Research library / Logistics Data & Industry Research
Research list
Logistics Research Institutes, Universities and Libraries: 6 Compared (2026)
Logistics research institutes publish on their homepages, but a homepage is not a source. A researcher needs the report, paper or dataset itself, and to know before clicking whether it opens in full, as a summary or only as a reference.
Each entry below leads to one concrete output: a dataset, a white paper, a journal listing, a report summary, a method report and a working paper.
Updated October 20266 compared
Contents
Key takeaways
A listing is not a library KLU's publication list runs to 58 pages of references; OpenAlex records some listed papers as open access and others as closed. (KLU publications page; OpenAlex)
Free to read is not free to reuse TNO's 2019 carbon footprinting report is a free PDF that states all rights reserved; the Vektor Research datasets are CC BY 4.0. (TNO 2019 R11486; Vektor Research)
Language decides access On the first page of TØI's report catalogue, 29 downloads are full reports in Norwegian only; English summaries exist for some. (TØI publications page)
Work paid for by industry can still be open Fraunhofer IML's battery swapping white paper, written for six companies, is a free PDF with a DOI. (Fraunhofer IML white paper)
Where to look first
Start from your question. Each row names the entry to open and the output to read first.
| Your question | Where to look |
|---|---|
| I need dangerous goods data for road freight that I can reuse | Vektor Research (entry 1), the CC BY 4.0 datasets |
| I need a freight technology study I can read today | Fraunhofer IML (entry 2), the transport logistics publications page |
| I need peer reviewed logistics papers | KLU (entry 3), then check each DOI for open access |
| I need Norwegian freight volumes or port studies | TØI (entry 4), English summaries first |
| I need a method for freight carbon accounting | TNO (entry 5), report 2019 R11486 |
| I need economics of truck electrification or modal shift | VTI (entry 6), the working paper series |
How the six compare
| Institution | Type and location | Topics | Example output | Language | Access and reuse | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vektor Research | Company research library, Tallinn | Dangerous goods by road, ADR | ADR 2027 Table A comparison | English, German, Dutch | Open; datasets under CC BY 4.0 | Reusable ADR data with a source on every row |
| Fraunhofer IML | Research institute, Dortmund | Heavy trucks, rail, ports, intralogistics | Battery swapping white paper, May 2026 | English | Open full text with DOI; reuse terms not stated | Freight technology studies with industry input |
| Kühne Logistics University | University, Hamburg | Supply chains, operations, road freight, shipping | Empty trip reduction in Colombia's road freight, 2026 | English | Listing of references; open access varies by paper | Finding peer reviewed papers |
| TØI | Research institute, Oslo | Freight volumes, ports, all modes | Report 2169/2026 summary | Norwegian; English summaries for some | Full PDFs, many in Norwegian only | Norwegian freight figures |
| TNO | Research organisation, The Hague | Freight emissions, data sharing, automated transport | TNO 2019 R11486, carbon footprinting | English; vision paper in Dutch | Free PDF; all rights reserved | Freight emissions methods |
| VTI | Research institute, Sweden | Truck electrification, modal shift | Working Paper 2024:3, e-roads | Swedish site; paper in English | Free PDF; full text filter on the site | Road freight policy economics |
1.Vektor Research, for reusable dangerous goods data
We built Vektor Research as the research library of a road freight brokerage in Tallinn, not as an institute or a university. It holds 14 references and 12 machine readable datasets on ADR, the agreement on carrying dangerous goods by road. Our ADR 2027 Table A comparison lists 231 changes on 188 UN numbers, each row naming its source document.
Source: vektorgroup.eu
2.Fraunhofer IML, for freight technology studies
The Dortmund institute lists 37 projects in English, from wagonload rail to ports and intralogistics. Publications sit on department pages, not one catalogue.
The transport logistics page leads to Battery swapping for heavy-duty commercial vehicles, May 2026, written on behalf of six firms including DHL Group, DSV and REWE.
Source: iml.fraunhofer.de
3.Kühne Logistics University, for peer reviewed papers
KLU, in Hamburg, keeps one searchable list of faculty publications: 58 pages of references with DOIs and abstracts. It is a bibliography, not a full text archive.
A road freight example is Gil Gonzalez and others (2026) on empty trips in Colombia, built on more than 7.99 million trips.
Source: klu.org
4.TØI, for Norwegian freight figures and port studies
The Oslo institute's report catalogue has a language column and labels each download. On the catalogue's first page, 29 downloads are full reports in Norwegian only.
