Why Is Expertise the Most Important Business Driver for Transportation Companies Today?

The $10 trillion global transportation and logistics industry is undergoing a connected technology-powered transformation. Everything between an assembly line and a store shelf is increasingly being monitored and tracked in near real time, assisted by artificial intelligence and automation.

But companies that can’t demonstrate expertise in technology will miss out on this connectively-fueled golden age of transportation.

According to the Bloomberg Brand Accelerator, business decision makers see expertise as the top driver of confidence in the transportation industry—but these same decision makers say that transportation companies underperform in this area.

How can transportation and logistics companies prove they have the expertise needed to deliver for clients? 

Our original research reveals that business decision makers believe that innovation is the top driver of transportation expertise. That means that the companies best positioned for success in transportation and logistics are making forward-thinking investment decisions, based on the needs of both today and tomorrow.

The impact of fast, reliable, and secure connectivity that powers the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence means that transportation and logistics isn’t just about moving things and people from point A to point B. Now, the goal is to choreograph getting from point A to point B in near-real time with unprecedented visibility into each aspect of the supply chain.

“We help transportation companies get data and intelligence out of their vehicles, their processes, how they operate and communicate with each other, and tie that into customers and billing, and improve operational efficiencies along the way,” says Leslie Kachura, a transportation expert and Mobility Applications Consultant at AT&T Business.

With access to near real-time information on what’s happening on the road, and a mapping system integrated with a route management system and a fleet management system, transportation companies can now have a truly holistic view of their entire operation at all times.

“Everything is connected, from your vehicle to your traffic lights to the sensors in the road,” Kachura says. “From a visibility standpoint, a vehicle can see 200 meters. With AT&T 5G, we can see 500 miles. That information will help businesses with supply chain issues and to overcome some of the challenges that we face today.”

Business decision makers see sustainable business practices as the fourth most-important driver of expertise in transportation, but, again transportation companies are underperforming in this area.

The same data that gives transportation and logistics companies a near real-time view of their operations can also help these companies reduce their carbon footprints and meet sustainability goals, especially around fuel management.

“One of the ways that businesses can meet their sustainability goals is by really focusing on the fuel usage of their vehicles,” Kachura says. “When you apply technology solutions to better fuel management, a company can see as much as a 15% reduction in the fuel usage within their fleets.”

To demonstrate transportation expertise to business decision makers, trucking, rail freight, shipping and logistics companies need to focus on innovation and sustainable business practices, which are both key drivers of expertise.

Transportation companies cannot afford to miss out on the unprecedented opportunities being created for more efficient and sustainable transportation by the convergence of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, abundant real-time data and next-generation networks.

“The decisions that transportation companies make today are going to have an impact on the future, so they need to make decisions based on the technology that’s coming,” Kachura says. 

With unmatched experience in providing advanced networks and connectivity, AT&T Business provides expertise to transportation companies and helps them implement solutions that can help grow business, lower costs and increase sustainability.

“That’s where AT&T comes in,” says Kachura. “We have 120 years of running massively complex networks and massively complex solutions, and we’ve been working in intelligent transportation for more than 10 years. It’s really exciting to take technology solutions and apply them to complex business challenges.”