Enhancing Logistics and Security with Smart Trucking Technologies
Sarthak is transforming India's trucking industry by leveraging technology to streamline logistics and enhance the lives of truckers. With a degree in Supply Chain & Logistics Management from RMIT University, Melbourne. He brings extensive experience in logistics, warehousing, and supply chain operations, having worked with companies in both India and Australia. His expertise in operational efficiency and his passion for innovation drive TrucksUp’s mission to create a seamless and efficient freight movement ecosystem. Beyond logistics, Sarthak is a coffee enthusiast and a Spanish language learner, constantly expanding his global perspective.
In a recent interaction with M R Yuvatha, Senior Correspondent at siliconindia, Sarthak Elwadhi shared his insights on ‘Enhancing Logistics and Security with Smart Trucking Technologies’.
In 2025, the trucking industry is expected to witness a new wave of smarter and more personalized innovations, driven by industry leaders. Aggregator platforms continue to expand their reach into Tier-II and Tier-III cities, bringing greater digital integration to the trucking sector. Even at the grassroots level, truck owners and drivers are increasingly online, engaging with platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp, even if they are not yet using industry-specific applications. This widespread connectivity mirrors the transformative impact of UPI on India's banking sector, indicating that the industry is primed for the adoption of targeted technologies aimed at improving efficiency in driver management, route optimization, and overall logistics operations. Success in these areas depends on delivering the right information to the right stakeholders at the right time.
Edge Computing Powering Smart Route Management in Trucking
Edge computing is revolutionizing the trucking industry by acting as a mobile data hub, enabling split-second decisions on route adjustments, weather hazards, and dynamic delivery schedules. Traditionally, route management relied on fleet coordinators or traffic coordinators stationed at head offices or local branches. In smaller companies, the responsibility often fell to the owner, who might also be a truck driver. These companies typically transported third-party loads, either from transport companies or intermediaries. Drivers were assigned cargo and a destination with only a broad understanding of major routes to follow, lacking real-time route avoidance capabilities or awareness of disasters and road conditions.
In regions like East India, where heavy rainfall frequently damages roads, drivers historically had no immediate way of knowing about such hazards. Information was relayed manually through calls from coordinators or owners, leading to delays and inefficiencies. However, with the widespread adoption of route management applications, a live database can be established to provide real-time guidance, ensuring optimal route selection for every journey.
Automation Enhancing Logistics Efficiency and Security
Automation of logistics isn’t notably replacing drivers but rather optimizing them through remote fleet management, system monitoring, and advanced logistical coordination. The idea of autonomous trucks is more of science fiction than a near-term reality, given the complexity of road conditions as well as driving experience. According to the generally accepted scientific principle used in science fiction, if a technological innovation is predicted beyond a 25-year limit, it is considered speculative rather than a scientific fact. Given the existing road infrastructure and driving conditions, replacement by human drivers does not appear not to be imminent anytime soon.
Remote fleet management plays a crucial role in monitoring the real-time status of both drivers and cargo. For example, when transporting perishable goods such as cheese or dairy products, maintaining temperature control is critical. The same applies to hazardous materials and pharmaceutical goods. A temperature regulator connected to the internet via its own SIM card can provide instant alerts if cargo conditions deviate from required parameters, preventing spoilage and reducing inefficiencies in the supply chain.
Further, automation assists fleet companies in avoiding fuel and cargo theft by including fuel monitoring systems and GPS tracking. It also allows continuous monitoring of critical driving data like average speed, fuel usage, and driver conduct, providing fleet managers with valuable insights into behavior patterns. Automation is no magic bullet for eliminating issues but does present real-time data on which companies can take proactive action. It ensures cargo security, eliminates inefficiencies, and generally maximizes supply chain management.
IoT Revolutionizing Logistics with Real Time Monitoring and Efficiency
The Internet of Things (IoT) is essentially the idea of various intelligent devices being networked within the same platform or platform for sharing a complete picture of any specific system. Originally non-digital appliances, like refrigerators, microwaves, toasters, air conditioners, and ovens, can now be connected into one unified digital control system. Although this idea originally appeared in homes, it has also entered the trucking sector.
