Night-time logistics, or night-time distribution of goods, is a viable option for dealing with the problems that can arise during the day (traffic jams, noise, absence, etc.) in large cities.
Companies, experts in the supply chain and administrations have been discussing night-time logistics, its impact and its benefits for the environment for some time.
According to the latest reports published on the subject (e.g. by the AECOC), night-time logistics allow for a 30% reduction in the kilometres travelled by transporters, compared to daytime distribution, which means a reduction of between 13% and 31% in carbon dioxide emissions.
Likewise, some experts point out that night-time logistics is one of the strategies with the greatest impact in terms of the environment and economic efficiency. Therefore, many companies, such as Stock Logistic, already have this factor in mind, which can, if not change, condition the distribution and storage sector.
Advantages of night-time distribution
Some of the benefits of applying this type of logistics are:
- It significantly decreases the amount of pollutant emissions emitted.
- It is possible to easily access any delivery point.
- It improves the delivery times of the goods.
- Fewer obstacles in traffic during loading and unloading.
- Fewer kilometres are travelled. During the day there are occasions when alternative routes are chosen to avoid traffic jams and they are often longer.
However, night-time logistics must also deal with issues such as increased labour costs (the bonuses paid for working at night), noise pollution at inappropriate times or greater insecurity.
Pioneering cities in Spain
The latest reports in Spain on this subject indicate that 25% of Spanish capitals already have administrative processes in place to enable night-time logistics. Furthermore, cities such as A Coruña, Barcelona, Burgos, Logroño, Madrid, Málaga and Murcia are the ones that have best developed logistics management systems on this issue and have already worked on aspects such as access management or efficiency in the use of logistics fleets.