Samenvatting

To what extent will future demands of worldwide operating parties, regarding the (tertiary) packaging of their freight flows, determine or influence the future dimensions of freight trucks? That is the question we address to in this paper. In this study we have studied what container sizes may fit in the future demands of world trade and freight flows. We have identified several trends and studied its possible impact on the sizes of the truck of the future. Two serial projects have been carried out within the framework of the HTAS-EMS research program, in which amongst others MAN, University of Technology Eindhoven, TNO and HAN University of Applied Sciences cooperate in order to determine the requirements for the truck of the future. The first two projects of this research program have been carried out in order to determine possible influences of: - packaging on the requirement of Logistic Service Providers for the next generation of trucks (project I); - the pallet as an influence on the opportunities for intermodality of transport units, within the context of EU trade with emerging economies (project II). The first research project was part of a dissertation program for the MSc program in Logistics and Supply Chain management of the University of Westminster (project I); the second, of a BBA program in Logistics of HAN University of Applied Sciences (project II).