Report 2169/2026, Transport volumes in Norway since 1946, has a three page English summary: domestic freight including cabotage fell 1.1 percent from 2024 to 2025, and road freight performance was 0.6 percent lower.
Source: toi.no
5.TNO, for freight emissions methods
The Dutch research organisation's logistics pages are mostly project summaries; reports sit in a linked publications repository.
TNO 2019 R11486 is a 52 page report on aligning carbon footprinting with the GLEC Framework, Objectif CO2 and SmartWay, sponsored by Connekt.
Source: tno.nl
6.VTI, for the economics of road freight policy
VTI says its report series are digitised in full back to 1925. Records sit in the DiVA archive, often with the full text, and a filter on the publications page shows full text only.
Working Paper 2024:3 by Maria Börjesson and Stef Proost compares diesel, battery and overhead line trucks and the case for e-roads on the EU TEN-T network.
Source: vti.se
Find a source for your topic
| Your topic | Start with | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Dangerous goods data | Entry 1 | The official ADR text each row cites |
| Electric trucks | Entries 2 and 6 | Each paper's bibliography |
| Empty running | Entry 3 | The DOI, to see if the paper is open |
| Norwegian freight statistics | Entry 4 | The full report if you read Norwegian |
| Emissions accounting | Entry 5 | The current GLEC Framework, as the report dates from 2019 |
| Modal shift policy | Entry 6 | VTI's 2021 review of modal shift instruments in Europe |
Citing and reusing what you find
Cite the output, not the institution: report number, DOI or dataset version, and the date you read it.
Check reuse separately from access. TNO's report is free to download but forbids reproduction without written consent; the Fraunhofer IML white paper states no licence, so quote and link it. Vektor Research datasets are CC BY 4.0 with attribution.
If a summary is all you read, cite the summary. For TØI report 2169/2026 the web abstract gives car travel growth as 2.6 percent and the English summary as 2.3 percent.
How this list is kept
A link that stops working is marked, not silently replaced. Report errors to the address under About Vektor Research below.
The resource directory: what each field holds
The download holds metadata we wrote. The outputs keep their publishers' terms; CC BY 4.0 covers our descriptions and labels only.
| Field | What to write | Your answer |
|---|---|---|
| institution | Name as the institution writes it | |
| type | Research institute, university, research organisation or company library | |
| location | City or country stated on the institution's own pages or outputs | |
| topics_evidenced | Road, rail, ports, warehousing or emissions, only where a listed output shows it | |
| output_title | Title of the one output listed for the institution | |
| output_url | Direct link to the file or record, not the homepage | |
| output_type | Dataset, white paper, working paper, report or journal paper | |
| language | Language of the full text and of any summary, recorded separately | |
| access | Open full text, summary only, listing only, behind a form, or blocked | |
| reuse | Licence or rights statement as printed, or not stated | |
| date_read | Date the access label was last confirmed |
Common questions
Is Vektor Research a research institute?
No. It is the research library of Vektor Group, a road freight brokerage in Tallinn. It holds ADR datasets under CC BY 4.0, and its scope is dangerous goods by road, nothing wider.
Does a publication list mean the papers are free?
No. KLU's list gives references with DOIs and abstracts. OpenAlex records some listed papers as open access and others as closed, so check each DOI before you plan to read it.
Can I reuse a free PDF in my own report?
Only on its stated terms. Quote briefly, cite and link, and ask the publisher before republishing figures.
How do I get an English version of a Norwegian TØI report?
Look for the attachment labelled Summary without the Norwegian only note. For report 2169/2026 that file is a three page English summary; the full report is in Norwegian.
Summary
Reusable ADR data: Vektor Research. Freight technology: Fraunhofer IML. Peer reviewed papers: KLU, checked DOI by DOI.
Norwegian figures: TØI's English summaries. Emissions method: TNO.
Road freight policy economics: VTI. Cite the output and check reuse before you copy.
Sources
Downloads
More lists and references
About Vektor Research
Vektor Research is the reference side of Vektor Group, a road freight broker in Tallinn that arranges ADR and chemical transport. The research pages are free to read and to reuse under CC BY 4.0, and they carry no offer.
Rene Siller is responsible for the content; how the pages are built is set out in the methodology, and errors are corrected in the open. Editorial questions and error reports go to info@vektorgroup.eu.
No entry paid to be listed and no link carries an affiliate code.
Cite this list
Vektor Research. Logistics Research Institutes, Universities and Libraries: 6 Compared (2026). Vektor Group, 8 October 2026. https://vektorgroup.eu/resources/logistics/logistics-research-institutes