One of the weightiest applications of IoT in logistics pertains to the transportation of hazardous and perishable goods that need strict temperature control. Supply chain managers and logistics officers can now monitor cargo conditions in real time, confirming that goods maintain their quality throughout transit. By tracking temperature fluctuations every minute, transparency in goods transportation has significantly developed. Historically, maintaining product quality during transit has been a main challenge, but technological advancements are effectively bridging this gap, demonstrating the true purpose of innovation in the industry.
Customer satisfaction has also improved significantly thanks to live SIM and tracking via GPS, which businesses actively offer to customers. The real-time ability to monitor the truck, cargo, and driver, including at transshipment points, has helped assuage fears of theft or possible malpractices. Improved transparency brings reassurance to those shipping high-value items, thus eliminating concerns for logistical hassles.
With technology in place, the next move is using it to achieve more efficient transport. Surveillance of driver behavior and proactive safety are the solutions. Research in the U.S. and China indicates that ensuring drivers' rest has fewer accidents, saving financial losses, insurance premiums, and improving overall efficiency for the transport industry, freight forwarders and other stakeholders. But the Indian trucking business is still extremely disorganized, with 80% of trucks in the hands of people owning less than ten. Most of them don't have accounting records because they don't need to legally. That makes it all slow in adapting to new technology, missing out on growth possibilities to bigger firms. Hence, widespread usage and integration of these technologies within small trucking companies will be instrumental in optimizing the use of IoT-based logistics in the future.
Looking Ahead
The trucking industry is moving in the right direction, as a significant positive shift is becoming evident in the field. Even those who were previously unwilling to adopt technology in their daily operations are beginning to recognize its immense value. The advantages of technological integration are now too substantial to ignore, and those who fail to come online and leverage aggregator platforms like TrucksUp risk falling behind to the point where their businesses may no longer remain competitive.
Additionally, a noticeable trend among truck owners and drivers under 40 indicates a greater acceptance of new technologies and their benefits. With a strong ground-up approach and increased focus on supporting truck owners and drivers in India, efficiencies lost in the supply chain, particularly in road transport, can be significantly improved.
In a recent interaction with M R Yuvatha, Senior Correspondent at siliconindia, Sarthak Elwadhi shared his insights on ‘Enhancing Logistics and Security with Smart Trucking Technologies’.
In 2025, the trucking industry is expected to witness a new wave of smarter and more personalized innovations, driven by industry leaders. Aggregator platforms continue to expand their reach into Tier-II and Tier-III cities, bringing greater digital integration to the trucking sector. Even at the grassroots level, truck owners and drivers are increasingly online, engaging with platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp, even if they are not yet using industry-specific applications. This widespread connectivity mirrors the transformative impact of UPI on India's banking sector, indicating that the industry is primed for the adoption of targeted technologies aimed at improving efficiency in driver management, route optimization, and overall logistics operations. Success in these areas depends on delivering the right information to the right stakeholders at the right time.
Automation of logistics isn’t notably replacing drivers but rather optimizing them through remote fleet management, system monitoring, and advanced logistical coordination.
Edge Computing Powering Smart Route Management in Trucking
Edge computing is revolutionizing the trucking industry by acting as a mobile data hub, enabling split-second decisions on route adjustments, weather hazards, and dynamic delivery schedules. Traditionally, route management relied on fleet coordinators or traffic coordinators stationed at head offices or local branches. In smaller companies, the responsibility often fell to the owner, who might also be a truck driver. These companies typically transported third-party loads, either from transport companies or intermediaries. Drivers were assigned cargo and a destination with only a broad understanding of major routes to follow, lacking real-time route avoidance capabilities or awareness of disasters and road conditions.
In regions like East India, where heavy rainfall frequently damages roads, drivers historically had no immediate way of knowing about such hazards. Information was relayed manually through calls from coordinators or owners, leading to delays and inefficiencies. However, with the widespread adoption of route management applications, a live database can be established to provide real-time guidance, ensuring optimal route selection for every journey.
