Urban Freight and Logistics Management Training Course

Duration 10 days 19 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Transport Managers, Distribution Centre Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-LD-238

Before you join: Participants should have practical familiarity with transport, warehouse, procurement, distribution or city operations.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Urban freight is essential to retail, construction, healthcare, food supply and public services, yet delivery vehicles compete for limited kerb space, face access restrictions, create congestion and add emissions in densely populated areas. Logistics managers must meet tighter delivery windows while controlling transport cost, reducing failed drops, managing carrier performance and responding to city freight policies. Poorly designed urban delivery operations produce avoidable mileage, parking penalties, safety incidents, customer complaints and unreliable service.

This course examines the operating models, data and stakeholder arrangements used to plan and manage urban freight systems. Participants assess demand patterns, delivery density, vehicle utilisation, kerbside access, consolidation options and last-mile service requirements. They apply route design methods, time-window management, carrier scorecards, urban logistics cost models and emissions measurement approaches. The course also addresses cargo bikes, electric vans, micro-consolidation centres, parcel lockers, reverse logistics, construction logistics plans and freight partnerships with municipalities.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with realistic cases from retail distribution, parcel delivery, hospital supplies, food service and construction projects. Participants work with delivery data, maps, service requirements and operational constraints to build decisions that can be transferred to their own city or network. Across the programme, each participant develops an urban freight improvement plan containing a current-state diagnosis, delivery segmentation, operating model, route and capacity assumptions, implementation priorities, risk controls and performance measures.

The course suits professionals responsible for transport operations, distribution networks, carrier contracts, city logistics programmes and last-mile customer service. It is also relevant to public-sector staff whose policies affect commercial deliveries, kerbside management and freight emissions.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess urban freight demand using delivery density, time-window and vehicle movement data
  • Segment delivery flows using service, product, customer and access requirements
  • Design last-mile operating models using consolidation, collection and alternative vehicle options
  • Build route plans using stop sequencing, capacity constraints and delivery-time assumptions
  • Calculate urban delivery cost-to-serve using activity-based cost drivers
  • Measure freight emissions using the GLEC Framework and vehicle activity data
  • Develop carrier scorecards with service, safety, cost and emissions indicators
  • Produce an implementable urban freight improvement plan with governance and controls

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Ability to diagnose avoidable cost and service failure in dense delivery networks
  • Practical methods for evaluating cargo bikes, lockers and consolidation centres
  • Confidence presenting freight improvement proposals to carriers, customers and municipalities
  • Stronger capability to specify measurable urban delivery requirements in tenders
  • Reusable evidence for leading emissions and kerbside access discussions

For your organisation

  • Lower urban delivery cost through improved stop density and vehicle utilisation
  • Fewer failed deliveries, parking penalties and avoidable repeat journeys
  • Better carrier accountability through defined service and emissions scorecards
  • Reduced freight emissions through targeted vehicle, route and consolidation decisions
  • More credible engagement with municipal access, kerbside and loading policies

Course modules

19 modules over 10 days

Participants can describe how urban freight flows, stakeholders and constraints shape delivery performance.

  • Urban freight flow types: parcels, retail, food, construction and waste
  • Stakeholder map covering shippers, carriers, receivers, residents and city authorities
  • Delivery density, stop duration and dwell time as operating variables
  • Congestion, access restrictions and kerbside scarcity affecting delivery reliability
  • Customer service promises translated into measurable last-mile operating requirements
  • Freight externalities: emissions, noise, safety risk and public-space occupation

Participants can structure delivery data to identify demand patterns and operational problems.

  • Delivery data fields: location, volume, weight, time window and service type
  • Geocoding customer addresses for delivery-density and route-area analysis
  • Heat maps identifying demand clusters, failed-drop locations and access hotspots
  • Daily volume profiles separating predictable demand from exceptional delivery activity
  • Pareto analysis of customers, stops and routes driving delivery cost
  • Data-quality checks for duplicated addresses, missing times and inaccurate coordinates

Participants can segment urban delivery demand and set service promises that match operating capability.

  • Service segmentation by urgency, product handling, value and delivery frequency
  • Customer delivery profiles defining access, receiving hours and proof requirements
  • Time-window design balancing customer choice, route density and arrival reliability
  • Appointment systems for high-volume receivers, hospitals and controlled-access buildings
  • First-attempt delivery targets linked to address quality and recipient availability
  • Service-level agreements distinguishing standard, scheduled, express and collection services

Participants can calculate delivery cost-to-serve and identify economically unsustainable service commitments.

  • Activity-based costing for loading, linehaul, delivery, returns and administration
  • Cost drivers including stops, kilometres, parcels, dwell time and failed drops
  • Fixed and variable fleet costs allocated to urban delivery activity
  • Contribution analysis by customer, postcode, service tier and delivery channel
  • Minimum order values and delivery charges aligned with cost-to-serve findings
  • Scenario costing for revised time windows, collection points and consolidation

Participants can assess kerbside and receiving constraints and design practical delivery controls.

