Unmanned aerial vehicles could be coming to a town near you!
Calm down these aren’t going to be something out of a weird sci-fi movie, in more familiar terms, they’re drones. Drones in the last few years have made leaps and bounds in the technology industry, from basically remote-controlled helicopters to flying around towns for cool aerial videos, to delivering your online order in as little as 30 minutes. So, what could this mean in terms of the logistics industry?
Well, it could mean the possibility that having humans operating trucks, planes, and boats for transportation could be a thing of the past. Not to worry, as this is not something that will happen overnight. In more realistic terms, it’ll mean the shipping prices can drop quite a lot, making it harder for companies to become competitive with this new technology update.
A tiny startup company in California has been working on a 30-foot-long prototype drone to change the way we transport goods through the air. It can completely cut out the need for human crew on board, so it can fly at a slower rate. This means there’s a lower cost. How is this possible? You do not have to worry about paying for crew or pilot fatigue. An example of how low their drone could drop prices can be understood with this example: a shipment that weighs 200,000 pounds from Los Angeles to Shanghai would cost about $260,00 taking 11 hours using traditional methods, whereas if you used their drone, it would be around $130,000 taking up to 30 hours. *
This change will not only affect air services, but truckloads, ocean, and rail services as well. For truckload services, it’s not only drones, the kind that fly up in the air, but also the potential of being autonomous vehicles (like self-driving cars). Other than cars being autonomous and saving time and space, there is also the potential to give them the ability to self-load and unload. The cost will be much cheaper, and it allows for companies to be more accurate without having to worry about human error. As for ocean services, it allows for certain processes to be made simpler and more effective. Rail services can be improved by allowing drones to deploy from a train before it meets its destination to deliver cargo.
This information for logistics companies can be very helpful as they continue to grow and improve their businesses to compete with these new trends. Third-party logistics companies will play a large part in helping them to continue to give their clients the best mode of transportation. While these new trends become more pronounced in the industry, it is just as important to remember that these will help to improve accountability and efficiency, helping to keep the industry.
Tell us about your thoughts on all of this!
reasonable.