Technological Advances Can Help Optimize Cargo Transportation

The incorporation of technological advances in freight vehicles is imperative, and can be achieved with the participation of government, business, academia and civil society. The Technological Roadmap for Land Transportation in Mexico Vision 2021-2050  is the guide to implement technology in transportation in different areas, including  sustainability and the safety of freight vehicles. The transformation of the segment takes place inside and outside the vehicles. On board, operating systems use radars, camera images, GPS, and 5G connectivity, which help make decisions and ensure the safety of cargo and other cars or trucks sharing the same route. Technology in transportation is not a fad, it is a component that is increasingly integrated into the day-to-day life of our ecosystem.

One of the main challenges for the transformation of land transportation in Mexico is the ability to analyze technological trends and their impact on the lives of citizens. This requires monitoring trends and a balanced incorporation through the development of public policies and regulations. Doing so ensures a clear transition and adoption of technology in order to anticipate the potential risks of its use.

Faced with the accelerated development of technology, it is worth asking ourselves what the future of land freight transportation is, and not in the distant future, but almost immediately, which will be defined by the convergence of automation, electrification and artificial intelligence. These technologies not only aim to improve the efficiency and sustainability of freight transportation, but will also open up new opportunities for innovation and growth throughout the industry. Those companies that adopt these technologies and adapt quickly to market changes will be better positioned to thrive in tomorrow's freight transportation landscape.

Intelligent transportation systems aim to improve the safety and efficiency of ground transportation. This facilitates management, monitoring and control for those responsible for the operation and development of transportation. Technology in land freight transportation can be framed around three main areas:

Propulsion and energy efficiency technologies, new alternatives to renewable energies. These technologies range from internal combustion engines to electric and hybrid drives.

Energy efficiency, on the other hand, refers to the optimization of energy use, or obtaining the maximum amount of useful work from the least amount of energy possible. This includes not only engines or propulsion systems but also other aspects of design and technology, such as vehicle aerodynamics, energy management systems, and more.

Operational cybernetics, which is anything that improves driving efficiency, road safety and cargo security. Autonomous vehicles. The automotive industry is well advanced in this aspect and autonomous vehicles increasingly are seen on streets and highways, but while there are many conditions in play to make autonomous driving of a trailer commonplace on our roads, this does not mean that it is feasible.

Some interesting applications related to the second aspect, the cybernetics of operations, can already be seen on roads. For example, the Internet of Things (IoT) integrates an ecosystem composed of intelligent devices, which will benefit from the implementation of the 5G network and the incorporation of data transmission antennas along the road infrastructure to connect with the vehicles that travel on it.

An example of the integration of this technology is platooning – also known as road trains – which consists of a series of trucks equipped with state-of-the-art driving support systems. The vehicles move in a group, driven by intelligent technology and communicating with each other. The first vehicle in the fleet is driven by a lead operator and the others automatically follow the first. Each vehicle measures distance as well as speed and direction, adjusting to the transport in front of it.

The transportation ecosystem cannot neglect the proper maintenance of the road infrastructure and in this area we also have important technological advances, with the installation of different devices, either in newly built or modernized roads, which control the conservation of structures, issuing alerts and indicating the preventive maintenance to be performed. Intelligent sensors also generate information on temperature, weather conditions and air quality along the road, which is an enormous amount of data to be collected, analyzed and processed.

Technology in transportation is marked by data collection and analysis, electrical and autonomous systems, robotization and automation of processes, and collaboration between companies in the industry to meet the goal of driving end-customer satisfaction at the lowest cost. 

As a company, we integrate different technological aspects into our trucks, which focus on safety, advanced driver assistance systems, which include technologies such as adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane-keeping assistance and automatic emergency braking systems, thus helping to prevent possible accidents on the road. In terms of sustainability, we integrate options of units that work with natural gas, knowing that electromobility is an issue that continues to develop. Within a few years, we will see units that offer companies very attractive autonomy, but we cannot wait for this development to reach us in Mexico. For that reason, we must continue developing human talent.