Freight transport growth – a theoretical and methodological framework

The purpose of this paper is to describe how the freight transport sector is influenced by logistical principles of production and distribution. The article will introduce new ways of understanding freight transport as an integrated part of the changing trends of mobility. Moreover, it also aims to describe how the driving forces behind mobility influence the transport industry. This is, however, associated with methodological difficulties, as logistical thinking tends to lack the notion of transport. It is safe to say that there is a serious lack of knowledge as to what are the consequences of different logistical concepts in terms of transport in a chain context. This paper presents research carried out by the authors at Roskilde University.