We don’t understand ITS, say transport companies: new IRU report

Half of transport companies say that ITS adoption is being held back by a “limited understanding of the range of emerging technologies available”, according to a new global survey. The sobering finding – which indicates that ITS providers and policy makers have more to do to explain some of the benefits – comes from the IRU’s ‘The future of road transport’ report. The other major barrier to adopting technology is cost, say 71% of respondents. The IRU says: “This suggests that pockets of the industry have
November 6, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Half of transport companies say that ITS adoption is being held back by a “limited understanding of the range of emerging technologies available”, according to a new global survey.


The sobering finding – which indicates that ITS providers and policy makers have more to do to explain some of the benefits – comes from the IRU’s ‘The future of road transport’ report.

The other major barrier to adopting technology is cost, say 71% of respondents.

The IRU says: “This suggests that pockets of the industry have yet to embrace new technologies and processes, and that there is still work to do to fix the digital foundations of the industry before technology-driven innovation can be optimised properly.”

However, it is not all gloom. Even if there are knowledge gaps, much of the transportation industry at least sees the potential benefits: enhancing working conditions and keeping drivers safe will be one of the major advantages of new ITS solutions, respondents acknowledge.

Around 450 transportation companies were interviewed: the vast majority (92%) across every region “believe that improving safety while driving is one of the top benefits of technology and innovation”.

Meanwhile the use of ITS “to reduce difficult driving conditions, enhance safety and mobility and help trip organisation are also extremely important”, IRU says.

One in three (33%) transport companies believes that improving safety will be the biggest innovation opportunity, while one in five cite automation.

In fact, more than three quarters of respondents (76%) expect autonomous trucks to become a viable option on the roads within the next decade – and 29% believe they will be a reality on our roads in the next five years.

However, although transport companies are “excited about the potential”, the “reality on the ground is that adoption is patchy”. “There is a long way to go before driverless trucks are a safe, secure and sustainable option worldwide,” the survey concludes.

“There is no question that autonomous trucks will eventually be transformative for the industry – helping boost productivity, create efficiencies and enhance driver working conditions,” says Boris Blanche, IRU managing director.

The IRU World Congress, a new event for transport, logistics and mobility, runs this week in Muscat, Oman.

Air Quality & Weather Systems

Related Content

  • Cost Benefit: Don’t waste your energy
    October 28, 2021
    There are ways that we can harvest power from the world’s roads – without necessarily building new infrastructure. David Crawford investigates some of these new approaches
    Read More
  • Public transport vital for evolution of Muscat, says Cluttons
    January 22, 2015
    According to international surveyors, Cluttons, the Muscat government’s announcement to investigate the possible introduction of a tram service across the city is the first sign of a long awaited public transportation infrastructure plan, with the city’s real estate landscape directly expected to benefit in the long term. While the exact details of the proposed route are yet to be revealed, it is clear that any move to introduce public transport will be well received and will go some way to alleviating t
    Read More
  • Continental: US road deaths are ‘public health crisis’
    June 6, 2019
    The 40,000 deaths on US roads last year amount to a ‘public health crisis’, according to Continental North America’s president Jeff Klei. Giving the opening keynote address at ITS America’s 28th Annual Meeting & Expo, Klei said: “If you could save 40,000 lives a year, would you? We believe this situation needs to be treated with the same priority as other health crises in this country.” But help is at hand, he said. The concept of ‘Vision Zero’, where there are no fatalities from crashes, “seems a lon
    Read More
  • AV technology ‘could reduce congestion’, says Australian minister
    February 26, 2019
    Congestion costs would drop by more than a quarter if automated vehicles (AVs) account for 30% of kilometres travelled, says Alan Tudge, Australia’s minister for cites urban infrastructure and population. Speaking at the Australia-New Zealand Cities Symposium in Sydney, Tudge revealed findings from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. “They estimate it would drop from $37 billion of avoidable congestion to $27 billion,” Tudge says. A 30km freeway journey in Melbourne has increas
    Read More

Highlighted Content