Introduction
Autonomous vehicles can integrate various technologies and be driven with no human intervention. They are technological innovations which can help to change the logistics’ dynamics widely. The logistics industry is evolving rapidly with the increase of autonomous vehicles. These vehicles are sometimes known as driverless or self-driving vehicles because they can maneuver without or without a human driver. Autonomous vehicles are essential in the transportation and distribution of goods as they can increase efficiency in logistics and drastically lower costs, thereby changing the mode in which goods are delivered through shipping. The adoption of autonomous vehicle technology in logistics and distribution has revolutionized the sector by enhancing safety, boosting productivity, and reducing costs; however, the technology also faces several difficulties, including exposure to radiation and fire risks, the possibility of malicious actors hacking the vehicles and also the implementation cost is too high. These concerns must be addressed to guarantee the effective adoption of autonomous vehicle technology in the transportation and distribution sector.
Positive impacts
Cost saving
Autonomous vehicles have the potential to realize time and fuel costs through improved decision-making capabilities. The safety improvement helps reduce insurance and damage costs as this will drive the insurance corporations to accept the low premiums in the future for autonomous vehicles. In addition, the cars have improved safety features like lane-keeping assistance, which enables the vehicle to reduce accident risks and the likelihood of costly insurance claims. This lowers the insurance premiums for the organizations (Hancock et al., 2020). It also helps the companies to save high costs spend on personnel. The vehicles can drive themselves, thereby eliminating the driver’s need, which helps save substantial costs for the company.
The savings on the costs of autonomous vehicles result from decreased labour costs. This is because the vehicles do not require a driver, so the companies are not required to pay benefits and wages to the driver. The vehicles can be programmed in such a way that they can follow the most efficient routes, which helps to minimize the fuel consumption by the vehicles enabling savings costs fuel (Ghandriz et al., 2020). The vehicles can also be programmed to drive at a consistent speed, which helps minimize wear and tear for the vehicle, lowering maintenance costs. Again, the vehicles are also programmed to be more cautious during driving, thus helping to reduce the accidents and the costs which may incur by the company as a result of the accidents (Hancock et al., 2020). Therefore, autonomous vehicle technology is vital to companies as it helps to minimize the costs incurred by the companies during transportation because the vehicles do not require a driver; they are programmed in a way that they can drive more efficiently, and they are safer, thereby reducing the driver’s cost, fuel cost and insurance costs respectively.
Improves safety
Autonomous vehicle technology is a more advanced transportation means as it improves the safety of the goods transported by ensuring that the goods reach the required destination safely. Autonomous vehicle technology has the potential to drastically advance transportation safety, whereby self-driving vehicles have advanced sensors and artificial intelligence, which enable them to identify, recognize and respond to the surrounding environment (Stepper, 2022). The vehicles can make decisions and follow the necessary action stopping in cases of obstacles or slowing down. This enables them to avoid impending risks, thereby improving the safety of goods.
Autonomous vehicle technology can also help create safer highways and roads. The vehicles have the potential to communicate with one another and also with the infrastructure such as road sins and traffic lights, and this helps to develop a safer roads network which enables the vehicles to be aware of the surroundings hence helping them to anticipate the potential hazards (Stepper, 2022). Additionally, these vehicles reduce road congestion leading to fewer accidents due to slow traffic or sudden stops. Again, fuel efficiency on these vehicles reduces traffic noise and emission of gases, thereby minimizing environmental pollution caused by the vehicles. The vehicles also minimize the number of fatal accidents caused by drunk drivers. They also have cameras and improved sensors that help detect any sign of impairment to take the appropriate action. Therefore, autonomous vehicles help improve safety by creating safer roads and highways, minimizing accidents and traffic congestion.
Increase efficiency
Autonomous vehicles have the potential to make split-second decisions that humans cannot make, whereby the vehicles can progress more significant amounts of data through the use of technology, and they can make decisions within seconds. The vehicles can determine the best routes to travel, minimizing the time spent on the road. They can also drive at optimum speed, enhancing efficiency in the transportation industry (Hancock et al., 2019). Therefore vehicles can plan routes more effectively than humans because they have sensors that help them identify the most appropriate routes to follow, taking into account the conditions of the roads and the traffic patterns.
