practices and to implement improvements to mitigate key sources of noise.
•  Comply with all elements of the MoU prepared for the trial and ensure all store staff are made aware of the trial and its importance.
•  Produce a driver charter to remind drivers of their obligations when delivering to where the trial is taking place.
•  Liaise with the local authority and appoint a competent person to install noise-monitoring equipment for the duration of the trial to demonstrate that noise levels are being monitored.
•  Engage with local residents before, during and after the trial to establish good communication links and keep residents informed of general store activity.
•  Collate key data before and during the trial for analysis to assess and present the benefits of the new delivery times on store performance and transport operational efficiency.
•  Be responsive to local residents’ concerns and make efforts to address complaints.
•  Ensure own vehicles and those of suppliers do not arrive at the store too early, in advance of the agreed delivery window, and avoid vehicles waiting near to residential properties.
• For curfews imposed through planning restrictions, retailers need to invest time in completing application forms and assembling supporting documents to ensure full compliance with the statutory processes. Retailers also need to be aware that despite their efforts, there is no certainty that restrictions will actually be revised.
•  When planning store developments, consider the proximity of service yards and delivery bays to residential properties, effectively designing out potential conflict as far as possible.
•  Be aware that breaches of existing restrictions or of those in place during the trial may lead to closer scrutiny of their activities by local authorities.
•  Be aware of the delivery curfew restriction types and develop an understanding of how to deal with each.

The post Silent night appeared first on Motor Transport.

Yet many local authorities are reluctant to give the green light to out-of-hours deliveries for fear of upsetting local residents – and it takes only one complaint to upset the apple cart. Also, many retailers inherit statutory planning conditions put in place years ago when the site was used by another business, and these are a lot trickier to overcome.

Last week the FTA, the DfT and the Noise Abatement Society (NAS) brought the issue to the fore with the unveiling of the results of the Quiet Delivery Demonstration Scheme (QDDS) trials (see p3). These involved trials at six separate sites belonging to Tesco, Superdrug, Asda, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, and Sainsbury’s.

Although not all the trials were able to proceed in their entirety, valuable lessons were learned, and the QDDS team has created two guides – one for retailers and one for local authorities – that can be used to assist both parties on the journey to quiet night time deliveries.

With the disruption to the supply chain that the London 2012 Olympics is going to cause, operators and their customers need to look at extending their delivery windows to certain sites, so these guides will be invaluable.

Interestingly, although there is now an array of quiet delivery equipment available for operators to use, the trials revealed that an incremental reduction in noise can be achieved purely from behavioural changes. For instance, training drivers to turn off their radios when they enter a store’s yard and not slamming their doors etc. However, noise from vehicle engines remains the biggest contributor to ambient noise levels.

Still, for those interested in extending the delivery window, the QDDS trials have shown that quiet deliveries can work. Not all sites will be appropriate for night-time deliveries, but if you can operate at an alternative to the peak traffic times, resulting in less idling time and quicker average speeds, isn’t it worth considering for some of your sites at least?

The QDDS guides are available free from the FTA, the NAS, and the DfT’s websites.

The post Improving delivery times on the quiet appeared first on Motor Transport.

The results of the Quiet Deliveries Demonstration Scheme (QDDS) trials, unveiled last week, show a raft of operational benefits as well as wider gains for local communities.

Developed jointly by the FTA, the Noise Abatement Society, and the DfT, the QDDS involved trials at six sites belonging to Tesco, Superdrug, Asda, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, and Sainsbury’s.

Although only four of the trials were completed, there were still valuable lessons learnt. Two guides – one for retailers and one for local authorities – have been created.

FTA director of policy and communications James Hookham says: “We now have a toolkit to show how quiet deliveries can be achieved. It’s encouraging for those who want to extend their delivery windows. There are significant benefits to be had – both commercially and environmentally.”

QDDS project manager and director of TTR, Chris Douglas, points out that not every site will be suitable for night-time deliveries so retailers need to be realistic about where they introduce out-of-hours trials.

“But these trials prove that operators can undertake deliveries outside of normal working hours in a well-managed, well-controlled way and not upset local residents.”

The cost of investing in quiet equipment may put off some companies, but Douglas adds: “A small incremental reduction in noise can be achieved by behavioural changes alone.”

Wincanton solutions director Gareth Smith agrees: “For our silent deliveries for WH Smith we have invested only in training drivers on behavioural changes. We could invest in quiet technology but with councils reticent on allowing night-time deliveries it’s not in our interest to make such a huge capital investment in equipment.”

To download the full results, go to www.fta.co.uk. See MT 11 July for an analysis of the results.

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DBC has taken the vehicles on a contract-hire basis because they run a Frigoblock refrigeration system. This is powered by the truck’s engine, reducing the noise associated with self-powered refrigeration units and enabling early or late deliveries in residential areas.

The firm operates from 14 sites throughout the UK. Customers include Caffè Nero, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Loch Fyne and Little Chef.

The post DBC opts for DAFs with quiet fridges appeared first on Motor Transport.

The trials will assess the potential benefits of out-of-hours deliveries for operators and any negative impacts on local residents.

Lisa Lavia, MD at the NAS, says the locations for the night-time trials will only be decided in early 2010.

Currently curfews vary from council to council and on a store-by-store basis depending on their proximity to residential areas.

However, quieter vehicles, such as hybrid and electric models, have proved that near-silent operation is achievable.

Lavia adds: “Quiet equipment is always welcome, but it’s only one part of the solution because along with quieter equipment you also need to mitigate behaviour on night-time deliveries to make the entire operation as quiet as possible.”

Gordon Telling, FTA London policy manager, says: “The benefits of night-time deliveries are reduced road congestion and improved fuel consumption for operators.

“There are also fewer pedestrians and less traffic to contend with out of peak hours,” he adds.

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