IN D U ST RY N EW S Shipping digitalisation set to create billion-dollar benet The digitalisation of shipping processes and documents will provide billions of dollars in savings and additional business, according to a new study by McKinsey & Company. The report, released this month, ays the switch from paper to digital bills of lading alone could unlock more than US$15.5 billion in direct benefit to the shipping ecosystem and up to US$40 billion in increased trade. With documentation for a single shipment currently requiring around 50 sheets that are exchanged with up to 30 different stakeholders, and the bill of lading accounting for between 10 to 30 per cent of trade documentation costs, there are significant opportunities both to make savings and create new business, said the report. Electronic bills of lading could create direct cost savings of US$6.5bn for all stakeholders. Carriers would save up to US$2.1bn as the result of more direct interaction with shippers, and streamlined and digitalised workloads, and be able to develop new revenue streams from changes such as improved customer journeys. A further US$6.9 billion could be unlocked for the broader trade ecosystem. With the shipping industry well placed to digitalise bills of lading with Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) standards accepted by nine carriers that represent 70 per cent of container trade, low investment costs and digital transactions already taking place McKinsey estimates that ocean trade can adopt digital documentation in three to four years and achieve 100 per cent compliance by 2030. More information on the McKinsey report can be found here: bit.ly/McKinseyDigitalShipping Electric truck costs cheaper than diesel by 2035 Biddulphs launches women-focused driver scheme South African mover Biddulphs International has launched a training programme specifically for female drivers. Announcing its Professional Driving Learnership, the company said the initiative aimed to encourage greater female participation in the driving side of moving, working local, long distance and overseas. Staff who successfully complete the programme will be awarded a National Certificate Professional Driving (NFQ3). The company said: The qualification is designed to ensure professional driving competence in the road transport sector, beyond that of a basic driving licence and professional driving permit. A new study concludes that, by 2035, 99.8 per cent of new electric freight trucks will be cheaper to run than diesel trucks carrying the same weight of goods over the same distance and taking the same journey time. The report was commissioned by European clean transport campaign group Transport & Environment and carried out by independent logistics researcher TNO. According to Fedor Unterlohner, clean freight manager at T&E, EU policy-makers can therefore set a 2035 deadline for zero emissions sales with confidence that electric rigs will beat diesel trucks every time. This, he added will cut costs for hauliers and clean up trucking, while allowing European truckmakers to retain their global leadership. The organisation called for the EU to increase its CO2 targets for truck manufacturers to a reduction of 65 per cent by 2030, to set the scene for the 100 per cent target in 2035. But T&E said the EU should increase its CO2 target for truckmakers to 65 per cent in 2030 if zero-emissions freight trucks are to reach 100 per cent of sales five years later. Already today, most zero-emissions trucks in the urban delivery segment beat diesel on cost and capabilities, but weak targets for truckmakers result in them not being supplied to hauliers, it said. The European Commission is expected to propose stricter climate targets for heavy goods vehicles in the near future. More information on the T&E report is available here: bit.ly/TransportEnvironmentTrucks 10 FF308 Dec-Jan 23 pp10-17 News.indd 10 06/12/2022 11:16