FEATURE


LOGISTICS, FREIGHT & TRANSPORTATION


size their fleets and driver pools, potentially saving significant amounts of money.


5. LESS TRAFFIC ON THE ROADS Any technology that helps reduce the number of heavy goods vehicles will have an instant environmental impact. In the UK alone, they are estimated to account for around 17% of greenhouse gas emissions from road transport and more than 20% of road transport nitrogen oxide emissions, while making up just five per cent of all vehicle miles.


6. PAPERLESS DELIVERIES Documentation associated with shipping often mounts up. Digital freight matching apps allow this to migrate to the cloud, saving time, money and energy, instantly cutting waste.


7. MORE TRANSPARENT PRICING Technology can also aid price negotiations, letting both sides see a range of different prices, in real time, at the click of a button. Faster, more liquid transactions conducted via an app can be beneficial to both sides. In 2016, US businesses spent more than $1bn on logistics,


much of which was procured in long-term contracts of more than six months, according to a report by the consultancy firm A. T. Kearney. Signing lengthy commitments is a financial risk for both the shipper and the carrier, whereas a more dynamic market – created by digital freight matching – helps to mitigate these risks because both parties have a better handle on fuel prices, surcharges, tolls, taxes, tariffs, driver rates and other costs that they will incur. Such tools also improve transparency, visibility and


comparability of pricing structures, and can be updated in real-time.


8. STRONGER SAFETY STANDARDS In the same way that it bolsters pricing transparency, digital freight matching also gives better visibility to the


documentation that’s involved in the industry and can help make the safety aspect less opaque. Driver certifications and safety records can be made easily accessible and readable on mobile devices. In time, distributive ledgers could also create instantly shareable records. At any given time, for example, a shipper can see a


truck’s location, have transparency over the associated costs, and gain insights into important points like on-time delivery. Certificates and records are accessible to all who need them, whenever they’re needed.


Once such technologies are adopted, they will improve predictability, speed, transparency and sustainability. This will ultimately result in the seamless delivery of any item, anytime, anywhere at a lower economic and environmental cost.


‘Any technology that helps reduce the number of heavy goods vehicles will have an instant environmental impact’


70 business network March 2020


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