La sous-traitance de la messagerie urbaine : logiques économiques et rapports de dépendance

Subcontracting is a common practice in road transport, especially in parcel transport operations. Parcel transport is defined as the collection and distribution of shipments of less than three tons. Deliveries and pick-up rounds in urban areas present some specificities (such as difficult traffic and parking situations) which contribute in the high the use of subcontracting within the parcel transport sector. Sub-contracting allows parcel carriers to minimize the costs of urban trips and to provide a flexible and cost-efficient service to shippers. We analyzed a 2012 'carriers' survey done in the Paris region as well as an earlier survey made in the Lyon region. We also interviewed several …