Assessing the resilience of urban truck transport networks under the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of China

The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the critical role of urban truck transport networks in maintaining essential supply chains amidst crises. However, existing research on the resilience of these networks is limited, often relying on aggregated socio-economic data to provide an overview of broader trends. This study addresses the gap by utilizing a large-scale GPS dataset of individual trucks from Chinese cities, enabling a micro-level analysis of urban truck transport network resilience under pandemic. First, we examine how pandemic-induced disruptions reshaped the spatial distribution of freight activities, identifying demand pattern shifts in the city. Second, we introduce two key resilience metrics—handling efficiency and transport efficiency—to determine whether truck transport networks could adapt to fluctuating demand and maintain reliable service across regions, freight hubs, and industry-specific supply chains. The findings reveal significant variations in network resilience across cities, with suburban hubs and critical industries demonstrating higher adaptability, while urban hubs and non-essential sectors faced greater challenges. By providing a micro-level perspective and quantifiable resilience metrics, this study advances the understanding of urban logistics resilience and provides practical insights for policymakers to enhance supply chain reliability in the face of future disruptions.