Page 6 - Logistics News April 2021

Technology

IoT and eet driver safety

Technology is now a valuable tool for protecting eets, their cargo and the lives of drivers, writes
Gill Jones, General Manager: Business Segment Sales at Netstar, a subsidiary of Altron.

THE IMPORTANCE of the logistics sector to our Protection through data
economy has become even clearer during the Netstar’s data confirms that we are living through
pandemic and the lockdowns as we become more desperate times, and cargo of all types is now under
reliant on retail, e-commerce and the supply chains threat – along with the drivers who transport it. We
that keep our essential retailers stocked. saw a rise of 13.5 percent in vehicle crime incidents
The heroes of the logistics sector are the drivers during February alone. Fortunately, technology
who transport goods between ports, distribution o ers us a number of tools for protecting drivers,
centres, wholesalers and retail outlets. They are their cargo and other road users.
a vital link in the supply chain, and their safety is The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is also
critical to the e ective functioning of our transport the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), which
sector. enables a wide range of sensors, cameras and
While long-haul trucking is often the preserve other monitoring technology. This has accelerated
of larger logistics companies, it is important to in recent years, but the industry of telematics –
understand how the risks to large haulers also have sending, receiving and storing information using
knock-on e ects for small businesses. Where a telecommunications – is already several decades
large load does not get through to a remote town, old.
the small enterprises that handle last-mile logistics Telematics and IoT generate vast amounts of
are severely impacted. data about vehicle movement and driver behaviour,
Improving driver safety on long-haul routes all of which is now key to making long-distance
therefore protects the livelihoods of all the small driving safer. Artificial intelligence (AI) enhances
businesses further down the supply chain – all of our ability to process this data and apply it in
whom move the goods that keep our economy productive, human-centric ways – such as to
alive. enhance driver safety.

4 April 2021 | Logistics News