Freight consolidation centers for urban logistics solutions: The key role of interoperability

All works in the domain of Urban logistics demonstrated that these Freight Consolidation Centers contribute to limit the emission of carbon dioxide and air pollutants in the cities. However their economical business model is quite fragile. To increase the profitability of these platforms, it will be compulsory to enlarge the scope of their activities and to diversify their operating modes through additional services. This paper proposes a global overview on urban freight consolidation centers issues. A particular focus is made on the interoperability problematic associated to these centers´ activities.