  • Kerbside inventory recording loading bays, restrictions, occupancy and enforcement patterns
  • Curb management rules affecting loading duration, vehicle type and delivery hours
  • Receiver readiness checks covering loading access, goods lifts and security procedures
  • Dwell-time reduction through pre-advice, booking slots and digital proof-of-delivery
  • Parking-risk registers for penalty exposure, unsafe stopping and repeat delivery delays
  • Delivery and Servicing Plans coordinating receiver behaviour with carrier operations

Participants can select vehicle types using payload, access, range and productivity criteria.

  • Vehicle selection matrix comparing vans, trucks, cargo bikes and walkers
  • Payload, cubic capacity and load-factor calculations for urban delivery fleets
  • Vehicle access constraints from height limits, low-emission zones and delivery bans
  • Electric-vehicle range planning using route distance, payload and charging windows
  • Cargo-bike suitability screening by parcel size, terrain, density and weather
  • Fleet productivity measures: stops per hour, drops per route and utilisation

Participants can design feasible urban routes using demand, capacity and time constraints.

  • Vehicle routing problem constraints: capacity, time windows, skills and breaks
  • Stop sequencing using travel time, service time and access restrictions
  • Territory design based on delivery density, geography and driver familiarity
  • Wave planning for morning, midday and evening delivery demand
  • Dispatch cut-off times aligned with warehouse processing and route departure
  • Route feasibility checks for kilometres, overtime, payload and scheduled arrivals

Participants can compare last-mile operating models against defined service and cost requirements.

  • Direct-to-door delivery model for dispersed and time-sensitive customer demand
  • Collection points, parcel lockers and pickup stores for recipient-led collection
  • Micro-consolidation centres serving dense districts with low-emission vehicles
  • Consolidated delivery models for business districts, campuses and residential developments
  • Outsourced courier networks compared with dedicated fleet operating arrangements
  • Decision criteria covering control, cost, speed, density and customer acceptance

Participants can evaluate consolidation opportunities and define the conditions required for viable shared operations.

  • Consolidation feasibility using volume thresholds, compatible flows and route overlap
  • Urban consolidation centre operating models, costs and governance arrangements
  • Shared-user delivery schemes for retailers, suppliers and public institutions
  • Cross-docking design for rapid transfer between linehaul and local distribution
  • Consolidation risks: loss of control, added handling and demand volatility
  • Business-case assumptions for occupancy, throughput, labour and transport savings

Participants can adapt urban delivery design to the distinct requirements of major commercial flows.

  • Parcel delivery economics driven by stop density and first-attempt success
  • Retail replenishment windows for stores, malls and pedestrianised city centres
  • Temperature-controlled food delivery requirements for handling, timing and traceability
  • Grocery fulfilment choices: store picking, dark stores and central fulfilment
  • Proof-of-delivery controls for high-value, regulated and age-restricted goods
  • Returns flows designed for collection convenience, inspection and recovery value

Participants can prepare freight controls for construction sites and major urban projects.

  • Construction Logistics Plans defining booking, routing, consolidation and site rules
  • Delivery booking systems preventing vehicle queues and uncontrolled site arrivals
  • Just-in-time material delivery risks for constrained construction programmes
  • Supplier call-off schedules aligned with site storage and lifting capacity
  • Vehicle management plans addressing safety marshals, turning movements and pedestrian separation
  • Construction freight KPIs covering booked arrivals, idling, consolidation and incidents

Participants can specify, source and govern urban delivery services using measurable requirements.

  • Transport tender specifications defining service zones, volumes and operating constraints
  • Carrier capability assessment covering fleet, technology, safety and local knowledge
  • Rate-card structures for stops, zones, weight bands and waiting time
  • Service-level agreements with on-time, first-attempt and proof-of-delivery measures
  • Carrier scorecards tracking performance, claims, emissions and corrective actions
  • Contract governance cadence for weekly operations reviews and quarterly business reviews

Participants can identify urban delivery risks and establish proportionate operational controls.

  • Road-risk assessment covering vulnerable road users, reversing and driver fatigue
  • Safe loading procedures for load restraint, weight distribution and manual handling
  • Driver briefing controls for school zones, pedestrian areas and restricted streets
  • Theft-risk controls for unattended vehicles, high-value parcels and secure handovers
  • Incident reporting workflows for collisions, damage, missed deliveries and near misses
  • Compliance registers covering licences, vehicle inspections, insurance and local permits

Participants can measure delivery emissions and prioritise practical reduction measures.

  • GLEC Framework principles for calculating transport greenhouse-gas emissions
  • Activity data collection using fuel, distance, payload and vehicle-type records
  • Well-to-wheel and tank-to-wheel emissions boundaries for delivery reporting
  • Emission reduction hierarchy: avoid, consolidate, shift, improve and electrify
  • Low-emission zone planning for fleet compliance and route continuity
  • Carbon KPIs expressed per parcel, stop, tonne-kilometre and revenue unit

Participants can define digital information requirements for planning, execution and performance control.

