Journeys in which the cargo space is not fully utilized or even completely unloaded journeys are not uncommon in the freight transport world. According to official freight transport statistics collected annually by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority, commercial vehicles of over 3.5 tons made more than 150 million empty trips in Germany in 2020, and that figure doesn’t even include underutilized loads. Fleet managers can counteract these trips by actively seeking additional freight orders to improve vehicle utilization. To do this, however, they need real-time data indicating the vehicle’s current position, loaded weight and cargo space.
Continental has develped an AI-based solution for calculating the available cargo space in trucks, semitrailers and trailers, via a smartphone. This provides fleet managers with precise digital information on how much cargo can still be loaded. In combination with the corresponding weight data from the intelligent tachograph or the fleet management system interface, dispatch can be optimized, for example, by offering free capacity on digital freight exchanges so that more routes are run at full capacity.
“The logistics industry is currently facing major challenges. More and more freight has to be transported with fewer and fewer drivers,” says Dr. Ismail Dagli, head of the smart mobility business at Continental. “Our solution not only supports fleet managers in optimally utilizing their transport capacities to make their fleets more efficient. It also saves fuel and reduces carbon emissions, actively contributing to greater sustainability in logistics.”
After securing the load, the driver takes a photo of the cargo area with a smartphone. The photo is then uploaded to Continental’s own cloud solution, Continental Cloud, where the estimation of the available cargo space is done by the AI algorithm developed by Continental. The driver can also use his smartphone to edit the information manually or add additional information before he uploads it to the cloud. Subsequently, the data can be forwarded to the dispatch software. Good connectivity provided, this process only takes a few seconds. The fleet manager can then optimally coordinate additional loads using the data on the available loading weight, which, for example, he receives from the intelligent tachograph via the VDO Link or via classic telematics software from the FMS interface.
“This means that the dispatcher now has precise and reliable load data in his system – data that is not simply based on an estimate. The load capacity can then be offered on freight markets or can be internally distributed, especially in the case of larger fleets,” says Jörg Lützner, head of Continental’s smart mobility innovation management and responsible for the development of the trailer capacity assessment. “Technologically, the AI we use is based on the years of experience we have gained in many driver assistance and autonomous driving projects.”
According to Continental, the prototype has already delivered excellent results during the development phase of around two years, and the team is now looking forward to receiving even more data from real life: “That’s the advantage of being able to use artificial intelligence,” says Jörg Lützner. “It learns every time we use it, so it always gets better.”