SmartFreight

In the UK, Uber drivers are considered "workers," not "employees," following a landmark Supreme Court ruling. This means they are entitled to certain employment rights like the National Minimum Wage and holiday pay, but they are not full employees with all the associated benefits. This ruling, which followed a lengthy legal battle, has implications for other companies in the gig economy. https://www.cluerhr.co.uk/uber-drivers-are-indeed-workers/ #:~:text=It's%20been%20a%20longstanding%20battle%20between%20Uber,indeed%20'workers'.%20Why%20is%20this%20so%20important?

Medical can be a life or death situation. By land, a medical parcel will take 4 hours to reach this dense mountainous area. Instead, the journey took just 18 minutes by drone. Drones helped reduce the birth mortality rate by 50% in these remote hospitals; the drones also deliver antivenom, tuberculosis vaccines and blood samples.

Drones Are Whizzing Lifesaving Supplies Across the 'Last Mile' In hard-to-reach areas, the fast-moving tech is streamlining emergency deliveries, from blood for transfusions to snakebite antivenom.

IKEA rethinks by leveraging river boats along the Seine in Paris. IKEA estimates it saves 5 times the CO2 that road delivery causes by avoiding around 300.000 km. on Parisian roads annually. E-vehicles are used after the parcels are offloaded from the boats. The French government supports the project financially and logistically as part of a wider program to further utilize navigable waterways in France. https://www.ingka.com/newsroom/ikea-launches-deliveries-in-paris-via-the-seine/

Smartfreight plugs seamlessly into existing e‑commerce, ERP, WMS, and accounting tools to automatically select the best carrier based on price, speed, or carbon footprint. Shipping over 58 million parcels annually across 195 countries, with 650+ integrated transport providers.
https://smartfreight.com/features

Urban is expected to grow by 78% by 2030, leading to 36% more delivery vehicles in the top 100 cities globally. This exponential growth in delivery services and expanding e-commerce will drive the need for sustainable and cost-efficient solutions. https://www.ingka.com/newsroom/ikea-drives-sustainable-deliveries-for-the-many/

Five years after Covid, the impact of changed consumer behaviour is still being felt. Government-funded stimulus payments were handed out to help citizens boost spending, and left long-tail impacts that are still impacting retailers. The retail sector and ballooned during this time.

What 5 charts say about the pandemic’s impact on retail, 5 years later The industry may be far from the dramatic day-to-day struggles of 2020, but it hasn’t yet escaped the long tail the global health crisis left in its wake.

Delivery trucks designed with better ergonomics improve productivity & safety. One new e-truck design features a lower right-hand window to match mailbox height & prevent a driver from straining their arms and wrists to reach it. Better ergonomics, means less injuries, less time wasted and more savings. https://www.comicsands.com/funky-new-usps-delivery-vehicles-2668587146.html

The industry is growing rapidly in Europe & N. America. The circular economy boom requires last mile delivery. According to eBay, 86% of shoppers surveyed bought or sold a pre-loved item in the last year. Pre-loved and refurbished items make up 40% of eBay’s gross merchandise volume. and are huge growing markets for around the world. https://www.retaildive.com/news/nearly-90-of-consumers-bought-or-sold-used-items-in-the-last-year-ebay/716791/

Last-mile delivery is a vital element in cities. An EU-funded project offers solutions for sustainable, zero-emission and fit-for-purpose urban logistics.The aim is to future-proof cities with adaptable and modular all-electric light commercial vehicles. Integrated multi-level energy management systems can optimize the cloud vehicle interconnection to maximise energy savings, occupant comfort and vehicle travel time for time-sensitive tasks.

A glimpse into the last-mile urban transport vehicles of the future Last-mile delivery is a vital element in cities. An EU-funded project offers solutions for sustainable, zero-emission and fit-for-purpose...

Couriers who deliver alcohol must complete compliance training & use technology to scan ID cards. A revamped exists to expedite uncompleted orders and all alcohol deliveries are blocked from school campus locations & other high-risk locations.

DoorDash ups measures to stop underage alcohol orders The company’s new safety measures in Massachusetts — a state with a high concentration of college students — include blocking deliveries to campuses and requiring couriers to complete compliance training. 

Shipping furniture, appliance and has many more challenges than shipping apparel and smaller goods. Companies who can successfully deliver large items on-time and without damage can bury their competition. Some companies move to insource furniture delivery hubs in certain areas and regionalize fulfillment capabilities.

Williams-Sonoma makes strides in delivery efficiency The retailer limited instances of shipments originating from out-of-market areas and multiple deliveries per order in Q1.

Last-mile fleets are spearheading electrification in India (the world’s most populated country.) Unlike Europe and N. America, India's delivery fleets heavily leverage 2 and 3-wheeled light e-vehicles instead of cars. The rise of EV fleets is driven by both environmental and economic benefits. An EV 3-wheeler is 25% cheaper than its diesel counterpart and has less emissions.

Last-mile fleets are spearheading electrification in India Last-mile fleets are leading the 2030 goals of nationwide electrification in India.