卡車貨運業(yè)擁抱車載信息服務(wù)
在車載信息服務(wù)(Telematics)技術(shù)發(fā)展早期，人們擔(dān)憂該技術(shù)主要被過于熱心的車隊管理人員或保險公司利用。相反，如今這種擔(dān)憂煙消云散。能夠用于實時遠程監(jiān)控車輛性能和駕駛員表現(xiàn)的該技術(shù)已被物流行業(yè)接受。
Its widespread use offers an alternative to a different sort of future in which highways operate like railways and users bid to access Road A during Time slot B for Price C.
它的廣泛使用將為一種不同的未來提供替代選擇，在這種未來的想定情形中，高速公路像鐵路一樣運行，用戶需要以C價格投標(biāo)在B時段使用A道路。
“Trucking companies say this is science fiction,” says Alan McKinnon, professor of logistics at the Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. “But traffic is growing faster than we are able to build road space. Telematics would be key to avoiding such an extreme response.”
漢堡物流與企業(yè)管理技術(shù)大學(xué)(KLU)的物流學(xué)教授艾倫•麥金農(nóng)(Alan McKinnon)表示：“卡車貨運公司說這是科幻小說。但交通增長速度超過了我們建造道路空間的能力。車載信息服務(wù)將是避免此類極端回應(yīng)的關(guān)鍵。”
That outcome would be partly down to the technology’s more narrow uses, such as promoting fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly driving. More significant, however, would be the use of telematics to tackle under-utilisation of assets, which is one of the biggest challenges for the highly fragmented road freight sector.
這一結(jié)局將在一定程度上依賴于局限該技術(shù)的用途，例如促進節(jié)能、環(huán)保的行駛。然而，更重要的將是利用車載信息服務(wù)來解決資產(chǎn)利用不足的問題，這個問題是高度碎片化的公路貨運行業(yè)面臨的最大挑戰(zhàn)之一。
Online exchanges that help match shipments with shipping space have existed for some time. Telematics, however, could significantly increase the usefulness of these tools, as individual trucks make real-time communications about their loads. As the internet of things advances, the goods themselves might take part in the conversation.
幫助匹配貨物與貨運空間的在線交換已經(jīng)存在了一段時間。然而，車載信息服務(wù)可以顯著提高這些工具的實用性，因為每輛卡車可以實時報告貨物信息。隨著物聯(lián)網(wǎng)的發(fā)展，貨物本身可能會參與對話。
“There’s a big prize there,” says Prof McKinnon. He puts the cost of under-utilisation in the European trucking industry alone in the hundreds of billions of euros per year.
麥金農(nóng)表示：“這方面有巨大潛力。”他認為僅在歐洲卡車貨運行業(yè)，資產(chǎn)利用率不足造成的成本就高達每年數(shù)千億歐元。
The EU’s alliance for logistics innovation has targeted 2050 for its vision of an efficient, interconnected logistics system that will operate as a “physical internet”, in which goods are shipped according to space available on shared resources — in much the same way that an email message travels from one continent to another via servers.
歐盟物流創(chuàng)新聯(lián)盟的目標(biāo)是到2050年建立一個高效率和互聯(lián)的物流系統(tǒng)，該系統(tǒng)將像一個“物理互聯(lián)網(wǎng)”那樣運行，貨物按照共享資源的可用空間運輸，就像電子郵件通過服務(wù)器從一個大陸發(fā)到另一個大陸那樣。
Telematics would play an important role by feeding participating links in the chain with information about container space, for example, or arrival times, driver break schedules or the temperature of containers. The technology might also support new, more efficient ways of moving vehicles around, such as platooning, where strings of trucks follow one another at minimal distances, saving road space and fuel.
車載信息服務(wù)將發(fā)揮重要作用，為運輸鏈上的參與環(huán)節(jié)提供各種信息，包括集裝箱空間、到達時間、駕駛員休息時間表或集裝箱溫度。這項技術(shù)還可能支持新的、更高效率的車輛行駛方式，例如“隊列行駛”(platooning)，即最大限度縮短車與車之間距離，從而節(jié)省道路空間和燃料。
On the one hand, such possibilities present big opportunities for telematics providers, the largest of which include: Canadian group AirIQ; MiX Telematics, based in South Africa; TomTom Telematics, whose headquarters are in the Netherlands; and US-based Verizon’s Fleetmatics. On the other, the industry is ripe for disruption, says Frederic Bruneteau at Ptolemus, a consultancy focused on mobility and communication.
專注于移動性和通信的咨詢公司Ptolemus的菲德烈•布呂內(nèi)托(Frederic Bruneteau)表示，一方面，此類可能性為車載信息服務(wù)提供商帶來了巨大機遇，其中最大的企業(yè)包括：加拿大AirIQ集團、總部位于南非的MiX Telematics、總部位于荷蘭的TomTom Telematics以及美國Verizon旗下的Fleetmatics。另一方面，顛覆該行業(yè)的時機已經(jīng)成熟。
One strategy for adding value is to expand the range of services. Fleet managers increasingly want more integrated data and will opt for the telematics tool that feeds them meaningful information not just about location or vehicle performance, but also about fuel levels, security checks and upcoming tolls.
增添價值的一個戰(zhàn)略是擴大服務(wù)范圍。車隊管理人員越來越希望獲得更多的綜合數(shù)據(jù)，并將選擇能夠為他們提供有意義信息的車載信息服務(wù)工具，不僅包括位置或車輛性能，還包括燃料水平、安全檢查和前方的道路通行費。
Ultimately, however, says Mr Bruneteau: “The real wish is that fleet managers . . . are simply alerted when they have to solve a problem — that they’re only told when there are critical events to deal with.”
然而，最終而言，布呂內(nèi)托表示：“真正的愿望是車隊經(jīng)理……只有在他們不得不解決問題時才會得到警示——他們只在有重大事件需要他們處理時才會被告知。”
