Assessing Strategies to Overcome Barriers for Drone Usage in Last-Mile Logistics: A Novel Hybrid Fuzzy MCDM Model

Snežana Tadić, Mladen Krstić () and Ljubica Radovanović
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Snežana Tadić: Logistics Department, Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 305, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Mladen Krstić: Logistics Department, Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 305, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Ljubica Radovanović: Logistics Department, Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 305, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

Mathematics, 2024, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-25

Abstract: Effective last-mile (LM) delivery is critical to the efficient functioning of supply chains. In addition to speed and the cost of delivery, environmental and social sustainability are increasingly important factors in last-mile logistics (LML), especially in urban areas. Sustainable solutions such as drones attract special attention from researchers due to their high potential. The future of drone logistics is uncertain due to many barriers. This study analyzes, evaluates and ranks barriers to identify those that most significantly hinder broader drone adoption in LML, and proposes and ranks strategies to overcome them. This type of issue requires the involvement of multiple stakeholders with conflicting goals and interests. Therefore, the study employs a novel hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model that combines fuzzy Delphi-based fuzzy factor relationship (Fuzzy D-FARE) and fuzzy comprehensive distance-based ranking (Fuzzy COBRA) methods. The results indicate that the main obstacle to drone implementation in LM is the lack of aviation regulations. The risks of unauthorized access, data misuse, privacy breaches, and data security represent significant challenges. They are followed by ambiguously defined or burdensome requirements for insurance and liability for drone owners. The main contributions of this study are the establishment of a novel hybrid model, identification and ranking of barriers for broader application of drones in LML, and strategies for overcoming them.

Keywords: drone logistics; barrier analysis; last-mile; city logistics; MCDM; fuzzy Delphi; fuzzy FARE; fuzzy COBRA (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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