elivering in high-density environments like New York City , Chicago and San Francisco presents unique challenges . Whether it ’ s fighting for curb space , taking 30 minutes to get around the block or facing the looming threat of congestion pricing , companies operating in these environments face unique issues .
What do veterans of these challenges foresee for those delivering in these challenging environments ? CLDA Magazine asked two of them , Mark Chiusano , CEO of Net Zero Logistics , and Peter Fernandez , CEO of Citipak Delivery Systems , to predict the expected changes .
The Micro-Mobility Future
Anyone who ’ s tried to make a delivery in a city understands the challenges of using a standard delivery vehicle on congested city streets . Between the lack of access to curb space , the fuel costs from idling in tra ! c and the time it takes to park and make one delivery , the old ways of doing things don ’ t make sense .
Chiusano decided years ago that there had to be a better way . He formed Net Zero Logistics to cope with these challenges and find ways to deliver in high-density areas in an environmentally friendly way . As an early adopter of electric vehicles , walkers , electric cargo bikes and e-trikes , his company constantly seeks new solutions to handle deliveries in high-density environments . His company has micro-hubs around New York City where walkers and delivery associates on e-bikes pick up cargo for delivery . “ What we do for the walker program is drive 26-foot trucks into the city to create what we ORDTs , orbital roving dispatch terminals . They
sit at an anchor point . Ten walkers meet the anchor point . They take the deliveries off the truck and make them on foot , so it ’ s zero carbon . So far , in 2024 , we ’ ve delivered eight million deliveries with walkers . We ’ ve delivered almost 50 million deliveries since we launched it in 2015 , which has reduced our carbon footprint tremendously ,” he says .
Fernandez agrees with the need for these alternatives . “ I think anybody who ’ s not looking at alternatives like these will not be ready for the future . I see a lot more utilization of alternative vehicles , like what Net Zero Logistics is doing . We ’ re looking for other alternatives , too . We expect to be part of the trend in 2025 when we replace some of our vehicles with electric vans . We want to see how that might work to control fuel costs . Idling in Manhattan can be terrible . We waste thousands of dollars on fuel costs . EVs are one of the many solutions to those challenges we ’ re considering .”
In 2025 , Chiusano expects to see other alternatives gain popularity . “ We ’ ve been using pedfall / winter 2024 I customized logistics & delivery Magazine 37