For the road transport
industry, business as usual is
not an option.
And competition will
not come from traditional
operators but rather from the
16-year-old tech-boffin who is
thinking up the next Uber.
That was the message from
Gavin Kelly, technical and
operations manager of the
Road Freight Association,
when he addressed delegates at
a JCCI/FTW business seminar
in Johannesburg recently.
“We can’t carry on doing
business as we are today.
Whatever technology is
developed, it needs to address
efficiency of operation, the
health of the drivers, the
safety of the trucks, and safety
equipment on those trucks
because Ubers are out there
ready to disrupt everybody.”
Delays caused by traffic
infringements ranging from
vehicle overloading to the
condition of the vehicle and the
competence of the driver are
major issues for the industry
– and technology
is facilitating far
greater efficiency.
Tracking the
vehicle and its
parts is already a
given – and proof of
delivery is also
pretty much
standard.
“Many
operators
use geocaching
and geotagging
so that
when
they
arrive
at their
destination the home depot
is told the truck has arrived
at the client, proving the load
has been delivered without
necessarily having the driver
give you the information.”
The biggest cost factor
apart from wages is fuel,
says Kelly. “We can’t get
away from it, so if I can
work out the best route in
peak hours and avoid
standing time,
that cuts costs.”
A major
problem in
the freight
industry is
the lack of
experienced
drivers who
often work
long hours –
with fatigue
regarded as
the silent
killer and diabetes widely
prevalent.
“We now have vehicles that
can pick up if the driver is in a
healthy state to
drive.”
Technology
also has an
answer to the
issue of truck
overloading
which is often
related less
to the weight
of the cargo
than to the
distribution of
the load.
When
part loads
are offloaded, the vehicle
distribution is compromised.
“New trailers have come out
with floating decks as opposed
to solid decks – so you can
move the load around rather
than having to unstrap
the cargo which was the
traditional method. With
some of the latest vehicles,
once the cargo,
is offloaded
you press a
button and the
panels start to
move.”
It’s all about
dealing with
problems
before they
happen,
says Kelly.
And while
the many
interventions
are improving
the efficiency of the trucking
industry, they are also
opening the way to disruptors
which are pushing traditional
boundaries.
Competition will
come from the
16-year old techboffin
who is thinking
up the next Uber.
– Gavin Kelly
