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Pilot

Engaging Large Retailers in Off-hour Delivery Programs

The main goal of this project is to advance the transportation community's knowledge on how to best foster off-hour delivery programs in urban areas nationwide. This will be accomplished by providing materials that offer guidance to large retailers and public-sector officials regarding all aspects that are necessary to implement and maintain off-hour delivery as a traffic demand management strategy. To this end, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) team will engage larger retailers and food companies regionally and nationwide with the intent of designing and possibly pilot-testing a series of novel approaches—tailored to the needs and expectations of large retailers—that could make it easier for them to conduct off-hour deliveries across the nation.

flowchart showing the stages for implementing off-hour deliveries: line up incentives, select target industry, engage stakeholders, advertise, recruitment, implementation, and evaluate and enhance program

Stages for Implementing Off-hour Deliveries. Source: Jeffrey Wojtowicz

Project Type

Pilot

Period of Performance

September 2015 - August 2017

Project Site(s)

Primarily New York City, though also other U.S. locations

Website

None

Contact

Jeffrey Wojtowicz
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(518) 276-2759
WojtoJ@rpi.edu

Challenges Addressed

  • Congestion
  • Parking
  • Safety

Expected Outcomes

The final deliverable will be a guidebook that entails a comprehensive approach to implementing and maintaining off-hour deliveries with a focus on large retailers.

Stakeholder Involvement

The project will seek involvement from private industries, public agencies, and trade organizations for input and feedback to create the guide materials.

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