Category Archives: Logistics Tech

Driving, Logistics, Logistics Tech, News, Telematics

Applied Driving Partners with Surecam

Applied Driving has entered into a partnership with video telematics specialist SureCam. Under the agreement, Applied Driving’s online web-application Riskmapp will be integrated with SureCam’s network-connected dash cameras. This will help fleets to enhance driver engagement, by receiving Triggered TrainingTM  in conjunction with the high-quality video footage of driving events.

“We have come together with SureCam to enhance our automated risk reduction solution, Companion+,” explains Andy Phillips, Global Managing Partner at Applied Driving. “As a result, our fleet customers will now be able to complement our existing data capture and analysis with video. This will enable them to achieve even greater safety improvements by helping to identify and eliminate at-risk driver behaviour.”

Video of severe driving events, reviewed by SureCam, will be available to both fleet customers and Applied Driving via Riskmapp. In the first instance, a link to the footage will be sent to the driver alongside a safety message as part of the Triggered TrainingTM functionality within Companion+. It will also provide an effective coaching tool for escalated training requirements, making it possible to use real-life examples to correct negative driving styles.

 

Sam Footer, Partnership Director at SureCam commented: “We believe that this technology has the power to make our roads safer, protecting the lives and livelihoods of fleet drivers, owners, and the communities they serve. By partnering with likeminded industry experts, such as Applied Driving, we can deliver innovative, real-time video solutions that enable fleets to run safer, smarter, and more profitably.”

“We are teaming up with a growing number of fleet and video telematics providers to create automated data feeds into Riskmapp for intelligent driver performance analysis and automated risk reduction. Our latest agreement with SureCam will support our global growth and provide integrated solutions for fleets of all sizes, from large corporates through to small businesses,” adds Phillips

Logistics, Logistics Tech, News, Telematics

VisionTrack Sees Growing Demand for Video Telematics

VisionTrack, the leading AI video telematics specialist, achieved rapid growth during 2022, experiencing strong demand from commercial fleet operators both in the UK and internationally. The number of cameras connected to its award-winning IoT platform, Autonomise.ai, increased by 43 per cent, with the rapidly expanding US market now making up more than 10 per cent of the overall devices.

 

“Vehicle operators are increasingly targeting road safety, fleet risk and insurance improvements, so there are huge opportunities for us with our proven and industry-leading video telematics software,” explains Simon Marsh, CEO of VisionTrack. “The functionality, scalability and capacity of Autonomise.ai is making it possible for us to develop sophisticated AI technologies. This is keeping us at the forefront of the marketplace.”

 

VisionTrack also increased its global workforce by over 40 per cent and doubled its operation in the US. Senior appointments were made to the company’s management, professional services, and development teams, with particular focus on strengthening its computer vision and machine learning capabilities. As a result, VisionTrack was able to accelerate the development of innovative AI video telematics that automate management processes, data analysis and incident detection.

During 2022, VisionTrack continued to champion fleet safety, working with key partners – including Brake, Together for Safer Roads, and Driving for Better Business – to help reduce unnecessary road deaths and injuries. In particular, the company was a co-headline sponsor of Road Safety Week 2022, supporting the efforts of road safety charity, Brake, and launched its own Fleet Risk Reduction campaign that is engaging with vehicle operators to improve work-related road safety.

 

“Our video-enabled devices are now recording on average 4.0 million driver miles every day, equating to travelling the entire UK road network 16 times over. Furthermore, 35 billion data points a month are collected, as well as 63 million hours of video that would take over 12.5 lifetimes for the average individual to watch. By leveraging this information, we are gaining a unique understanding of vehicle journeys, traffic levels and driver behaviour, which is enabling us to continually push the boundaries of what is possible and support data-driven problem solving,” concludes Marsh.

Driving, Logistics, Logistics Tech

‘Data-fication’ Set to Drive Transformation in Transport and Logistics in 2023

Written by Kirstie van Oerle, Partner, Netcompany 

As we look ahead to 2023, it is from the position of continuous volatility that the past twelve months have brought. Transport and logistics companies, still in COVID recovery mode, face a raft of challenges as external factors combine to ensure that the road before us is anything but smooth. Both industries are experiencing a heady combination of disruption and transformation, with exciting innovations starting to deliver on their potential.

We are already seeing the incredible potential of data-focused digital transformation to revolutionise how transport and logistics companies operate. Successful ‘data-fication’ will enable companies to absorb some of the shockwaves of ongoing disruption set to trouble the sector in the coming year and enable them to start to achieve the potential that digital transformation can bring.

With all this in mind, what are the main trends that will shape the movement of people and things in the coming year?

