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Author – Sarah

In today’s digital world, many people have become interested in putting up their E-businesses and delivery businesses. It also allows the customers to order more products online and have them delivered right to their doorstep. This basically what makes delivery an integral part of every entrepreneur’s monthly sales volume.

However, the delivery aspect in the supply-chain faces a significant setback. The sudden increase in orders also required more deliveries, but there are only a few drivers who can deliver the parcels to their respective recipients. Because of such driver shortage in this industry, autonomous delivery vehicles are starting to gain popularity. 

If you’re new to this concept, read on to learn more about autonomous delivery vehicles and why you must start using this transportation taechnology. 

Autonomous Delivery Vehicles: What Is It And How It Works?

Autonomous delivery vehicles or self-driving cars may be one of the significant technological innovations in the transportation industry. They’re typically defined as vehicles that can perceive their environment and drive safely with little to no human participation. They’re equipped with advanced control systems and numerous sensors that enable them to sense their surroundings. These may include GPS, radar, sonar, and many more. 

Given these innovative features, autonomous delivery vehicles are also known as driverless cars or robotic cars. Now that you’re learned what this new transportation is all about, it’s time to be familiar with how it actually works in the supply-chain industry. 

When you use an autonomous delivery vehicle, there’s obviously no driver who is going to load, unload, and deliver the goods to the end customers. For that reason, the way merchants prepare the delivery and the way customers accept it may play a crucial part in the success of the business.  

For the merchant, you need to share and load orders to get you started. You have to provide the order information to the car by using a delivery management tool since it doesn’t require drivers. However, all your orders are recorded in the app, which makes it easy to pick a compartment and place the order once the vehicle arrives at your store. 

From there, the technology will take over by routing and scheduling deliveries. The car will also inform your customers about the specific day and time by which they can receive their orders. 

For the customers, everything they need to do is to wait for their orders to arrive. Using an autonomous delivery vehicle gives them the advantage to keep track of their order anytime. They know when they can actually receive the order, so they can make themselves readily available. In turn, customers don’t have to wait for their orders to come because they already know when to expect it. 

Moreover, using autonomous delivery vehicles is convenient for customers. They can easily retrieve the order through the use of text-to-open tools to open the compartments. Once the customer gets their order, the vehicle will go to its next destination quickly and conveniently. 

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Autonomous Delivery Vehicles: Why You Should Start Using Them

It’s no surprise that autonomous vehicles (AVs) are beginning to hit the roads of the largest cities worldwide. Not only do they become a private mode of transportation for many individuals, but they’ve also changed the way merchants deliver goods, and the customers get the products at their doorstep. 

So, if you’re planning to run a delivery business, below are the reasons why you should start using autonomous delivery vehicles: 

• Making Deliveries Is Cheaper With Autonomous Vehicles.

As mentioned, using autonomous delivery vehicles doesn’t necessarily require the services of a driver. You may not need to hire drivers to make deliveries to your end consumer, which is a cheaper option for most business owners. 

With the help of these innovative vehicles, you don’t have to pay a considerable amount of salaries for delivery drivers. Instead, you can use your money to sustain your business’ other significant expenses. 

In addition to not hiring drivers, deliveries made through autonomous cars don’t need high fuel consumption. The technology behind these driverless vehicles can improve fuel economy as it enables lower peak speeds, thereby reducing the amount of fuel being consumed while traveling. Remember that maintaining lower fuel consumption can help you save money for your business. 

Making deliveries is indeed cheaper with driverless cars. That’s why many popular restaurant chains like Pizza Hut thinks about testing autonomous vehicles with Shiftpixy autonomous delivery. 

• You Can Deliver Goods Even For Long Distance.

Typically, long-distance driving has been viewed as the primary reason for adopting autonomous vehicles. This is also true when it comes to E-businesses and delivery businesses. Primarily, autonomous delivery vehicles may be able to travel for long-distance and more extended time periods.

Therefore, you can still get their orders delivered through the help of an AV even if the customer’s delivery address is far from your store. By using such a vehicle, you don’t need to worry about your driver’s well-being throughout the travel. 

• You Can Ensure The Safety Of Your Deliveries.

Millions of people are killed in road accidents each year, which are usually caused by humans’ slow reaction and distracted driving. So, the widespread use of autonomous delivery vehicles can reduce the possibility of accidents that may prevent the safe delivery of your goods to the customers. 

That’s why utilizing autonomous vehicles in your delivery process can be a great idea if you want to deliver the goods efficiently and safely. 

• Parking Is Easy With Autonomous Vehicles.

Sometimes, the delivery of goods can be difficult because of the lack of parking spaces. Cars should be parked in a way that enough space is left between each vehicle so that the driver can quickly get out afterward. But some people are just too stubborn to follow proper parking etiquettes.

Fortunately, the use of autonomous delivery cars no longer demand parking lots with enough space. These vehicles can park and stack themselves more closely together with each other. Due to this, you can make deliveries without having to worry about where to park the vehicle at the destination. 

• You Can Accomplish Deliveries In A Short Period.

With automated driving, deliveries can be accomplished in a short period of time. They can still get the job done quickly even if you don’t have a driver for the vehicle. In case it has, they don’t have to give their full attention to driving. They can actually focus on other delivery tasks such as paperwork. 

Undoubtedly, this characteristic of autonomous delivery vehicles offers productivity to your business and helps overcome challenges in the world of entrepreneurship. 

On the other hand, too much road traffic can delay the deliveries of goods to customers. But autonomous delivery vehicles enables you to make deliveries as fast as you can without having to deal with road congestion. This happens through the process of platooning. 

Platooning, for instance, refers to a situation when the AVs are being gathered together through an electrical coupling. As such, the cars will have simultaneous acceleration and braking, which prevents them from slowing down and speeding up on the road unpredictably. 

This technique lets you avoid road congestion so you could deliver the packages in the fastest time possible.

• Using Autonomous Vehicles Increases Demand For New Jobs.

Although autonomous delivery vehicles can result in job losses for drivers, they can still increase the demand for new jobs on a large scale. The modern technology behind the operation of these driverless vehicles will definitely need more people who can oversee their seamless adoption and implementation. 

Therefore, even if you decide to use autonomous vehicles for delivery, you can still provide jobs for several people across the globe. In fact, you can encourage your delivery drivers to consider a career shift. With proper education and training, they can probably become software developers, hi-tech machine specialists, or wireless network engineers. 

• You Can Complete Deliveries Without Polluting The Environment.

Undeniably, transportation can be one of the biggest sources of global warming around the world. Since AVs can reduce road congestion, it can also lessen the emissions of carbon dioxide in the surroundings. 

As such, you’ll not only make your customers happy with fast delivery but also help in the reduction of transportation-related pollution to a greater extent. In the coming years, the use of this new transportation system is expected to minimize emissions by approximately 60%. 

The Future Of Autonomous Delivery Cars

Indeed, the adoption of autonomous cars in the E-businesses and delivery industry may have a massive impact on their success. These machines are intended to carry heavy loads and travel longer distances. But, just like other modern innovations, this transportation system also brings a lot of risks, which could be subject to discussions and controversies. 

You should gather more valuable information to thoroughly evaluate how these vehicles can impact the delivery industry, economy, and the environment. Fortunately, autonomous vehicles will have a brighter future but subject to several factors, such as government regulation, public perception, and many more. 

But despite the prevailing discussions on the permissibility of autonomous vehicles, the delivery industry is beginning to adopt these machines for several beneficial reasons. So, if you’re looking to take advantage of the benefits mentioned above, business owners like you should think about using automated deliveries today.