Digital Transformation | Logistics
“Just as the arrival of the connected car is already changing how carmakers will operate in the future, the advent of the digital truck will completely transform how freight is transported on the world’s highways.” – PwC, The Era of Digitized Trucking: Transforming the Logistics Value Chain.
Oh my.
Truth be told, this creates images for me of driverless 18-wheelers careening down the I-95 corridor between Washington, DC and Richmond at 70 mph.
But being a glass half full guy, I think a better way of looking at this is to think about how changes in information management will soon make it possible to integrate the physical and virtual worlds better.
Digital Trucking is an interesting example of this intersection. A truck knows exactly where it is at all times. It can communicate with other trucks to dramatically improve freight matching. Diagnostic information helps avoid -- and anticipate -- breakdowns. Ultimately, we'll have driverless trucks. And because the items within the truck know exactly where they are, the digital truck becomes a much more integrated part of a reinvented supply chain.
Pretty amazing stuff. And in this new world, getting rid of all of the paper associated with transportation and logistics -- Bills of Lading, Delivery Receipts, Commercial Invoices, and Claims forms -- becomes not only tactically important -- cutting costs is always great -- but strategically important.
