During the past few years, many industries have evolved due to technology and its benefits. The transportation and logistics industry is not the exception, and most companies have now incorporated transportation technology into their processes to improve overall productivity and generate greater efficiencies.
Even though transportation technology is not a new thing in the industry, recent trends are emerging to further any company’s reach and take them to higher levels. Applying these technologies is essential not only for productivity levels but also to stay competitive since it has already become the standard for the transportation industry.
Transportation technology emerging trends
As mentioned, there are many technologies that have been incorporated into the transportation workflow, let’s discuss a few.
- Autonomous vehicles
As this trend becomes a reality, more companies seek to develop self-driving trucks that can take some of the workload off truck drivers and provide a safe delivery service. Even though this is not a new trend, it was only possible for big companies that had the capabilities to develop this type of technology. But nowadays, and with the sudden push because of the coronavirus crisis, mid-sized and smaller companies are finding the need to go self-driving trucks.
Autonomous trucks use Artificial Intelligence to operate, from their shipping yards to the delivery destination. These self-driving trucks are one of the best options to meet the growing demands due to e-commerce and help mitigate the truck driver shortage and maintain the global economy flowing correctly.
- Automated warehouses
A vital element of the entire supply chain is having correct and efficient management of warehouses. Therefore, companies use automation and robots to create more streamlined processes and allow the business to flow seamlessly. Creating automated warehouses also allows companies to reduce costs and improve overall productivity.
Automating warehouses provides significant benefits to businesses by improving visibility, decreasing the time spent in manual labor, enhancing storage space and capacity, and streamlining the receiving and dispatching process.
- Big data analytics
Data is one of the biggest assets companies own but, in many cases, don’t take complete advantage of its benefits. As the transportation industry grows and expands, it’s essential to use all the data that’s being created to understand the industry and exactly what the market needs.
Analyzing vast amounts of data can only be done by robust systems and software that provide your business with the insights it needs to provide high quality services. It will allow businesses to predict what’s coming next and plan out future deliveries. Also, forecast high demand seasons and low demand seasons, all through the correct analysis of data.
Having all this data at your fingertips will give you the chance to improve your inventory according to the peaks in demand, access greater visibility, enhance your management process, and increase overall efficiency.
- Last-mile robots
Creating a more efficient last-mile process allows companies to deliver their goods even faster, accommodating to their customers’ needs. Therefore, companies have now started to invest in last-mile delivery robots to ensure the safe and fast delivery of goods. Some of these robots are drones, self-driving trucks, and even human-like robots.
These robots are managed through online systems that eliminate common issues like not having parking space or not finding the customer’s address, which causes unnecessary delays.
- Sustainability
As we strive to decrease our environmental impact, most customers are steering to eco-friendly companies. This is true for every industry, including the transportation industry. Therefore, one of the biggest trends is embarking on a more tech-dominant future for the business that decreases emissions and reduces the amount of gas consumed globally.
Transportation companies must find ways to create an eco-friendly process that allows customers to receive their goods without negatively impacting the environment.
Trends continue to emerge almost monthly nowadays; therefore, companies need to stay ahead and create updated processes that generate better outcomes. Customers have become increasingly demanding; hence, there’s a need for companies that quickly adapt to the new transportation technology trends, creating more efficient processes and improved services.
