Last Mile Delivery

Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on New Trends in Management, Business and Economics

Year: 2026

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Last Mile Delivery

Selwyn Piramuthu

ABSTRACT:

Last mile delivery is among the most expensive and complicated parts of the supply chain. As relatively few packages are transported together for delivery to the customer as compared to those in the stages before that, the cost per package is higher. For example, transport of packages between major hubs is generally accomplished through large aircraft or large trucks whereas last mile delivery is often carried out with the help of relatively smaller vehicles. Cost per package is also higher due to the time taken per distance travelled from the last distribution center or depot to the customer location. Last mile delivery is commonly carried out in ground-based transportation such as delivery vans or trucks. Although there are variants such as bicycle-based delivery and drone-based delivery, depending on the existence of paved roads or paths and related infrastructure or when delivery needs to be performed across challenging and rough terrain. We consider last mile delivery from the perspective of different types of vehicles (e.g., van, bicycle, boat, drone) that are used for this purpose as well as the existence of appropriate infrastructure.

Keywords: Bicycle, Drone, Last Mile Delivery, Truck, Van