Trucking & IoT: Delivering a Revolution

Artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and the Internet of Things are poised to spark a revolution in the automobile industry. Automated cars have grabbed the headlines in recent years but most analysts, quite reasonably, believe that freight trucks will be the first fully-automated vehicles in regular use on the roads.

The trucking industry, and the logistics that keep it running, has become fundamental to the success of supply chains, both nationally and internationally. Without those supply chains running smoothly, allowing for just-in-time orders and millions of successful daily deliveries, industries of all types would grind to a halt. The Brexit situation, with Great Britain withdrawing from the European Union, is a perfect example of the kind of chaos a broken supply chain can create. In the fall of 2021, cars and trucks were lining up in front of empty pumps at UK gas stations, and supermarket shelves remained barren, all for the lack of truckers. A Road Haulage Association (RHA) survey of its members estimates there is now a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified drivers in the UK. That number includes thousands of drivers from European Union (EU) member states who were previously living and working in the UK. Issues such as this highlight the importance of the trucking industry.

Time is of the Essence

Yet geopolitical issues such as this are far from the only challenges currently facing freight and haulage, with market demands shifting quickly and shipments growing accordingly. In America, a report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said there were approximately 493,730 trucking companies in the US alone. Even today, most of the small business owners in the US are truckers. So, as this industry grows, it becomes necessary to track several statistics in realtime. Factors like the load on the trucks, time required for loading and unloading of goods, traffic on the travel routes, or tracking the vehicles in realtime are important to the fleet managers and truck owners of the businesses.

The driver situation is about as bad as I've ever seen it in my career.

_{Eric Fuller, CEO of U.S. Xpre}

These issues have put trucking front and centre in the eyes of those seeking industry disruption, resulting in seismic changes to the way trucking works. As with so many other key industries in transition, it’s the Internet of Things (IoT), AI, and robotics that are leading the way and providing truly remarkable solutions to ever-growing problems. IoT has connected sensors, electronic monitors, actuators, GPS receivers, RFID systems, beacons, and so on, with a network of physical devices, appliances, vehicles, and other items for data collection and communication. In transportation and trucking, it has provided several promising solutions to develop powerful new applications and systems. When an AI-driven, longhaul industry is in place, it’s not difficult to imagine the rest of the automotive industry catching up. IoT-based solutions are transforming the trucking industry in unbelievable ways. They assure better transparency, higher operational efficiency and enhanced security – ultimately increasing profit margins Trucks, which have sensors connected, travel via different routes and, at various location transmission hubs, collect and send data to the decision-makers for the insights that help in gaining better results. Here’s a closer look at ways in which IoT and AI technology is transforming the trucking industry and how the industry will benefit from just-in-time trucking and logistics.

Help Wanted: A Road Haulage Association (RHA) survey estimates there is now a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified drivers in the UK alone.

Safety First

The best argument for introducing automated vehicles and AI-driven trucks is the fact that they are safer for everyone. Long-distance routes that demand long hours of high intensity focus and alertness are dangerous for both the truck driver and other travelers. Reliable and accurate AI systems help reduce the risk of accidents, while reducing the pressure on the drivers themselves. The trucking industry is in the midst of a hiring crisis. “The driver situation is about as bad as I’ve ever seen in my career,” Eric Fuller, the CEO of U.S. Xpress, told Yahoo Finance.

It’s a hard job, and fewer people are attracted to it. At the same time, demand for haulage is growing by leaps and bounds. More autonomous trucks wouldn’t merely increase staff safety, they’d also help resolve capacity issues. Currently, autonomous trucks still require human drivers in the cockpit. However, as the robot systems become more skilled on their routes, a future of completely driverless fleets of trucks is easily foreseeable.

Keeping Track of Truckers: Electronic Logging Devices, or ELDs, are now mandatory for commercial drivers who are required to prepare hours-of-service (HOS) re-cords of duty status, further increasing pressure on trucking companies who need to hire more drivers to comply.

Fuel, insurance and drivers’ wages are obviously the trucking industry’s key expenses. By tracking the locations, driving habits and speed of the trucks in a fleet, expenses can be managed more successfully and efficiently. A combination of Big Data, AI, and IoT devices will make this happen more easily and accurately than ever before and will only require giving each driver an Electronic Logging Device (ELD) as part of their smartphone setup. In 2015, Saia LTL Freight, a reputed trucking company in America, installed sensors in their trucks for tracking fuel consumption, maintenance needs and other performance metrics. This raised the fuel efficiency of the company by 6 per-cent saving millions of dollars.

IoT technology already plays a key role when it comes to overseeing the performance of factory equipment in the manufacturing industry, highlighting when parts need replacing and keeping an eye on the smooth running of key components. There’s no reason why the same IoT data and technology couldn’t be applied to the trucking industry by installing sensors to anticipate issues before they arise or when vehicles need servicing. This is a particularly attractive concept for trucking-business owners and investors. Most of these companies can run up mountainous annual repair bills, as high as $15,000 per vehicle plus another $4,000 for tires. Many of the issues that arise could be spotted earlier using IoT technology. Cast in this light, smart trucks would save an immense amount of money while creating safer, more efficient fleets at the same time.

