Technology has become an integral part of businesses today, including the commercial trucking and transportation industry. Technology not only affects the truckers on the road, but also the staff back at the office or corporate headquarters. Read more about some of the technology trends in transportation that are making the industry more efficient on and off the truck.
Commercial transport companies have been hesitant about adopting more advanced technologies for a number of internal reasons — including the lack of a digital culture, privacy concerns, and cost — and widespread confusion about which hardware and software breakthroughs will have the biggest effect on profitability and overall organizational performance is a big handicap as well.
2017 Commercial Transportation Trends, Strategy&: Part of the PwC Network
Electronic Logging Devices (ELD)
If you’re in transportation, then you probably already know about Electronic Logging Devices (ELD). According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration with the Department of Transportation, the primary benefit of ELDs are to make tracking, managing, and sharing data on driving and off-duty time simple, accurate, and efficient. Gone are the days with manually recording mile logs. Let your drivers do what they do best and not worry about the paperwork. Read more on FMCSA’s website about recommended and compliant ELDs for your fleet.
Telematics & Fleet Tracking
Telematics refers to the integration of telecommunications with information and communications – a means to receive, send and store information from your vehicles. A telematics system integrates GPS technology, computers, and mobile devices. All three are already changing how trucking routes are mapped out.
The GPS system can enhance monitoring of the location and movement of every vehicle in the fleet. It can even monitor start and stop times, trip distance as well as the performance of the truck itself with fuel efficiency, harsh breaking, speeding, etc.
This kind of technology integration is meant to assist supervisors with costs and scheduling. Real-time information can help improve customer service, increase productivity, and increase the security of the entire fleet. Read more about some benefits of telematics.
Mobility
As today’s global workforce is moving more towards a mobile one, transportation is no exception. Not only your drivers but also your office staff may need to access data remotely. VPNs or Remote Desktop Services are one option to overcome this obstacle. In addition, many applications are now moving to the cloud so they can be accessed anywhere.
One particular solution that Centrality offers utilizes VDI and cloud computing. Therefore, users could access their data on any device, anywhere. In addition, all things IT-related – including servers, workstations, switches, licensing, support and even connectivity – are included in a per user per month pricing model.
