startups

Technology and Automation Will Define the Future of Road Transport in Europe According to New IRU Research, but …


GENEVA–()–The global snapshot survey is based on interview data from 450 transport
companies across Europe, the GCC and Asia, and reveals the following
headline findings:

  • Majority of transport companies in Europe, Asia and the Gulf
    Cooperation Council (GCC)1 countries (57%) view
    geopolitical uncertainty as the biggest threat to their development.
  • Technology and innovation key to overcoming challenges and securing
    the future of the industry – over three quarters (76%) of transport
    companies surveyed expect autonomous trucks to become a viable option
    on the roads within the next decade.
  • At the opening of its World Congress in Oman, IRU, the world road
    transport organisation, urges the industry to fix the digital
    foundations of transport in order to fully benefit from automation and
    other innovations.

Findings reveal that transport companies are concerned about macro
global issues. Over half (57%) see geopolitical uncertainty as the
biggest threat facing the sector – from escalating international trade
wars to growing concerns around Brexit. The risk of global recession and
the challenge of keeping up with changing customer demand are jointly
seen as the second biggest threats to transport companies at 52%.

Umberto de Pretto, IRU’s Secretary General, commented: “The global
transport system touches the lives of each of the planet’s seven billion
people, from the food we eat to the consumer goods we buy. So it’s
perhaps not surprising that many of the issues facing society today are
also considered by transport companies to be their biggest challenges.
These include some of the main themes that dominate the international
agenda, including geopolitics, trade and the environment.”

Tech to provide a safe, successful, sustainable future

Transport companies recognise that developments in technology and
innovation will be key to building a safe, successful and sustainable
industry in the future. One in three (33%) transport companies across
every region believe that improving safety will be the biggest
innovation opportunity, while one in five cite automation.

In fact, transport companies are extremely optimistic about the
timescales for automation – over three quarters (76%) of transport
companies expect autonomous trucks to become a viable option within the
next decade; of these, 29% believe they will be a reality on our roads
in the next five years. Transport companies believe the primary benefit
of automation will be boosting productivity (50%), followed by helping
to cut costs (19%).

Breaking through the road blocks to digitisation

Barriers to adopting technology persist – with transport companies
citing the major challenges to adopting technology driven innovation as
cost and investment (71%), followed by a limited understanding of the
range of emerging technologies available (50%).

This suggests that pockets of the industry have yet to embrace new
technologies and processes, and that there is still work to do to fix
the digital foundations of the industry before technology-driven
innovation can be optimised properly.

Gearing up for automation

Similarly, while many transport companies believe autonomous trucks are
just around the corner, the reality is that there is still some way to
go before they become a safe, secure and sustainable option on our roads.

While the technology itself is becoming ever more sophisticated, there
is a risk that it will be held back by the lack of necessary investment
in infrastructure.

Boris Blanche, IRU’s Managing Director, commented: “There is no
question that autonomous trucks will eventually be transformative for
the industry – helping boost productivity, create efficiencies and
enhance driver working conditions. But drivers will not become obsolete
any time in the future, and in fact the industry must continue to
encourage more drivers into the profession. Proper and responsible
adoption over time is required, and we must see full cooperation from
all industry stakeholders.”

Umberto de Pretto, continued: “For technology to take hold, and for
the industry to truly benefit from it, we must ensure we have the
foundations in place. This means first getting the basics right, such as
full transitioning to digital documentation, improving traceability,
security and efficiency. We must work harder to join the dots between
operators, service providers, manufacturers and governments to nurture a
supportive environment for innovation and digitisation.

“We must also push for legislation and policies that encourage all
operators to invest in the technology needed to make these innovations
the norm.
At IRU, our role is to champion the potential of the
industry and promote this cooperation, to empower all operators in the
sector to seize the great innovation opportunity.”

– ENDS –

Notes to editors

About IRU
IRU is the world road transport
organisation, promoting economic growth, prosperity and safety through
the sustainable mobility of people and goods. Founded in 1948, IRU has
members and activities in more than 100 countries. IRU conceived TIR in
1949 and continues to manage the system.

About IRU World Congress
The IRU World Congress is the new
global event for transport, mobility and logistics. It is a platform for
global decision-makers to exchange ideas, debate solutions and define
the future of the road transport industry. Centred on the themes of
innovation and trade, Innovation on the Move will take place at the new
Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat, from 6 to 8 November
2018. www.iruworldcongress.com/

Survey Methodology
In collaboration with IRU, Random SA
developed a quantitative online survey to target transport companies.

The survey was completed by a global sample size of 450 respondents
working for a transport operator, transport broker or freight forwarder
company in one of the 19 pre-selected countries covering three
geographical areas: Europe, the GCC and Asia. The research sample was
identified, recruited and surveyed independently from IRU to ensure a
broad, robust and representative picture of transport companies.

Quotas were set per country and weighted to reach 150 respondents per
region. Additional quotas were set to reach a sample size of minimum 50%
CEOs/managers from the logistic department vs. non-managers from the
logistic department.

The fieldwork took place from end of August to mid-September 2018 and
was conducted under the supervision of Random SA, by Asia Research
Partners, one of the leading Asian independent research companies, based
in India. Random SA and Asia Research Partners are both members of
ESOMAR, the leading global insights association to certify that the
highest ethical and professional standards are respected by member
research institutes. Random SA ran the analysis (SPSS) in-house based on
a statistical significance levels of 95%.

_____________________________
1 Cooperation Council for
the Arab States of the Gulf, often shortened to the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC), in an intergovernmental organisation made up of six
states in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
and the United Arab Emirates. Transport companies from these countries
(excluding Oman) were respondents to the IRU study.



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.