Use of autonomous vehicles and drones expected to rise in US transportation industry

A recent B2B technology survey by ABI Research of 455 US-based companies across nine verticals finds that 30 per cent of transportation industry respondents plan to introduce robotics into their business operations within the next year, with another 22 per cent actively assessing the technology. Despite notable near-term progress in robotics deployments among the respondents to support e-commerce and delivery growth, their lack of familiarity with nascent technologies such as AR, blockchain, 5G, autonomous
August 4, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

A recent B2B technology survey by 5725 ABI Research of 455 US-based companies across nine verticals finds that 30 per cent of transportation industry respondents plan to introduce robotics into their business operations within the next year, with another 22 per cent actively assessing the technology. Despite notable near-term progress in robotics deployments among the respondents to support e-commerce and delivery growth, their lack of familiarity with nascent technologies such as AR, blockchain, 5G, autonomous vehicles, AI, and the related ecosystem for transportation technologies is impacting potential adoption.

"Transportation providers may view intelligent transportation technologies as solutions to evolve their existing transportation operations versus opportunities for developing new revenue streams and business models," says Susan Beardslee, Senior Analyst at ABI Research. "These players also show concern for legacy systems integration and comprehension of the complexity/fragmentation of their supply chain."

Survey respondents find that intelligent transportation technology benefits are frequently linked to promoting workforce collaboration, centralised IT and operations frameworks, as well as workforce mobility. Primary barriers to adoption include data security and privacy concerns, alignment with existing legacy framework, and associated costs of technology adoption. Respondents also expect limited impact of delivery drones over the next two years; 40 per cent do not see a role for this in their businesses within that timeframe. 

"The results deliver validation that notable challenges remain to digitise, automate, and transform the transportation industry, especially with the very long tail of owner-operators and small fleets," concludes Beardslee. "Support of emerging technologies draws mixed reactions, with Over the Air building awareness. But respondents still see other compelling technologies, such as gateways, as nascent to the transportation industry. We expect to see this increase soon to effectively link vehicles and assets to operations."

Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Huawei opens door to new opportunities in transport & logistics
    December 18, 2024
    By addressing the four key elements of a transportation network’s composition with a state-of-the-art digital solution, Huawei is bringing significant performance uplifts to all aspects of railway operations
    Read More
  • US toll roads stable for 2014, says Fitch
    December 18, 2013
    Within a broader review of US transport infrastructure securities, including ports and airlines, Fitch Rating analysts say the recent slow growth in aggregate traffic is likely to continue but that many established toll roads look financially solid because of their pricing power - tolls that have been well below revenue maximising levels. Their pricing power has been somewhat reduced, Fitch says, by strong increases in toll rates on many toll roads, which mean they have less scope for big increases in to
    Read More
  • ITS European Congress 2022: mobility data
    June 2, 2022
    Summit finds data is 'glue' between transport and mobility - but trust is absolutely vital too
    Read More
  • Connected car infotainment and telematics services to account for 98% of M2M data traffic by 2021
    September 14, 2016
    A new study from Juniper Research has found that new in-vehicle infotainment services such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will generate large amounts of new cellular M2M data traffic. Over the next five years, this will account for up to 98 per cent of all M2M data traffic. According to the new study, M2M: Strategies & Opportunities for MNOs, Service Providers & OEMs 2016-2021, data intensive applications such as Internet radio, music streaming applications and information services will generate appro
    Read More

Highlighted Content