How Innovation Will Drive Success In The Transport Industry

Operational efficiency has always been a core element of success in the transport industry, but digital disruption has made it more important than ever. Just as Uber shook up the taxi industry, innovative technology-driven businesses are poised to shake up trucking and freight. Your competitors aren’t as easy to pinpoint these days, making it more difficult to gain a competitive edge. Amazon has stepped into the freight industry with its global shipping operation and many other businesses have started to handle freight internally. Then there are drones and self-driving delivery trucks. These technology trends are driving massive change in the transport sector.  

What do these trends mean for your fleet?

These developments won’t affect your business straight away but they do indicate that speed and efficiency are more important than ever. Your customers may not be looking for self-driving delivery trucks today, but the move towards these technologies reflects an expectation of seamless, transparent and efficient service.  There are plenty of ways to create positive customer experiences that will give you a clear competitive edge but leveraging technology will be crucial.

• Put your customers in control – Don’t leave customers wondering where their package is. If your drivers can share real-time updates with dispatchers, customers can be notified immediately of any issues with delivery. For example, if a customer isn’t home to receive their order, make sure they receive a notification and a request to arrange another time. This means your customers don’t have to go out of their way to collect something, putting them in control of their experience.

• Optimise your routes - Improve the way your drivers travel to and from jobs so you’re spending less time on the road. With real-time data into which vehicles are being used and where, you can schedule jobs more effectively and take into account obstacles like traffic congestion or speed restrictions to figure out the best route for each individual driver. Keeping your fleet on the move and minimising the distance drivers need to travel will give you a significant competitive edge. You’ll be able to provide better customer service, reduce fuel costs and schedule more jobs each day.

• Automate wherever possible – Removing unnecessary manual processes will streamline your operations and ensure you’re ready to innovate as the industry changes. Accurate data on when vehicles were used will allow you to automate timesheets and payroll rather than relying on inaccurate manual logbooks. You can also provide clients with automatic invoices once a delivery has been made, speeding up the payment process and increasing transparency.

SUMMARY

Technology innovation is set to drive significant change in the transport industry. Current trends highlight the need for fleets to become more agile and efficient. To gain a competitive edge in this new landscape, you’ll need to leverage technology and data to streamline your fleet and provide the best po