Automation Enhancing Logistics Efficiency and Security
Automation of logistics isn’t notably replacing drivers but rather optimizing them through remote fleet management, system monitoring, and advanced logistical coordination. The idea of autonomous trucks is more of science fiction than a near-term reality, given the complexity of road conditions as well as driving experience. According to the generally accepted scientific principle used in science fiction, if a technological innovation is predicted beyond a 25-year limit, it is considered speculative rather than a scientific fact. Given the existing road infrastructure and driving conditions, replacement by human drivers does not appear not to be imminent anytime soon.
Remote fleet management plays a crucial role in monitoring the real-time status of both drivers and cargo. For example, when transporting perishable goods such as cheese or dairy products, maintaining temperature control is critical. The same applies to hazardous materials and pharmaceutical goods. A temperature regulator connected to the internet via its own SIM card can provide instant alerts if cargo conditions deviate from required parameters, preventing spoilage and reducing inefficiencies in the supply chain.
Further, automation assists fleet companies in avoiding fuel and cargo theft by including fuel monitoring systems and GPS tracking. It also allows continuous monitoring of critical driving data like average speed, fuel usage, and driver conduct, providing fleet managers with valuable insights into behavior patterns. Automation is no magic bullet for eliminating issues but does present real-time data on which companies can take proactive action. It ensures cargo security, eliminates inefficiencies, and generally maximizes supply chain management.
IoT Revolutionizing Logistics with Real Time Monitoring and Efficiency
The Internet of Things (IoT) is essentially the idea of various intelligent devices being networked within the same platform or platform for sharing a complete picture of any specific system. Originally non-digital appliances, like refrigerators, microwaves, toasters, air conditioners, and ovens, can now be connected into one unified digital control system. Although this idea originally appeared in homes, it has also entered the trucking sector.
One of the weightiest applications of IoT in logistics pertains to the transportation of hazardous and perishable goods that need strict temperature control. Supply chain managers and logistics officers can now monitor cargo conditions in real time, confirming that goods maintain their quality throughout transit. By tracking temperature fluctuations every minute, transparency in goods transportation has significantly developed. Historically, maintaining product quality during transit has been a main challenge, but technological advancements are effectively bridging this gap, demonstrating the true purpose of innovation in the industry.
Customer satisfaction has also improved significantly thanks to live SIM and tracking via GPS, which businesses actively offer to customers. The real-time ability to monitor the truck, cargo, and driver, including at transshipment points, has helped assuage fears of theft or possible malpractices. Improved transparency brings reassurance to those shipping high-value items, thus eliminating concerns for logistical hassles.
With technology in place, the next move is using it to achieve more efficient transport. Surveillance of driver behavior and proactive safety are the solutions. Research in the U.S. and China indicates that ensuring drivers' rest has fewer accidents, saving financial losses, insurance premiums, and improving overall efficiency for the transport industry, freight forwarders and other stakeholders. But the Indian trucking business is still extremely disorganized, with 80% of trucks in the hands of people owning less than ten. Most of them don't have accounting records because they don't need to legally. That makes it all slow in adapting to new technology, missing out on growth possibilities to bigger firms. Hence, widespread usage and integration of these technologies within small trucking companies will be instrumental in optimizing the use of IoT-based logistics in the future.
Looking Ahead
The trucking industry is moving in the right direction, as a significant positive shift is becoming evident in the field. Even those who were previously unwilling to adopt technology in their daily operations are beginning to recognize its immense value. The advantages of technological integration are now too substantial to ignore, and those who fail to come online and leverage aggregator platforms like TrucksUp risk falling behind to the point where their businesses may no longer remain competitive.
Additionally, a noticeable trend among truck owners and drivers under 40 indicates a greater acceptance of new technologies and their benefits. With a strong ground-up approach and increased focus on supporting truck owners and drivers in India, efficiencies lost in the supply chain, particularly in road transport, can be significantly improved.