 

Here are five areas we expect to see advanced data use influencing transport and logistics companies in 2023:

 

  1. Macroeconomic factors will accelerate the need for digital transformation in the logistics sector. Sustained high fuel costs will have the biggest impact on the logistics sector in 2023, exacerbating already difficult operating conditions. This will drive a need for greater efficiency across the board and means businesses must seek productivity gains in an attempt to offset high fuel prices and to remain operating. Investment in digital transformation, in particular solutions that capture and manage real-time, high-quality data from multiple sources, can help businesses unlock efficiencies and adapt operations rapidly to prevailing conditions.
  2. Data dexterity will power innovation as electrification and automation rollout continues. As a general trend, the effective collection, analysis, management, and application of data will drive diverse use cases, covering everything from route planning and demand analysis to companies’ ability to integrate with the wider transport and logistics ecosystem. The sheer amount of data being generated is daunting for most organisations and making this into actionable data is critical.

 

With electrification continuing to roll out across road, rail, air and maritime transport, vast amounts of data will be generated. This must be managed, analysed, and shared to optimise performance and customer service. It must also be seamlessly incorporated into existing systems.

Organisations using legacy technology will struggle to extract data from siloes, or in some cases will not have it available at all. This will highlight the need for solutions that work with legacy tech but also unlock the power of the data within the business, making it more accessible and agile to power modern use cases and inform decision-making.

 

  1. Adoption of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) will continue. MaaS offers new solutions for personal mobility using a mix of public and third-party transport options unified into a single user interface that simplifies end-to-end journey planning and payment. The ideal of being able to plan and manage a seamless multimodal journey is much more complex in reality.

    MaaS will be more in demand as disruptions across public transport networks cause frustration and people seek alternative options.

 

Additionally, growing public awareness of sustainability, coupled with rising costs of running private vehicles, will also see travellers looking for greener and cheaper transport solutions. Transport providers must ensure they can provide the right level and sophistication of data to MaaS applications or risk being left out of the personal mobility loop.

  1. Last mile competition escalates. Logistics companies have been trying to solve the costly last-mile conundrum for decades, but the rise of omnichannel customer choices and greater competition means they must become increasingly flexible. Retailers that are facing recessionary pressures will be seeking last mile innovations that serve customer preferences while keeping costs under control as fuel and personnel costs grow increasingly unpredictable.

    Whilst there will be a focus on moving to electric vehicles or even drone deliveries, solutions such as crowdsourcing private couriers through Uber-style apps and setting up neighbourhood collection points are just two options, and we will see more ideas forming. Advanced data availability and real-time analysis will be critical for logistics providers to ensure they know where goods are, what delivery options are available to them, and what costs these might incur.

 

  1. Supply chain disruption will drive innovation in the logistics sector. Freight disruption is set to continue well into 2023 due to the war in Ukraine and the continuing Covid situation in China, impacting supply chains and continuing to create bottlenecks. These problems – which could become endemic – need solutions such as agile alternative routing and advanced warehousing strategies to minimise the amount of disruption experienced by customers.

 

Companies need greater visibility and control over logistics flows and the ability to share this information with stakeholders in the product journey. Consequently, data availability and analysis capabilities are critical to enabling logistics companies to adjust processes in real-time to minimise costs and speed deliveries.

Unlocking data to release its full potential will be central to the transport and logistics sector evolution in the coming year, but it won’t be without its challenges. Legacy technology, siloes, and the inability to open proprietary data to third parties may all act as blockers. By building data platforms that work collaboratively with legacy systems, companies can remove the risks associated with rip-and-replace projects, while still evolving into more adaptive, responsive businesses that today’s volatile environment demands.

Automotive Tech, Driving, Logistics Tech

Applied Driving Achieves Record Levels of Growth

Applied Driving, the global provider of driver safety and performance management solutions, had a record year in 2022. Following a 24% increase in its UK and international client base, the company experienced a 142% rise in in-vehicle driver training sessions and 34% growth in completed e-learning modules. Applied Driving has also seen a strong demand for its innovative technology Companion+, now available as a smartphone app or through telematic integration, as fleets focus on the elimination of at-risk driver behaviour.

         Andy Phillips

“We have achieved record levels of growth during the past 12 months having expanded both our customer base and channel network,” explains Andy Phillips, Global Managing Partner at Applied Driving. “There is greater recognition than ever within the marketplace that companies have a duty of care to safeguard their drivers and other road users, while the challenging economic environment is driving the need for fleet-related cost savings.”

