(Newswire.net — October 8, 2020) — Hardly a day goes by without someone suggesting that technologies like AI, machine learning, and robotics will transform the fleet businesses in the coming decades. A significant example of this has been the trucking business.
Trucking businesses span over multiple industries and move 70 % of US freight by weight. It is already experiencing significant challenges due to business cycle fluctuations, increasingly complex supply chains, and changing workforce demographics.
This makes it very important to have an accurate understanding of the challenges faced by the industry currently working towards automation.
In today’s world, you can operate all your trucks from the comfort and safety of a remote control room. You can simultaneously control and monitor multiple activities with simple automation.
Automation solutions can provide a safe and controlled environment for operators as well as the drivers on the road. Let’s understand the five things that can be automated in trucking businesses today:
As more and more sophisticated vehicle technologies emerge in the market, the opportunities for automation have also come to the fore. Right from providing selected driver assistance systems to completely automated no human intervention vehicles, the possibilities are quite amazing!
1. Automating Trucks With GPS
The global positioning system has multiple advantages for the trucks – it can seamlessly integrate with existing truck equipment in the system. The GPS can be installed to track all your fleet trucks on a real-time basis.
This technical approach makes it possible to maintain a close eye on all your trucks without having to physically monitor them. You can get all the specific details from the GPS software on a click from the comfort of your office. Management becomes stringent and easy at the same time without hassle.
2. Upgrading To Voice Systems
Nowadays, multiple distribution centers have voice systems or handheld RF devices to provide operators with concise information. These systems can continue to perform their existing function with the merge of the latest technology inbuilt. They can also be conveniently integrated with a traffic management system that controls the newly automated trucks.
The instructions are provided to the pick-by-voice system or handheld device. This can be utilized for traffic management to guide your automated truck through automation. The traffic management system can also be used to communicate real-time updates with the driver.
This traffic management system can also use the existing wireless network, which is most often based on the WiFi protocol. This is usually followed to provide real-time instructions to the truck drivers.
3. Automating Warehouse Functions
The automated trucks can deliver goods on pallets from the inbound docks to the warehouse locations for storage. Without automation, the inbound dock operators unload the pallets from the trailer and place them in lanes near the inbound docks.
With some automation, you will receive the notification from the traffic management system by either a photoelectric sensor or by the actuation of a switch at the inbound dock that a pallet or pallet is ready to be picked up for a shift.
When an automated lift truck is free, it is dispatched to the lane containing the pallet. The lift truck moves along the lane until a sensor determines that its forks are under the pallet. The truck then delivers the pallet to the proper location in the warehouse.
4. Improvise Operational Maneuvers
Automated trucks are capable of performing multiple functions that can benefit your trucking business. The automated truck approach can help in improving productivity, and safety measures of the truck significantly. It also eliminates the injury-prone tasks such as driving of damaged trucks and ensuring the pallet positioning.
Automated trucks can maintain a safe speed set through longitudinal control by following a specific distance. Trucks can use various information to potentially update the database to define a route network like road segments, turns, etc.
5. Highly Automated Low-Speed Shuttle Feature
This is an automated shuttle that drives along a predetermined route. The system does not need an onboard driver to control the interface, it can be controlled from any location with an operator. If your fleet functions at low speed for functioning reasons, this low-speed shuttle can be a boon for your business. Shuttle features are limited to speeds below 25 mph.
In the US, several self-driving electric vehicles that have been tested in several locations are functioning in similar automation. You can also find similar automation in Germany. The shuttle feature can be part of a fleet management system with a central operating system designed to solve the transportation needs of fleet businesses.
Also, applications are available for operators to find existing routes, pick-up and drop-off locations for door-to-door service, and much more. This high-grade automation can be costly in the beginning but in the long term, it will bear significant fruits with the overall reduced cost of operation and maintenance.
Conclusion
The most important question that arose in the trucking industry is how much automation your business requires and how much automation you can afford? This is a call you need to take after analyzing your system needs and the requirement for optimization of business costs.
The productivity of the fleet business can be substantially improved with an investment in correct automation with driver AI. The management system can be easily upgraded to accommodate the future changes in warehouse layout, product mix or volume, etc.
The current prevailing problems in the trucking business can eat up a major part of your revenue. Automation will shut the entire inefficient system down, any problems that may arise with the truck can be tackled easily from a desk with automation. This helps your system to run hassle-free every day.
The automated trucks are driven over-optimized routes at controlled speeds, helping avoid injury or damage to goods, saving energy, and providing longer truck life. This in return also lowers the maintenance expenses.