Progress and change go hand in hand. With the fast changing pace of technology in today’s world, the trucking industry needs to keep up.
The commercial vehicle industry is vast, varied and complex. New technologies can make the workings of the many sub-industries that flourish under the big umbrella much smoother. Moving freights and goods can be a highly taxing and competitive business, so any technology that improves margins would be an advantage. Here are some future trends in the industry that experts foresee:
Adopting a truck routing software is the need of the hour due to the changing dynamics of the commercial environment. Stringent emission norms, narrowing margins and increasing competitions means that all freight companies need to employ efficient systems.
Dynamic routing allows commercial vehicles flexibility in finding the most cost efficient way to move from point to point. It plans routes using GPS and Advanced Fleet Management Systems and can incorporate delivery times using multiple time windows and heterogeneous fleets of commercial vehicles. This cuts time, promotes fuel efficiencies and helps drivers too with time management..
Keeping a driver scorecard helps manage performance. Monitoring hard braking and unwanted acceleration can help pinpoint performance problems. Driver performance can be the variable that adds or reduces fuel costs by 20-30 percent.
The networked operation of a fleet of trucks with optimal distance and speed is the future. It reduces fuel consumption and increases efficiency by almost 18 percent, according to experts. But as German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) president Bernhard Mattes, said at an international conference:
“The digitization of traffic opens up completely new opportunities for making mobility smoother and more efficient in large metropolitan areas and beyond. That reduces emissions. Most importantly, digitization, connectivity and automated driving will bring about a quantum jump in road safety.”
Tracking software makes not only tracking of freight easier but it also facilitates data collection for a seamless fleet management system. Data analytics can help in the maintenance of the commercial vehicles and track the fleets. Small businesses can map out profitable areas and tailor and customise offerings accordingly.
Temperature for perishables on freight can also be controlled. Any change in temperature can be fixed with the tracking devices and a log of the temperatures can provide due documentation in case of any trouble.
Another noticeable trend is the new technology disrupting the way businesses will operate in the future. Uber has come up with Uber Freight connecting shippers and freighters similar to its ride hailing services.
Such apps may take time to catch on as the freight industry is more business to business and getting fleets and drivers on board may be difficult. Only time will tell if this new apps based freight business will work out.