Social research was carried out in New Zealand with truck drivers and other road transport industry stakeholders. Truck drivers' perspectives and issues were documented and analysed to develop appropriate solutions to enhance industry efficiency and safety. Drivers' issues were found to be focused on paperwork, yard logistics, breakdowns and compliance with legal requirements, and mostly revolved around uncertainties associated with loads and time. Information management was identified as a key industry issue. The research found that an integrated cab-centred information system based on internet technology would enable truck drivers to access, from the truck cab, the right information at the right time. This would simplify loads documentation and other practical requirements of truck drivers' jobs. Research findings were returned to the industry in a series of workshops. The industry responded with scepticism due to past experiences with on-board computers. It indicated phone-based internet technologies as the better option for implementing the proposed networking solutions. (a).
Samenvatting