The logistics industry has undergone some very notable changes in the past decade, and it continues to drive change and help businesses provide excellent customer services for customers. 3PL companies have constant innovations in technology to thank for the transformation.

Take a look at the latest trends in logistics that those in the industry are adopting and the impact they have on both businesses and their customers.

The Rise of Transportation Drones

Drones are increasingly being used for delivering various products to customers. This mode of transportation is still in its infancy, but we’re bound to see it become mainstream in the next few years.

Transportation drones will be go-to services for time-sensitive product deliveries, such as medicine, but they’ll also be preferable vehicles for delivering myriads of other products. This is simply because they’re cost-effective, environmentally-friendly, and can fly across the country (or the world) to provide same-day deliveries.

Same-day on-demand courier service providers will greatly benefit from the use of delivery drones in the future, but all the other 3PL business will see lots of benefits as well.

The Promise of Safe Driverless Vehicles

Similarly to drones, driverless vehicles have a very bright future in logistics, given that they require little to no human input to operate. While not as fast as drones, a benefit they have over drones in the long term is their cost-effectiveness. Additionally, they are more environmentally friendly than traditional vehicles because they are completely electric, significantly reducing emissions.

However, the safety of self-driving vehicles must be Insured before they can get on the road. Logistics companies may have to wait just a bit longer before enriching their delivery fleet with driverless vehicles.

The Far-Reaching Benefits of 3D Printing Technology

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is yet another tech trend that more and more logistics businesses are implementing these days. They’re using 3D printing to create spare parts for a wide variety of products using plastic, metal, and many other materials.

With this innovative technology, they can considerably reduce time and costs, as they don’t have to wait for manufacturers to produce and deliver all the necessary parts their customers require. 3D printers can quickly do it for them.

The Game-Changing Influence of IoT and Smart Homes

The Internet of Things is taking the world by storm. It is already transforming logistics, as its connectivity enables real-time inventory tracking and warehouse management, real-time vehicle monitoring (especially important for driverless vehicles and delivery drones), and seamless transactions, all of which saves costs and time.

IoT implementation is especially vital because a lot of customers live in smart homes, and expect their couriers to be up-to-date with in-home deliveries to smart homes. These are not common yet, but they’ll definitely be our future.

These emerging technologies are revolutionizing logistics, and compelling the experts to increasingly adopt them. They’re all still in their infant stages, but we’re bound to see more of them and experience their tremendous benefits in the coming years.