  • Transport management system functions for planning, dispatch and carrier settlement
  • Route-optimisation inputs: addresses, travel times, vehicle limits and service rules
  • Proof-of-delivery data capturing signatures, photographs, exceptions and timestamps
  • GPS telematics for route adherence, idling, speeding and arrival analysis
  • Control-tower dashboards combining warehouse, carrier, customer and traffic information
  • Data governance rules for address master data, privacy and retention

Participants can build a balanced performance system for urban freight operations.

  • KPI hierarchy linking strategic targets with route, depot and driver measures
  • On-time delivery measured against promised windows and customer notification rules
  • First-attempt success analysis separating address, recipient and carrier failure causes
  • Root-cause analysis using five whys, fishbone diagrams and exception codes
  • Plan-do-check-act cycles for testing route, service and process improvements
  • Visual management boards for daily delivery exceptions and corrective actions

Participants can engage municipalities and major receivers on practical urban freight solutions.

  • Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan freight measures and implementation responsibilities
  • Freight Quality Partnerships bringing carriers, receivers and authorities into structured dialogue
  • Consultation evidence using delivery data, curb observations and stakeholder interviews
  • Access-policy impact assessments for delivery cost, service and emissions outcomes
  • Kerbside allocation proposals supported by occupancy, dwell-time and turnover data
  • Pilot governance defining objectives, participating parties, measures and review points

Participants can convert an urban freight concept into a sequenced implementation plan.

  • Implementation roadmaps sequencing data fixes, pilots, procurement and operating changes
  • RACI matrices assigning delivery, warehouse, carrier and customer responsibilities
  • Pilot design with baseline measures, test scope and decision gates
  • Risk registers covering capacity, technology, stakeholder acceptance and regulatory change
  • Change communications for drivers, receivers, customer service teams and suppliers
  • Benefits tracking linking improvement actions to cost, service and emissions measures

Participants can build, review and present a complete urban freight improvement plan for a defined delivery network.

  • Current-state diagnosis using demand, cost, route, service and access evidence
  • Delivery segmentation defining priority flows, customer groups and service commitments
  • Target operating model selecting fleet, consolidation and delivery-channel arrangements
  • Financial case quantifying implementation cost, savings, service impact and payback
  • KPI dashboard covering cost, service, safety, utilisation and emissions
  • Implementation roadmap with governance, risks, milestones and accountable owners

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Urban freight diagnostic template
  2. Delivery demand segmentation model
  3. Urban delivery cost-to-serve worksheet
  4. Carrier service-level agreement checklist
  5. Freight emissions measurement model
  6. Urban freight improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Transport Managers — responsible for delivery cost, fleet utilisation and service reliability
  • Distribution Centre Managers — need to coordinate despatch capacity with urban delivery constraints
  • Last-Mile Operations Managers — manage dense routes, failed deliveries and customer time windows
  • Procurement Managers — source carriers and delivery services against measurable urban requirements
  • City Logistics Officers — develop freight policies, access controls and kerbside arrangements
  • Sustainability Managers — reduce delivery emissions without weakening customer service

Skills and tools covered

Urban freight planningLast-mile network designRoute optimisationCarrier performance managementKerbside operationsFreight emissions accounting

Tools and standards

GLEC Framework, Vehicle Routing Problem, Plan-Do-Check-Act, Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan

How the course runs

Training methodology

The programme uses short technical briefings, facilitated case analysis, map-based group work, delivery-network simulations and structured application planning. Participants interpret delivery demand, service requirements, route constraints, carrier data and municipal rules drawn from realistic urban logistics cases. Group discussions test trade-offs between cost, service, safety, emissions and access. Trainers provide practical templates for data collection, operating-model selection, route review, carrier governance and implementation planning. Participants progressively apply the tools to a chosen urban freight challenge.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical familiarity with transport, warehouse, procurement, distribution or city operations. They should be able to interpret basic operational data such as delivery volumes, vehicle kilometres, costs, service levels and customer locations. Experience managing carriers, fleets, route planning or municipal transport policy is useful but not essential. Participants do not need advanced mathematics, GIS expertise, specialist route-optimisation software or prior knowledge of emissions accounting. The course assumes an intermediate professional audience and focuses on decisions, operating models and usable management tools.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should understand basic transport, distribution, procurement or municipal operations. Advanced route-planning software skills, GIS knowledge and formal emissions-accounting qualifications are not required.

Bring a laptop if possible, along with non-sensitive examples of delivery volumes, service issues, route constraints or carrier reports. Participants without their own data can work from the course cases and templates.

It is designed for transport, distribution, last-mile, procurement, sustainability and city logistics professionals. It is particularly useful for people responsible for deliveries in dense urban areas or affected by freight access policies.

General transport courses commonly focus on broad fleet, warehouse and domestic distribution management. This course concentrates on dense-city constraints such as kerbside access, time windows, failed drops, consolidation, low-emission vehicles and municipal policy.

Participants leave with an urban freight improvement plan that can be adapted to a live delivery network, carrier tender or city freight initiative. The plan includes diagnostic findings, operating choices, KPIs, risks and implementation actions.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, providing about 6.5 contact hours daily. The first week establishes diagnostic, costing and operating-model tools; the second week addresses governance, emissions, policy and the capstone plan.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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