As lockdown restrictions have been removed over the past year, Applied Driving has seen a significant return to in-vehicle training, with fleets combining face-to-face and online training to target risk reduction where it is needed most. To best meet this increasing demand, Applied Driving has appointed a new Head of Training and Education, Orlando Collesso, to develop its blended learning solutions that take advantage of the latest advances in behaviour monitoring, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality.

Applied Driving has continued to push technological innovation with Companion+ being integrated with several leading telematics systems. Fleets with existing vehicle tracking and camera data streams can now achieve automated risk reduction, and Triggered TrainingTM to enhance driver knowledge and increase safe driving behaviour. In addition, the company has further enhanced its range of e-learning modules and safety videos in line with current road and driver risks.

 

“Applied Driving is already supporting over 220,000 drivers in 50 countries, providing best practice driver safety and fleet performance management solutions. We look forward to building on the success achieved in 2022 through the continued innovation and service excellence of our growing team,” adds Phillips.

Acquisitions & Partnerships, Logistics, Logistics Tech, News

ShipStation partners with The Delivery Group for last-mile deliveries

ShipStation, the world’s leading cloud-based ecommerce shipping solution, today announces that it has partnered with The Delivery Group (TDG), a leading tech enabled ecommerce delivery specialist. This partnership will see TDG added to ShipStation’s carrier services in the UK, allowing ShipStation merchants to select TDG as their carrier of choice for deliveries.

TDG specialises in technology-driven ecommerce that enables a full end-to-end delivery service across the UK and 220 countries worldwide. By joining ShipStation’s carrier services platform, TDG can provide more merchants with quick and easy access to its UTrak and ETrak services that offer a range of tracked and untracked delivery services. These are supported by best-in-class customer services and a fully automated operational network, supplying customers with more cost-effective shipping options.

David Randall, VP of Carriers at ShipStation said:

“At ShipStation we’re always looking to add innovative and best-in-class carriers to our platform, as we look to offer our merchants the right delivery options for every single shipment. TDG has a proven track-record in providing excellent value for growing merchants who are looking for an easy-to-use service for their distribution and delivery needs. We look forward to working with them to provide our customers with even more choice when it comes to domestic and international shipping.”

Mark Calladine, Group ecommerce and International Director at TDG, said:

“We see our new partnership with ShipStation as a major opportunity for growth, especially as more retailers turn towards an omnichannel model to scale – blending the physical high street with the online shopping ecosystem. Working with ShipStation, we can offer their customers quick and easy access via a carrier integration to our shipping and distribution services for more last mile deliveries. By working together, TDG and ShipStation offer businesses the right delivery product at the right time and for the right price.”

To find out more about how the ShipStation and TDG partnership, please visit: https://info.shipstation.com/the-delivery-group

About ShipStation
Every day, tens of thousands of e-commerce retailers rely on ShipStation to solve the day-to-day challenges of importing orders and processing shipments. The trusted leader in shipping software since its founding in 2011, ShipStation helps online sellers scale their businesses and deliver exceptional customer experiences, with an intuitive online solution that allows them to efficiently ship orders – wherever they sell and however they ship. The multi-channel and multi-carrier platform offers the most integrations of any e-commerce solution, with more than 300 partnerships with leading shopping carts, marketplaces, carriers and fulfilment services, including UPS, Royal Mail, Parcelforce, Amazon, Shopify, and BigCommerce. ShipStation is headquartered in Austin, TX, with offices in France, Sydney and London.

About The Delivery Group
The Delivery Group is a leading national and international e-commerce and specialist mail services provider with the capacity to handle over 1 billion items per annum via its multi-carrier platform.
With a turnover in excess of £250m and employing 500 staff, The Delivery Group operates from four highly automated facilities at Warrington, Luton, Bristol and Maidstone with an additional Central London satellite in Bermondsey.

Driving, Health & Safety, Logistics Tech, News

Applied Driving Partners with Institute of Highway Engineers to Target Fleet and Driver Safety

Applied Driving has teamed up with the Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) to improve health and safety for those working on the road network. The global provider of driver safety and performance management solutions has become an IHE Professional Development Partner, continuing to share best practices and help raise standards across the highways sector.

“This is an exciting opportunity to make a difference within the highways industry by promoting road safety and engaging with those responsible for constructing and maintaining our roads, explains Dr Jim Golby, Chairman at Applied Driving. “Our aim is to work closely with IHE members and other Professional Development Partners to establish new ways of communicating guidance on fleet and driver risk.”

The IHE is the UK’s leading professional organisation for specialist highway and traffic practitioners. It engages with government and industry to improve the highway environment, while providing assistance, leadership and professional development to over 3,500 members. The institute’s partnership programme is designed to promote closer cooperation between IHE and partners, supporting the provision of industry standard training and promoting the Highway Engineering Academy (HEA).

