ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the physical distribution process of which goods movement, and urban goods movement in particular, is but part and the various participants in the overall urban goods movement process, and their often varying and conflicting perceptions and goals. It also addresses the role and nature of urban freight, emphasising that it is essentially an economic activity and examining the supply and demand aspects of that activity. Trucking firms, or road freight operators, come in a large variety of forms, characterized by size, area of operations, and legal form. The shipper usually arranges and pays for freight transport. Owner-operators, or owner-drivers as they are known in some places, occupy an important role in the road freight industry in many countries. Although often overlooked in the discussion of urban freight, the truck driver occupies a key role. The relationship of supply to demand in urban freight is rather different than it is in the case of urban person movement.