In addition, vehicles reduce emissions through smooth and consistent driving because they are programmed to decelerate and accelerate, which also helps minimize fuel consumption (Ghandriz et al., 2020). Reduction in the number of stops and starts that cause gridlock by vehicles helps to minimize traffic congestion, thereby improving the efficiency of the transportation and distribution sector. Therefore, autonomous vehicle technology increases efficiency by improving road safety and following traffic rules such as traffic signals and speed limits, which helps minimize road accidents.
Longer distance coverage
Autonomous vehicles can travel longer distances without resting or stopping because they use advanced algorithms which help them detect the surroundings, thereby adjusting to the speed and course appropriately. Through this, the vehicle can maintain consistent speed, which in turn helps the vehicle to cover a longer distance compared to human drivers. Automating these vehicles, which removes the driver’s requirement, helps the vehicles increase the distance that should be covered. Additionally, these vehicles have onboard sensors, which help monitor the obstacles on the roads enabling them to navigate safely through traffic, thus minimizing the collision risks (Narbayeva et al., 2020). They also use GPS data that helps identify the appropriate route to avoid traffic congestion, enabling them to travel long distances by reducing the time taken on the road.
Higher reliability
Autonomous vehicles provide higher reliability since it reduces the requirements of human drivers. Through its use of cameras and advanced sensors, the vehicle can monitor the surrounding environment and responsive action accordingly because the sensors collect data constantly and use it to map out and identify potential obstacles and hazards on the way. These sensors enable vehicles to make decisions on how to navigate a situation safely. The vehicles avoid hazards and collisions through adherence to predefined protocols for safety and responding to specific situations accordingly (Gu et al., 2021).
Depending on the traffic conditions, the vehicles decide on the quickest route to follow and navigate safely. This helps minimize the risks of accidents caused by human errors, and the vehicles have advanced software to help improve their capability of making decisions and help them continuously learn from the information they gather (Hancock et al., 2019). This improves the vehicle’s reliability and decision-making potential over time. The vehicles are more efficient, making them more reliable as they are programmed to be aware of the efficient routes, always enabling them to run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Negative impacts
On the other hand, autonomous vehicles also have some demerits as they are prone to hacking because they rely on software technology and are exposed to radiation exposure and fire threat.
Prone to hacking
The increased complexity of autonomous vehicles exposes them to the risk of being hacked because of the computers and sensors linked to the internet, thereby making them vulnerable to various malicious actors. The hackers of these vehicles exploit the vulnerabilities of their software, hardware or even the communication systems of the vehicles to obtain access to the systems of the vehicles (Pandey, K., & Pandey, A. 2022). When hackers obtain access to the vehicle, they can control the vehicle and its functions, such as steering, braking and acceleration, leading to damage or vehicle accidents. Once they have acquired vehicle access, hackers can also manipulate the data from the vehicles’ sensors, enabling them to control vehicle paths.
In addition, hackers use the cameras and the vehicles’ sensors to access personal information such as driving habits and the GPS location n also to monitor the environment of the vehicles. They use this data for various malicious functions, such as to disrupt traffic or even to steal the goods being transported and the vehicles (Pandey, K., & Pandey, A. 2022). They can target the communication systems of the vehicles, such as the vehicle’s mobile app or wireless connection, obtain access to the data, and intercept the messages being sent from and to the vehicle. Through this, they take control of the vehicle systems and can manipulate the information received by the vehicle. Therefore, autonomous vehicles can be targeted by malicious actors who can interfere with their operations, such as navigation systems, leading to the vehicle taking a wrong turn or even interfering with its sensor, making the vehicle crash.
