What is a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) and how does last-mile delivery optimization impact MPV movement?

Multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) are designed to carry up to 10 people and are typically constructed on a truck chassis or with features that enable them to handle off road conditions. They have become a key means of completing last-mile deliveries in urban and suburban settings. The MPV vehicle class encompasses a range of vehicle types, including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), recreational vehicles (RVs), pickups, vans, campers and minibusses.

MPVs are frequently relied on to complete last-mile delivery operations, which usually make up the last step in a logistics or goods delivery process before a customer receives an order (most often dispatched from a centralized warehouse or retail location).

There are a number of factors that make MPVs the vehicles of choice for last-mile deliveries, including their size, efficiency and ease of operation.

The types of packages being delivered are often the determining factor in which types of MPVs a company chooses to have in their fleet. MPVs are ideal for courier services and carriers that specialize in small or sensitive package deliveries—the kinds of deliveries that can easily be handled by a single driver.

In other words, these are traditional door-to-door small package deliveries in which the vehicle makes a number of stops for short periods of time throughout the workday. Because these multi-purpose vehicles travel shorter distances and make frequent stops, they are more prone to affecting local traffic flow changes and/or congestion.

Altitude by Geotab provides insights on commercial vehicle vocations with our aggregated traffic analytics. Vocation data can aid in last-mile delivery optimization by helping you unearth specific insights into the types of jobs that MPVs in your region are performing. Using these findings, you can then develop more targeted policy and infrastructure plans that promote more efficient movement throughout your region, province or state. 

As a DOT planner, you know that keeping traffic flowing is critical for commerce, safety and driver peace of mind. Creating more resilient infrastructure by modernizing roadways and implementing better traffic policies are key priorities for last-mile delivery optimization and fluid supply chains. Better on- and off-ramps for adjacent highways, dedicated turning lanes, updated traffic controls and prioritized maintenance can all be ways to meet the needs of last-mile delivery optimization by keeping traffic flowing efficiently and safely.

Traffic calming measures can help supply chains flow more smoothly, controlling both vehicle speed and vehicle flow to better mitigate disruptions.

Delays cost time and money. For example, bridge shutdowns due to improvements or regular maintenance can hamper last-mile delivery optimization, cause shipments to miss their deadlines and become expensive to fix.. However, these delays can be minimized and even overcome by studying aggregated commercial vehicle data and taking action.

Conducting a freight movement analysis data can provide you with key details about vehicle origins and destinations, traffic bottlenecks, weather effects on movement, busiest travel times and vehicle types (MPVs, medium- or heavy-duty vehicles) to plan prescriptive measures that keep traffic moving in local areas and throughout a region as a whole.

By arming your department with traffic analytics, you have a host of options to achieve last-mile delivery optimization while improving traffic infrastructure as a whole. 

Some of the ways freight movement analysis can provide insights for last-mile delivery optimization include:

• Curbside management: Using traffic analytics, you can make the most of cramped curb space—often spots on roads where MPVs stop to make deliveries. For example, our Interactive Map highlights a use case for the City of Columbus, which saw a significant uptick in curbside stops starting in 2020. By tracking exactly where and how many of these events are occurring, planners can pinpoint the most congested areas and take steps to reduce and prevent jams.
• Traffic calming strategies: Freight movement analyses built on traffic analytics can show when and where and when traffic is speeding up or bottlenecking. Traffic calming strategies, including increased traffic controls, can be used to ease congestion.
• Improved parking: Providing better parking options specifically for trucks makes it easier for MPVs and other last-mile delivery vehicles to have the space their drivers need to complete their deliveries without impacting traffic.
• Rectifying supply chain inefficiencies: A study of the most common routes taken by commercial vehicles with route analytics will help to identify and solve any bottlenecks or other areas causing inefficiencies to the supply chain. Creating commercial routes or taking steps to add more parking options can help in optimizing last-mile delivery in your region.

Whether it’s studying the movement efficiency of commercial MPVs or looking to optimize supply chains overall throughout your city, state, province or region, traffic analytics from our Altitude platform will give you the answers you need to solve the specific challenges facing your region.

Altitude offers your department a comprehensive set of traffic analysis tools, including:

• Stop Analytics – Gain granular, transparent data on vehicle stop behaviors to empower better planning and infrastructure decisions.
• Roads: Study aspects of vehicle movement like speeds over a selection of segments or customized zones to get insights on trends against posted speeds, then identify anomalies at specific times and areas. Hone in on geographies of interest to uncover detailed travel times on selected road segments, which helps you determine individual and collective roadway efficiency. 
• Origin & Destination: From vehicle purpose to aggregate route analysis, Altitude gives you a window to examine key behaviors affecting your locality or region, allowing you to understand the nuances of any trip, including vehicle journeys, the characteristics of last-mile delivery trips and popular routes.

MPVs are an indispensable part of the supply chain’s conclusion and looking for ways to optimize last-mile delivery will undoubtedly help your region’s traffic flows improve. No matter which types of MPVs travel throughout your region, providing smarter parking options, rerouting traffic more efficiently and building better infrastructure will help you sustain effective last-mile delivery. Find out the best tactics for optimizing your region’s supply chain with our transportation data as the driving force.

Book a one-on-one consultation with us to learn more about how Altitude can help with last-mile delivery optimization.