Steve Spender, CEO of the institute of Highway Engineers commented: “Applied Driving has been supporting us for some time, so it is fantastic to formalise our relationship and make them an important part of our Professional Development Partnership. The IHE is looking forward to involving them in several initiatives next year, and we have already invited their team to present at our branches across the UK on road-based employee safety.”

“We are already successfully supporting many IHE members with driver safety and performance management solutions that have enhanced their safe driving culture. Our services are helping organisations to ensure legal compliance, reduce incident costs, manage fleet risks and provide the latest training solutions, so we are well-placed to support the IHE regarding their road safety priorities,” concludes Golby.

Fleet Management, Logistics, Logistics Tech, London, News, Telematics

Inseego And Pocket Box Partnership Offers Integrated Fleet Technology

Inseego has teamed up with vehicle and driver management software specialist, Pocket Box, to deliver telematics-enabled fleet management solutions. Under the partnership, the company’s fleet customers will now be able to take advantage of a powerful and easy-to-use tool to ensure vehicles are kept road legal and safe, while staff are fit and eligible to drive.

“Our software is designed to streamline fleet-related tasks, so this partnership creates an exciting opportunity to bring together two complementary systems,” explains Jim Finnegan, Founder and CEO of Pocket Box Ltd. “By integrating our web-and app-based technology with the Inseego Fleet telematics solution enables users to access live data – such as mileage, utilisation and driving styles – to further automate and simplify vehicle and driver management processes.”

 

Pocket Box Fleet brings together all essential vehicle and driver records – plus supporting documentation – in a single system, so vehicle operators keep on top of key renewal dates, quickly access electronic audit trails, and ensure a fleet is operating legally. Reminders and alerts use traffic light colour-coding to prioritise the most important tasks and draw attention to potential vehicle or driver issues. Meanwhile, the Pocket Box app captures additional information to support highly effective vehicle, driver and fuel management.

 

“By working closely with Inseego, we can deliver advanced telematics to our growing customer base, while existing users of Inseego Fleet can take advantage of added driver and vehicle management functionality. Our aim is to bring together likeminded technology and service partners to create an integrated ecosystem that takes the hassle out of operating vehicles and optimises fleet performance,” adds Finnegan.

 

Steve Thomas, Managing Director of Inseego UK Ltd commented: “We have a growing number of technology partnerships that bring together complementary systems to provide added value and return on investment to our customers. This latest agreement with Pocket Box will enable fleets to dramatically reduces workload, cuts costs and eliminates human error, while keeping drivers safe, a business compliant and vehicles on the road.”

Fleet Management, Logistics, Logistics Tech, London, News, Telematics

Inseego And Pocket Box Partnership Offers Integrated Fleet Technology

Inseego has teamed up with vehicle and driver management software specialist, Pocket Box, to deliver telematics-enabled fleet management solutions. Under the partnership, the company’s fleet customers will now be able to take advantage of a powerful and easy-to-use tool to ensure vehicles are kept road legal and safe, while staff are fit and eligible to drive.

“Our software is designed to streamline fleet-related tasks, so this partnership creates an exciting opportunity to bring together two complementary systems,” explains Jim Finnegan, Founder and CEO of Pocket Box Ltd. “By integrating our web-and app-based technology with the Inseego Fleet telematics solution enables users to access live data – such as mileage, utilisation and driving styles – to further automate and simplify vehicle and driver management processes.”

 

Pocket Box Fleet brings together all essential vehicle and driver records – plus supporting documentation – in a single system, so vehicle operators keep on top of key renewal dates, quickly access electronic audit trails, and ensure a fleet is operating legally. Reminders and alerts use traffic light colour-coding to prioritise the most important tasks and draw attention to potential vehicle or driver issues. Meanwhile, the Pocket Box app captures additional information to support highly effective vehicle, driver and fuel management.

 

“By working closely with Inseego, we can deliver advanced telematics to our growing customer base, while existing users of Inseego Fleet can take advantage of added driver and vehicle management functionality. Our aim is to bring together likeminded technology and service partners to create an integrated ecosystem that takes the hassle out of operating vehicles and optimises fleet performance,” adds Finnegan.

 

Steve Thomas, Managing Director of Inseego UK Ltd commented: “We have a growing number of technology partnerships that bring together complementary systems to provide added value and return on investment to our customers. This latest agreement with Pocket Box will enable fleets to dramatically reduces workload, cuts costs and eliminates human error, while keeping drivers safe, a business compliant and vehicles on the road.”

Logistics, Logistics Tech, News

Where’s Santa now?