Radiation exposure and fire threats
Autonomous vehicles are also prone to radiation exposure and fire threats because they rely on advanced technologies such as communication systems, sensors and computers. The technologies must be under a constant power source, obtained from an onboard battery or powertrain connected to the external environment (Pandey, K., & Pandey, A. 2022). The external environment is subject to radiation from the sun and other sources. It can cause damage or tamper with the vehicles’ computers, sensors or communication systems, leading to malfunctioning.
Additionally, the onboard battery is prone to radiation exposure because it can be overheated or get fire. After all, the higher temperatures result from radiation exposure. The overheating can cause a fire quickly spread, leading to extensive damage to the vehicles, goods and passengers (Pandey, K., & Pandey, A. 2022). Again, the complex systems of the vehicles are subject to malfunction because of hardware failure and software bugs, which can lead the vehicle to operate in unsafe conditions leading to an increased risk of fires and collisions. Therefore, autonomous vehicles are prone to fire threats and radiation exposure because they rely on complex systems and advanced technologies.
High cost of implementation
Autonomous vehicles require a huge amount of money to implement, making it difficult for many companies to use them. Adopting the technology of autonomous vehicles is too costly since it requires significant capital. Therefore, implementing autonomous vehicle technology poses a significant challenge to companies that desire to use the technology but need help to afford the capital required. Again, the maintenance and operation costs of the vehicles are also high. Autonomous vehicles are self-driven and equipped with cameras and sensors connected to power (Pandey, K., & Pandey, A. 2022). Therefore, these vehicles require a constant power supply to function, which may be expensive for most companies because the energy cost will keep increasing every time.
Conclusion
The transportation industry plays a critical role in today’s global economy as it distributes goods from one place to another. Therefore, the industry is looking for possible means of reducing costs and increasing transportation efficiency. Therefore, autonomous vehicle helps the transportation sector to reduce the costs of labour by reducing the need for human drivers and reducing fuel costs because they are designed in a more fuel-efficient manner as compared to traditional vehicles, and again they can identify the most efficient and quick route follow in order to save on fuel consumption. The vehicles are more reliable than human drivers because they follow quick routes saving costs and time and improving customer satisfaction. Self-driven vehicles transport goods over long distances and in the shortest time possible, and therefore, they are more reliable than human drivers. Autonomous vehicle technology has drastically revolutionized the transport sector by reducing costs and saving time; therefore, it can completely transform how goods are delivered.
References
Ghandriz, T., Jacobson, B., Laine, L., & Hellgren, J. (2020). Impact of automated driving systems on road freight transport and electrified propulsion of heavy vehicles. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 115, 102610.
Gu, Y., Goez, J. C., Guajardo, M., & Wallace, S. W. (2021). Autonomous vessels: state of the art and potential opportunities in logistics. International Transactions in Operational Research, 28(4), 1706-1739.
Hancock, P. A., Kajaks, T., Caird, J. K., Chignell, M. H., Mizobuchi, S., Burns, P. C., … & Vrkljan, B. H. (2020). Challenges to human drivers in increasingly automated vehicles. Human factors, 62(2), 310-328.
Hancock, P. A., Nourbakhsh, I., & Stewart, J. (2019). On the future of transportation in an era of automated and autonomous vehicles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(16), 7684-7691.
Narbayeva, S., Bakibayev, T., Abeshev, K., Makarova, I., Shubenkova, K., & Pashkevich, A. (2020). Blockchain technology on the way of autonomous vehicles development. transportation research Procedia, 44, 168-175.
Pandey, K., & Pandey, A. K. (2022, April 20). Risks posed by self-driving vehicles. Jumpstart Magazine. Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://www.jumpstartmag.com/risks-posed-by-self-driving-vehicles/#:~:text=Radiation%20exposure%20and%20the%20threat%20of%20fires&text=Prologued%20exposure%20to%20electromagnetic%20field,is%20the%20threat%20of%20fire.
Stepper, M. (2022, February 8). Autonomous driving in logistics: At the future’s wheel. DHL Freight Connections. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://dhl-freight-connections.com/en/trends/autonomous-driving-in-logistics-at-the-futures-wheel/
write