6 logistics and transport trends for 2022 in Europe

What will 2022 be like for logistics and transportation? Which trends will overtake the others to become a tangible reality? To answer all this and learn how they will affect the industry, we seek out those that will lead the way in the next 12 months.

1. Less emissions: emission permits and ‘cap and trade’.

The ‘Fit for 55’ package represents a turning point in terms of logistics, transport and their relationship with the environment. By 2030, the European Union is demanding a 55% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions compared to those emitted in 1990. This makes 2022 the starting point for meeting this goal.

More and more companies will join the use of more efficient fleets and more sustainable vehicles, in many cases electrified or semi-electrified.

The new EU-wide emissions trading system and the ‘cap and trade’ model, by which an agent’s emissions must be in accordance with its permits, will completely change the picture. We will also have to keep a close eye on the ‘spot 3’ emissions reduction data, which will be turned upside down.

You may also be interested in: 7 top companies in sustainability in the transport and logistics sector .

2. Blockchain progress for greater transparency.

One of the mottos of logistics goes like this: “it is always possible to improve the traceability of deliveries a little more”. In the coming months, we will witness the great leap forward of blockchain for greater transparency of the entire supply chain. Forecasts predict that companies will spend $11.7 billion worldwide on blockchain solutions.

Shippers, long-distance operators, last-mile carriers, intermediaries… all will benefit from a technology that is no longer reserved for the largest or most avant-garde companies and that must be accompanied, for its definitive establishment as a standard, by an essential, long and clear regulatory effort.

One of the mottos of logistics goes like this: “it is always possible to improve the traceability of deliveries. In the coming months, blockchain will be vital in taking a major leap forward.

3. Electric trucks: a reality

The next revolution in road transport will cease to be an anecdote and become a reality in 2022. Volvo and MAN are two of the main manufacturers that have operational models of long-distance transport vehicles powered exclusively by electric batteries. Specifically, the Swedish company have five electric models with the Volvo FH, FM and FMX Electric. The 44-ton units have a range of 300 kilometers and 666 hp of power.

This development is accompanied by the growth of charging infrastructures. On the one hand, the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ package includes the mandatory installation of fast charging points for electric vehicles every 60 kilometers on main roads. On the other hand, the Netherlands already has 47.5 terminals per 100 km of road, while Luxembourg, Germany, Portugal and Austria complete the Top 5 in Europe and represent the way forward for the countries lagging behind (Romania, Poland, Greece and Italy).

4. Relaying drivers across Europe

Relays between drivers for long-distance transport are the key to reducing delivery time by 50%, multiplying efficiency and ensuring cargo safety. They also allow drivers to sleep at home after each working day. At Trucksters, we have been applying this system since 2018, and we have already completed more than 4,000 full loads on 3 major corridors across Europe.

2022 will be the year of exponential growth of this model, which will become the industry standard for 12 continental corridors. Thanks to it, cargo not only travels without stopping at any time, but can be moved in air freight time at the cost of road transport.

5. Semi-autonomous driving

TuSimple, Waymo and Tesla are three of the major manufacturers working on the development of autonomous or semi-autonomous trucks. But they are not the only ones. The race to manufacture these units, and to put them into operation as soon as possible, will experience an acceleration in 2022. If we closed 2021 with the news that the Californian company TuSimple successfully completed a 90-minute trip with a truck guided only by an autopilot, we can guarantee that it will have a lot of competition this year.

The race to manufacture autonomous, or semi-autonomous, units will experience an ‘acceleration’ in 2022. TuSimple, Waymo and Tesla are competing to be in the forefront.

The truth is that, despite the pilot tests, tangible advances are aimed more at achieving semi-autonomous units, with Level 3 autopilots, with a large number of driver assistance features and capable of making trips and fuel consumption much more efficient. Level 4 pilot trucks are those that can drive themselves under certain geographical conditions without direct human supervision.

You may also be interested in: 7 ‘top’ companies in sustainability in the transport and logistics sector.

6. Two-speed’ roads

The roads on which road transport drives through Europe range from aged and deteriorated in some countries to renovated and increasingly technological in others. This gap will widen by 2022, despite the fact that all players involved in the supply chain stress that transport is only efficient and sustainable if the infrastructure is just as efficient and sustainable.

In those countries with better roads and greater economic muscle, we will see interconnected roads through 5G or 6G technology, the use of Artificial Intelligence to manage traffic, and even devices such as photovoltaic pavements and highways with charging systems, among others.

You may also be interested in: New emissions regulations for logistics and road transport in the EU.

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