Sharing Economy in Logistics: Towards a legal framework for co-operation

The project concerns co-operative logistics, particularly cargo bundling, that is, the practice of producing companies (shippers) consolidating cargo before the engagement of a carrier. The shippers agree to co-operate for a long period of time and to detect matching opportunities before shipment. Cargo bundling yields efficiency gains in logistics and can contribute significantly to the realisation of the EU sustainable transport policy goals that are included in, among others, the EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility of 2020. The co-operation can be governed by contracts or a mix of contracts and corporate structures. Furthermore, co-operation can be supported by specialised intermediaries who orchestrate transport. The research identifies areas of legal uncertainty, which results from the application of various legal frameworks to cargo bundling co-operation, and offers several solutions. The analysis proceeds from the analysis of contracts that are adapted to different regulations and is premised on the use of comparative and empirical legal methods.