The shortage of truck drivers in the road sector has for several years had a strong impact on deliveries, and consequently on the fabric of supply chains, also influencing intermodal logistics. Delays in deliveries undermine the integrity of traded products (especially perishables).

 

If the road haulage sector sees autonomous vehicle driving as a long-term solution, the problem is that the problem remains without a panacea in the short term. According to an article published in the New York Times, the scarcity is causing a cascade effect that is felt at all levels of industry.

 

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has recently warned that efficiency in the air cargo industry is steadily decreasing, keeping pace with the lack of drivers. TIACA informed Denis Choumert, a member of the board of the organization, that delays caused by the lack of drivers could lead to long delays in deliveries, which directly affects perishable goods that are transported by air.

 

For Denis Choumert, today's logistics chains must urgently embrace digitization, introducing digital systems and the automation loop to streamline their processes and create new efficiencies that can mitigate grain on the gears. Nevertheless, doubts remain about how to overcome the chronic shortage of drivers in the road sector. The recent article describes an American industry replete with companies moving in a precarious context, employing unskilled and temporary labor force, which does not result in high levels of efficiency in terms of overall analysis. This feature, the author also argues, gives a negative mediaticism to the road transport sector.

 

Source, Revista Cargo.