Freight last mile delivery: a literature review

The authors review the literature on last mile delivery logistics within commercial and humanitarian supply chains from 2010 to the end of 2021. The scope of the last mile, including last mile logistics, last mile distribution, and last-mile mile delivery, is covered. A unifying terminology of the major concepts in this field and a bibliometric analysis are provided. Based on the analysis, the authors further classify and discuss the literature into three clusters: humanitarian relief, commercial logistics, and emerging technologies. Within each generated cluster, research gaps and current trends are identified. Future research directions are suggested based on this literature review.

Automated summary

The authors provide a literature review on last mile delivery logistics in commercial and humanitarian supply chains from 2010 to the end of 2021. The review covers the scope of last mile, including last mile logistics, last mile distribution, and last-mile delivery, and includes a unifying terminology and bibliometric analysis. Based on the analysis, the literature is classified and discussed into three clusters: humanitarian relief, commercial logistics, and emerging technologies. Research gaps and current trends are identified within each cluster, and future research directions are suggested based on this review.