Important Tech Trends to Watch in the Transportation Industry
With technology changing at such a blistering pace, it’s challenging enough for transportation firms to stay up on new developments, let alone determine what’s useful and what’s not.
So, we wanted to help you out. Here are 5 of the top transportation tech trends to keep an eye on as we head into 2021:
Real-Time Supply Chain Visibility
Once upon a time, it may have seemed like a far-off reality to get real-time updates into your supply chain. However, it’s now a necessity because your customers and carriers are expecting a smooth transport. They will want to be able to check the status at any time—from Point A to B.
In case you are not convinced of the importance, here are a few key benefits to real-time supply chain visibility:
- Multimodal coverage
- Multidimensional historical analytics and reporting
- Integrations between software technologies
- Automate tracking tasks
- Improve on-time delivery
- Increase efficiency while cutting costs
Driverless Trucks
One of the biggest hurdles trucking companies face is finding drivers. While recruiting is a key tool for finding quality drivers, another avenue quickly gaining traction is driverless trucks.
The big question for driverless trucks is how (and possibly if) these vehicles can improve service and efficiency.
CRM/TMS Integration
Picture this: you are a sales representative, and a customer calls and asks you a question about a shipment. What do you do? You work out of your customer relationship software (CRM) system, and it’s not integrated with your transportation management system (TMS). Your options are to pass this call along to another teammate, potentially frustrating your customer because it’s a simple question you can’t answer. Or you can try borrowing a teammate’s login, which is a security issue and bad business practice.
You can better understand your customers’ needs by having access to their information, such as order histories, payments, warehouse inventories, and status of shipments. The best way to do this is by integrating your CRM and TMS systems.
Delivery Drones
The drone delivery movement is picking up steam, but how sustainable is this form of delivery? Only time will tell.
One of the biggest questions about drones is just how efficient they are. Parcel carriers can make many deliveries at one time, while drones deliver one package per flight.
While this technology is still developing, it’s definitely one to be on the lookout for in the near future.
IoT Sensor Technology
Not only do tagged containers and parcels make it easier to track inventory and equipment, they also make tracking vehicles more efficient. This benefit makes fleet management easier through real-time monitoring of both driver performance and vehicle performance via collected data.
These data points also help to schedule preventive maintenance and increase fuel efficiency, thereby saving money.
Looking for more information on transportation tech trends or on how to integrate your technologies? Contact Faye today.
