98% of Aus transport/logistics workers report tech challenges

More than 70% of Australian transport and logistics (T&L) companies invested in new technology during COVID-19, but almost all (98%) their employees reported facing technical difficulties.

These employees reported a loss of business-critical time spent dealing with system or device downtime.

The Mobilizing the Delivery Workforce: State of Mobility in Transportation and Logistics 2021 Report, by mobile and IoT management solutions provider SOTI, also uncovered the impact of these interruptions on operations.

Over 44% of employees said they lost at least three to four hours every week due to system downtime that consequently delayed shipments. Around 30% employees stated that the main cause of downtime leading to shipping delays was due to a lack of IT support to address mobile device downtime issues, as well as self-serve applications that allow drivers to diagnose and troubleshoot device issues independently while they are on the road.

Updated information not being automatically shared across all systems (28%) and systems not being upgraded frequently enough (40%) were also reported as top issues causing downtime.

“T&L employees are using new technology to support their core operational duties and, with almost all of them reporting a loss in productivity due to system downtime, this is a major vulnerability affecting every part of a business,” said Michael Dyson, VP of Sales, APAC, SOTI.

Having an advanced mobile-first strategy in place will help T&L companies ensure new technology is integrated properly and not operating in silos, so employee productivity isn’t undermined by preventable system downtime, added Dyson.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Alessandro Biascioli