Creating an innovative activity-based freight transportation framework

In a growing globalised context and consumption economy freight transport is of crucial importance. Activities of firms are expanding, even across borders. This causes an increase in logistics activities of firms as they become more dynamic. Public and private decision makers need to take these trends into consideration with regard to their decisions and a better projection of freight traffic flows becomes necessary. Being able to understand the drivers of freight flows makes it possible to forecast freight flows in the future and to calculate the impact of different policies on freight traffic. It will put policymakers in the position to get a better insight in the way the transport of goods comes about. Still, freight demand modelling is lacking behind on the efforts made in passenger transport models.