May 13, 2019
News

With the implementation of 5G wireless, IoT’s B2B services will speed up, but will the logistics sector be ready for the ride? 

Technologies related to shipping and logistics technologies are accelerating. The rollout over the next few years of 5G wireless will bring with it the speeding up of the Internet of Things (IoT), an ability of machines to instantaneously communicate with us and with each other.

So, it’s easy to get caught up in futuristic visions of logistics where robots completely supplant humans, where autonomous trucks rule the roads and advanced drones fill airspaces. All these machines bring with them the promise of handling and delivering products at lightning speeds in a completely seamless fashion, sort of like some gigantic, global conveyor belt.

However, the logistics industry itself is moving toward technology at a velocity that is far less than supersonic. Emphasis is largely put on provability and reliability rather than dramatic leaps of technological faith. Part of this is cost. Part is resistance from many of the industry players who can be conservative, skeptical, hidebound or just inertia-laden. 

MIT Researcher David Correll is quoted as saying, “Many of the companies have full-on visibility solutions so that a shipper can see right where that truck is. Those that aren’t are feeling some pressure to invest in the technology.” 

American Journal of Transportation