The Role of IoT in Shaping the Future of Supply Chain 23rd edition | Page 35

IoT Techniques and Elements for Drone Package Delivery Networks

• Chapter 4 – Use Cases

• Chapter 5 – Drone Cargo Delivery Network Elements

• Chapter 6 – Conclusions

• Chapter 7 – References

• Chapter 8 - Acknowledgements

2 MOTIVATIONS AND CHALLENGES

There are many reasons to implement a drone-based cargo delivery network , including desired improvements in speed of deliveries , traffic congestion , carbon footprint , labor content and cargo security . There are also many challenges to widespread deployment , including network scalability , regulation and cost .

2.1 DELIVERY SPEED

B2B and B2C customers require faster deliveries , trending toward the interval between the online order of goods and their delivery at the customer ’ s location being measured in hours or minutes . This challenge is especially acute for time critical or perishable cargo like medical supplies , biological samples , critical repair parts , or hot / cold / frozen foodstuffs . Traditional truckbased logistics networks cannot meet this challenge at scale . But drone-based networks can greatly improve last-mile cargo delivery delays for many classes of cargo .

2.2 TRAFFIC CONGESTION

Reduced traffic congestion is another motivator for drone delivery networks . According to the American Trucking Associations , there were 38.9 million trucks registered in the US and used for business purposes ( excluding government and farm ) in 2020 [ 4 ]. These add significantly to the traffic congestion , especially in dense city centers where delivery vehicles are often doubleparked . Congestion due to delivery vehicles is expected to increase . Table 2-1 illustrates the sizes reported by the four largest truck delivery fleets operating in the US .

30 August 2023