 Omniflex takes a tongue in cheek look at how they’d keep Santa on course with remote monitoring 

Santa’s World ‘o’ meter estimates that the current global population stands at just over eight billion — this is approximately 526 million children celebrating Christmas, hoping to open presents on December 25. To ensure all children receive their Christmas presents on time, the logistics elves at Santa’s Workshop Inc. approached remote monitoring specialist Omniflex to monitor Santa’s journey around the globe and check the reliability of his sleigh in real-time.

For many years, Santa Claus has relied on manual methods, like basic map reading, to help him circumnavigate the world to deliver presents. Furthermore, Santa must carry out regular visual checks to ensure his sleigh doesn’t fall apart on his long journey. During his 2019 run, hundreds of thousands of children received their presents late, with families in the Scottish Highlands reporting his arrival as they were sitting down for Christmas dinner! Furthermore, manual methods were posing a safety risk for Santa, who almost crashed his reindeer into the Swiss Alps while reading his map.

“At times, it was chaos,” explained Santa Claus, founder and CEO of Santa’s Workshop Inc. “Children were receiving their packages late and my reindeer were getting fatigued from all the detours and sleigh check stops we were having to make. It’s not easy to assess the condition of your sleigh during blizzards — especially after all the sherry and mince pies!”

To streamline the process, Santa’s elves hatched a plan to integrate cloud-based remote monitoring onto the metal legs of the sleigh, so that GPS location and strain and pressure readings could be taken in real-time, 24/7. The data would be transmitted to radio Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and monitored using the cloud-based data logging software, Data2Desktop. To provide the solution, they turned to Omniflex for help.

Remote monitoring of Santa’s sleigh provides several benefits. Firstly, cloud-based remote monitoring platforms provide a single, easy-to-access repository for all live and historical location data, allowing elves to track Santa’s journey and keep him on course. Secondly, all abnormal events can be reported directly via email or SMS to all relevant personnel without delay. For example, if the incorrect positioning of the presents in Santa’s sleigh causes excessive strain and pressure, Santa and his elves will immediately be notified. This ensures that the necessary repairs can be carried out before major damage is done.

What’s more, if Santa gets stuck in a chimney delaying his journey, the GPS monitoring will help the elves redirect him onto a faster route. Remote monitoring is also great for auditing purposes and will help Santa plan his journey better in future years.

“We’ve seen a huge difference in efficiency on Christmas Eve night since working with Omniflex,” explained Candice Kane, head elf at Santa’s workshop. “Through the IT elves monitoring his progress, Santa is kept on course and children across the world receive their presents on time.”

To ensure that your operations are running as efficiently as Santa’s sleigh, visit www.omniflex.com.

Awards, Driving Tech, Logistics Tech, News, Telematics

Double Delight For Visiontrack With Insurance And Fleet Industry Awards Success

VisionTrack, the leading global provider of AI video telematics and connected fleet data solutions, has celebrated double awards success, with industry recognition in both the insurance and fleet sectors. The company struck Gold in the Excellence in Technology – Motor Claims category at the Insurance Times Awards, while scooping the Risk Management Award at the WhatVan? Awards. VisionTrack was also highly commended in two further WhatVan? Awards categories, including praise for its innovative partnership with Auto Windscreens.

“We are delighted that we are being recognised for the advances we are making in AI video telematics,” explains Simon Marsh, CEO of VisionTrack. “We are developing sophisticated AI solutions – underpinned by our industry-leading IoT platform – that targets fleet risk, road safety and insurance improvements. This is enabling us to make a real difference within the insurance and fleet sectors.”

 

The Insurance Times Awards recognise excellence and innovation across the breadth of UK general insurance. The event, hosted by actor and comedian Romesh Ranganathan, took place at Grosvenor House London to celebrate outstanding achievement and honour the year’s best and brightest. Meanwhile, the WhatVan? Awards, recognised as the most prestigious independent accolades in the UK’s light commercial vehicle industry, announced the winners at a ceremony at the InterContinental Park Lane.

 

“We have now won 39 industry awards in the past six years, underlining the success we are achieving both in the UK and internationally. Huge congratulations must go to our team, who are pushing the boundaries of what is possible, so we can continue to meet the precise needs of our customers and help make the road network a better and safer place,” adds Marsh.

 

VisionTrack’s unique approach is helping tackle some of the most complex challenges faced by the fleet, road transport and insurance sectors, providing the operational insight, business intelligence and enriched vehicle data needed to make strategic mobility decisions. The company’s AI video telematics, underpinned by its multi-award-winning IoT platform, Autonomise.ai, is transforming how vehicle operations approach road safety, claims management, duty of care, fleet compliance and operational risk.