(12-19-2017, 10:40 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: I've been worried for a long time about technology destroying jobs and putting a lot of people out of business, and a good friend of mine owns a logistics company in the Greater Cincinnati area (Lighthouse Transportation Services), and I've been wondering if it's a sustainable business forever or if technology will destroy it.

Companies need goods and whatever shipped, so they contact Lighthouse and my friend (and the people that work for him) set it up, and they're doing very well, but how long before a company just pulls out a cell phone, goes into an ap, types in "I need this delivered from here to here," and it goes out to all truckers who can just click "ok" and they have the job?

I guess one could argue that you can't just trust a truck driver on an ap when he could actually be finishing one delivery, get delayed, and not even get to the one that he agreed to on the ap for a day or even a few hours (which can be costly), or that the entire process is just quicker and cleaner with a logistic company, but will it always be that way?

I guess it's more cost-efficient than going through the process of hiring and paying people more than the logistics company to do it.

Will logistic companies be around forever?

(12-20-2017, 11:48 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: As for the driverless trucks? Well, not sure that can be as easily achieved as dreamed or we would have had unmanned locomotives years ago. In my lifetime, there will always be a need to have that truck manned even if it’s self driven.

(12-20-2017, 11:13 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: What you're proposing can only be done with LTL services. 

Oversized loads are a completely different animal.

For example, my company manufactures industrial material handling equipment.  We have a crane heading to Arizona that, after disassembly, will require 5 loads.  4 of the loads will only need 5 days to get there, even though 2 of them will be roughly 100 feet in length each.  The trolley is both oversize and overweight, requiring 14 days to make the journey.  Local restrictions and regulations along the way require different things along the way.  Permits are required everywhere, but some places will have prohibitions on the route or times of travel.  Some places will require police escort.

Those types of things will never be able to be automated.  They need the human outreach to coordinate among all of the localities, etc.

(12-19-2017, 10:40 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: I've been worried for a long time about technology destroying jobs and putting a lot of people out of business, and a good friend of mine owns a logistics company in the Greater Cincinnati area (Lighthouse Transportation Services), and I've been wondering if it's a sustainable business forever or if technology will destroy it.

Companies need goods and whatever shipped, so they contact Lighthouse and my friend (and the people that work for him) set it up, and they're doing very well, but how long before a company just pulls out a cell phone, goes into an ap, types in "I need this delivered from here to here," and it goes out to all truckers who can just click "ok" and they have the job?

I guess one could argue that you can't just trust a truck driver on an ap when he could actually be finishing one delivery, get delayed, and not even get to the one that he agreed to on the ap for a day or even a few hours (which can be costly), or that the entire process is just quicker and cleaner with a logistic company, but will it always be that way?

I guess it's more cost-efficient than going through the process of hiring and paying people more than the logistics company to do it.

Will logistic companies be around forever?

(12-22-2017, 11:14 AM)XenoMorph Wrote: Why are you worried?
Brad its the way the world works  when there is a demand for a service someone will fill that demand until there is no longer a demand for that service because the demand is now for a different service.  Now others will fill those demands.. For every job lost another is created.

(12-23-2017, 04:08 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: Because I've been wondering lately about our country and just how things will turn out.

I have thoughts like this that make me think.

It's just how my brain works.  I think about problems and look for solutions sometimes.

(12-22-2017, 02:29 AM)JustWinBaby Wrote: To me the real threat is when AI starts replacing lower/mid-level management.  Then I no longer need a logistics coordinator.

(12-23-2017, 10:06 AM)HarleyDog Wrote: Very true. AI learns from its mistakes also. I seen some pretty interesting stuff regarding AI. Not scary, but encouraging IMO. As some fear drivers may not be needed in the future, although I can't realistically see it happening in my lifetime, it would be a plus. Although, the shock to the economy of now unskilled workers would be difficult on the economy. Drivers are a good asset today but many have become very needy and demanding. In some ways that's understood because some have been abused by the industry for so long. However, the new ELD mandate which took effect 12-18 has removed the capabilities of log book falsification and has leveled the playing field. You no longer will have "super drivers." You know, the ones that make miracles happen? Basically because they are no longer able to do so. 

The ELD mandate makes the self driving truck all the more enticing to owners of larger companies. Having a successful fleet of these would be like having team drivers in every truck. On paper, that's going to be huge to revenue generation. 

(12-23-2017, 10:07 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I'll bet that the amphetamine dealers are crying about that..  

Not to just come off as a smartass, my Father in Law is a driver. He works for Linde, and hauls fuels and such. I fully understand that the scrutiny that a modern driver is put under, compared to the lore of days gone by. He's a lifer, and also teaches new drivers the ropes. He was explaining that most, even if they come from fairly reputable companies, can't or won't work for them. Between the ELD and the cab cam, most refuse to do it, despite the great pay.