Loads of Problems: Data produced by hundreds of sensors on commercial trucks is fused together in real-time to get mean-ingful information that optimises safety, fuel economy, and maintenance of the vehicle.

This aspect of AI, called predictive maintenance, allows problems to be addressed before they become severe (and more expensive), generating both peace of mind and a better ROI in the process. It’s no wonder that the vast majority of trucking business owners firmly believe that IoT technology is fundamental to their future success.

Staying Fresh

Sensitive cargo, such as plants and flowers or time-sensitive perishable goods, have long been a source of headaches for the entire industry. IoT technology can automatically adjust variables like temperature and humidity in order to ensure optimal conditions for such cargo. Furthermore, it can help drivers select the best routes, taking into account road conditions, construction zones and accidents to ensure a timely and well-preserved delivery, both of which are critical for consistently happy customers. In the home package delivery industry (UPS and FedEx), the ability to track individual items has already led to increased customer satisfaction. AI and IoT advancements will allow this same functionality to be applied to commercial trucking. This industry, as much as any, can use all the trust it can find in order to future proof it for decades to come. Last-mile deliveries and just-in-time services are on the increase, which means that every second makes a difference in logistic success rates. Robots working alongside personnel in warehouses or working independently and fully automated, have already made significant improvements in efficiency and time-saving procedures.

Weighing In AppWeigh is a Bluetooth weight sensor and app for air sus-pension trucks and trailers that displays truck weight on a smartphone to help truckers load safely an legally.

Speedier loading and unloading times allow trucks to complete more orders in a day. We’re already seeing the latest robotics technologies implemented in warehouses run by companies, such as FedEx, with impressive results. Automation in the warehouse is another way to mitigate issues caused by worker shortages and offers another key investment area that could save the industry millions.

An example of IoT-based solutions for the trucking industry is App-Weigh. It is a specially designed mobile app which uses Bluetooth-enabled weight sensors to measure the load on air suspension trucks and trailers throughout shipment. The truck weight is directly sent to the drivers on their smartphones to keep them informed and ensure their trucks and goods are safely and legally loaded to their destination. This app can be useful to individual truck owners as well as transportation and trucking companies as they alert the drivers and managers when the weight in the vehicle crosses the permissible limit and enables them to take immediate action.

This What the Future Looks Like? Resembling the helmet of a Star Wars stormtrooper, a driverless electric truck recently began daily freight deliveries on a public road in Sweden, in what developer Einride and logistics customer DB Schenker described as a world first.

Endless Potential

There’s no questioning the fact that robotics, IoT and AI have already enabled, and will continue to facilitate, disruption in the trucking industry, helping business owners save time and money, while staying on top of a rapidly changing and often unpredictable sector. Data-driven and tech-centric developments have been the catalysts for the digital transformation currently underway within trucking. From all indications, it appears the industry will act as a bellwether for the future of automated vehicles and logistics. While many of the technological advances predicted for the trucking industry remain in their earliest stages, it’s clear that the business of trucking has responded positively and is quick to adopt the latest IoT developments. With the potential to become a bonafide, high-tech sector, the trucking industry is breaking new technological ground. Drivers need to follow strict government regulations. To comply with the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate, all trucks must be equipped with electric devices in their trucks to track their working hours and activities. Legally, drivers can’t drive for more than 10 hours a day, requiring them to log working hours. With the adoption of IoT, trucking companies can easily com-ply with this law.

Faster, Faster!

IoT-linked trucks also help the drivers to do their jobs faster and with enhanced safety, thus putting an end to the seemingly endless queues at gas stations around the world and speeding up delivery of food and other essentials. IoT saves the drivers from paperwork by electronically updating the fleet man-agers about delivery timings, loading weights and other operational data. Drivers can also be informed in advance about diversions, off-duty hours, traffic timings, bad weather and other relevant information. When trouble strikes, they can also get assistance regarding troubleshooting without having to carry well-thumbed, dog-eared manuals.

Not a Sound: Scientists at the University of Michigan have demonstrated how sound waves can be used to detect and prevent malicious acoustic interference with autonomous truck systems. (source ©: University of Michigan)

Reactions to such advances are mixed. While up to 65 percent of transport executives hail automation and IoT-driven trucking as nothing short of a renaissance for the industry, there are legitimate concerns. There is a real risk of job losses – a common fear whenever AI is mentioned. There are also security concerns regarding the onboard networks of autonomous trucks being hacked by cybercriminals, though advances in anonymity networks have mitigated those risks. Yet even staunch critics admit that the benefits of IoT and AI in trucking outweigh the mostly theoretical drawbacks. IoT is a secure, reliable and cost-effective way to boost the bottom line of trucking businesses. The revolution will roll on.

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