Technology is rapidly changing the trucking industry. Even now mobile devices are making their way into the cab of every truck and the desk of every dispatcher. Self-driving, autonomous trucks are being developed and have even been tested on freeways in Southern California. Artificial intelligence combined with these and other technologies promise massive change that will improve the return on investment for the entire industry.
Mobile Technology
Smartphones and tablets, as well as other mobile technologies, are changing the way the trucking industry operates by reducing or eliminating paperwork and streamlining day-to-day operations.
In the past, transactions were written on pieces of paper, which had to be filled out by the dispatcher, the customer or end user, and the trucker, as well as others as needed. All of that information needed to be entered into a computer system and then the paper had to be filed, stored, archived, recovered if need be, and eventually destroyed.
Not only were all of these forms requiring immense amounts of manual labor, they had to be filled out and signed from the beginning to the end of a trucker’s route. The cycle began in the warehouse with a sheet of paper telling the driver what needed to be pulled and loaded onto the truck. As the driver proceeded on his route, he needed to track and fill out forms showing where he’d stopped, what product was delivered and where, who accepted delivery, and so forth.
Using mobile technology, all of that information and more is still entered, stored, and maintained — it just happens electronically and in many cases automatically.
The manifest, the list of everything contained on a truck, can be loaded onto the trucker’s mobile device at the same time the truck is loaded. This is all automatic since each pallet includes a barcode which is scanned as they are loaded and unloaded. Thus, instead of a static piece of paper, the electronic version of the manifest becomes a living document that shows the exact status of everything on a truck at any time.
Using this technology, there is no longer any paper to be shuffled and potentially lost, and no question as to where product has been, how it got to its location, and where it wound up. All of that can be answered based upon the electronic record available to the trucker, the dispatcher, and potentially the clients and the warehouses.
The exact position of a truck can be known at any time due to GPS systems — the same technology that allows smartphones to report exactly where you are if you dial 911. This position can be automatically fed to both the dispatcher and the mobile devices of the trucker, clients and warehousemen waiting at the destinations.
Additionally, the same mobile device can be used to control the route that the trucker takes in real time. As conditions change, say there’s a traffic accident or bridge closure, the dispatcher can automatically change the route and send it directly to the trucker’s mobile device. This is so transparent that the trucker might not even know that his route has been changed.
Automated trucks
Another game changing technology is the use of autonomous vehicles, which means replacing drivers with machines that automatically drive trucks from location to location. Long-haul truck driving is an excellent example of how robots may be used to automate an entire industry.
What this means is that trucks will be driven on the roads without any human being at the wheel. In fact, humans won’t be involved at all other than to tell the truck where it is going. The truck will use GPS technology to figure out the best route to its destination and get there without making any stops except to refuel.
Since big rigs typically spend most of their time on freeways and highways, their routine is predictable and easy to automate.
Kits are being developed for existing trucks which give them the capability to drive on freeways without drivers. This is done by installing the necessary hardware: motion detectors, lasers, cameras, and applications.
Of course, at first the drivers will remain on the trucks since the technology is relatively new, but in the foreseeable future it is highly probable that trucks will be driving throughout the United States without drivers on board at all.
Even with drivers, the advantage of automated trucks is that the truck doesn’t need to sleep and make rest stops. The driver can sleep while the truck is moving, and only take control when necessary.
This technology is expected to reduce accidents, dramatically improve delivery rates, improve energy usage and reduce costs.
Even more exciting, is creating caravans called “platoons”, which is the concept of several trucks driving together, connected wirelessly, to synchronize their movements and operations. This allows trucks to drive much closer together, and even reduces fuel expenses by reducing drag due to their close proximity.
Artificial Intelligence
As you can imagine, all of these technologies, and others, produces a tremendous amount of data that can be captured, analyzed and used to help reduce costs and improve service. Virtually everything about deliveries, shipments, trucks, routes, and even the weather and special events can be stored in massive databases for use by artificial intelligence.
In order to improve the return on investment by clients, Smarthop takes advantage of all of this data to make predictions and recommendations based upon real-life scenarios and events. In fact, by having all of the information about shipment activity at their disposal, Smarthop, using artificial intelligence, can predict trucking requirements before shipments are even scheduled.
For example, suppose you have a grocery company that ships products to their stores on a daily, “just in time” basis. The stores don’t keep any inventory, and are totally dependent upon receiving deliveries on a very tight schedule in order to keep their shelves full. This is advantageous to the company because they don’t have to maintain inventory at the store which means more space can be used to sell products.
Using artificial intelligence, Smarthop can predict when trucks will be needed to ship those products. Certain days of the week may require larger or more frequent deliveries and others may only need a single delivery in a day. Even variables such as more frequent deliveries during holidays and changes in the weather can be factored into these calculations.
Additionally, fresher product could be delivered since the artificial intelligence can take into account the distances of warehouses from their destinations. By knowing which products are being shipped to which locations, decisions can be made about the best way to get those products to their stores taking into account expiration dates and other factors.
This makes the job of trucking and logistics much simpler because the Smarthop application will accurately predict the trucking requirements, delivery routes and schedules, and the associated costs. This reduces the amount of staffing and resources required by the clients to ship their products to their destinations.
Conclusion
Technology is changing our world, the way we live and the way we work. Additionally, the digital revolution is transforming how products are shipped locally, regionally and throughout the country. You can see the beginnings of this transformation with the adoption of mobile technologies and within just a few years, fleets of autonomous robotic trucks will be driving our freeways.
Smarthop is taking advantage of these trends in technology to improve the return on investment for businesses by reducing costs and improving efficiency.
