Decarbonizing heavy-duty refrigerated truck operations: An empirical analysis of point-to-point inbound cold-chain freight
Research in Transportation Business & Management, Vol. 69, 101874 · Dec 2026
Read at publisherDOI: 10.1016/j.rtbm.2026.101874Abstract
Cold-chain logistics is a significant contributor to freight-related GHG emissions because refrigeration is energy intensive. This case study analyzes 36 full operational cycles of a 26-ton rigid refrigerated truck operating in point-to-point inbound cold-chain freight for a Taiwan-based third-party logistics (3PL) provider, including 9 long-trip (LT) and 27 short-trip (ST) cycles. A bottom-up carbon emissions model, evaluated against measurement-based fuel-use reference values, yields mean total-fuel errors of −6.67% for LT and −0.13% for ST and quantifies emissions across four operational phases—loading, unloading, transport, and other activities—and six sources: driving, idling, heat transmission, air infiltration, pre-cooling, and refrigerant leakage. Driving is the dominant contributor (71.7%–81.9%), followed by heat transmission (10.5%–14.1%) and idling (3.8%–6.8%). A total cost of ownership (TCO) framework evaluates electricity-based pre-cooling, while a separate 14-h stationary cooling case compares diesel-powered refrigeration with grid electricity. In the stationary case, grid electricity reduces refrigeration-related energy cost and GHG emissions by 43.18% and 62.78%, respectively. Sensitivity analysis identifies vehicle speed, door-opening duration, energy prices, and ownership period as influential parameters. The study provides case-based evidence on refrigeration-specific emission sources and the potential of plug-in pre-cooling and grid-powered stationary refrigeration as transitional decarbonization strategies.
Keywords
Cold chain logistics · Heavy-duty trucks · Transport refrigeration unit (TRU) · Total cost of ownership (TCO) · Decarbonization strategies · Real-world operational data