Self-Driving Cars From Uber: The Future Impact On Delivery Fleets

Popular driving service company Uber recently announced its bid to launch a fleet of self-driving cars in the Pittsburgh, PA metro area. The vehicles being used in this innovative launch will be supplied by Volvo, building upon their long-standing reputation for safety. But what does this mean, not only for the future of independent cab services but for larger delivery fleets?

The Driverless Revolution

For years now, major innovators such as Tesla, Google, and even Ford have been developing driverless technology. The reason for this is to improve efficiency, and safety, and remove the unpredictable variable of human driving. While this technology ultimately will require new standards and regulations to implement, people are still apprehensive about placing their lives in the care of a vehicle, when we have been used to driving ourselves for more than a century.

The Impact On Delivery Fleets

While the technology is not ready to expand the driverless experience to the trucking industry, parcel delivery fleets – which use mostly vans and similar vehicles, may become early adopters. For those businesses, the changeover has the potential to set the traditional model of delivery fleets on its ear. For operators, their jobs are not necessarily disappearing. Even with driverless vehicles, delivery fleets will still need people to unload and deliver packages. During crunch periods, such as the holiday season, having driverless vehicles will theoretically reduce operator fatigue, stress, and accidents.

Increased Revenue

Parcel delivery fleets are already looking forward to the savings of using driverless cars, which will, in theory, reduce business insurance rates and save on the cost of fuel, since many of these vehicles are electric. The other big incentive, which is already being bandied about, is the potential to save on taxes for taking the initiative to switch over to driverless delivery fleets.

Monetizing Receivables

By automating delivery fleets, business owners will be able to plan and organize customer accounts much easier. Instead of waiting on payments from customers, delivery businesses will be able to use freight factoring to collect on owed revenue in batch orders. Many delivery businesses are already doing this as a means of accumulating growth capital to make the switch over to driverless vehicles, which could happen as soon as 2021.

Find Out More

If you are trying to keep ahead of the competition, and want to get the capital you are owed from your customers, call Express Freight Factoring at 1-877-807-3006. Our team will ensure you get the revenue you deserve quickly and efficiently, so your delivery fleet can grow and flourish.