As more people turn to the internet to buy goods, and as brick-and-mortar stores look for delivery options to keep up with online sellers, the delivery service industry has never been more needed. Nor has it ever been evolving at such a rapid rate. Lots of tricky problems exist in delivering goods, but new technologies are making the delivery of packages more safe, secure, and reliable than ever before. From routing software to self-driving robots, technology is rapidly changing to solve delivery service constraints.

Routing Software 

Every delivery service can benefit from using routing software. After all, the more optimized a delivery route is, the less time delivery drivers or cyclists need to spend on roads. In turn, that means the delivery company saves costs like labor and fuel. The best software for optimizing your delivery route is based on detailed factors like the size of parcels, the vehicle capacity, the number of stops being completed, and much more, enabling delivery companies to run much more accurately and efficiently. As technology continues to grow, routing software is becoming more sophisticated. For instance, with artificial intelligence and machine learning, predictions can be made, and recommendations can be put into action in real-time.

Smart Mailboxes

Everything is gradually becoming Smart, so it makes sense that a smart mailbox has been developed. The MailHaven mailbox can track and protect packages. The Internet of Things-enabled mailbox works with a mobile app that provides alerts when packages are delivered, and it keeps items safe from thieves and bad weather. Knowing packages left in mailboxes are safe can help delivery service companies avoid claims of packages going missing.

The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is revolutionizing the delivery service industry in many ways besides smart mailboxes. Indeed, it is completely transforming delivery operations. IoT is used in multiple ways. For example, you can get IoT sensors that monitor fuel consumption, cornering speeds, locations, and even packages' temperature.

RFID Tags 

By attaching an RFID tag to a package, it can easily be tracked and monitored throughout its journey. That is possible because each electromagnetically-responsive RFID tag is embedded with unique information. The micro-circuitry of an RFID tag is identifiable by radio waves and is powered by its internal battery. The size of RFID tags depends on the number of data strings it has, but they can be as thin as paper labels.

Delivery Drones

It is well known that companies like Amazon are planning to roll out fleets of drones to deliver products in the future. However, many people do not realize that drones are already starting to be used in many different ways in the delivery service industry. For example, in 2016, Mercedes debuted its concept van that features autonomous drones mounted on the roof and a robotic package sorting system. Packages are not loaded individually. Instead, the whole cargo section of the van pulls out. Inside the van is a robotic arm. When the driver reaches the desired destination, the arm loads the package onto the drone. The drone is then deployed to its destination.

Delivery Robots 

While people have been looking up in the air for delivery drones to arrive, they have missed what is going on down on the ground. Self-driving robots are already here, and they are capable of carrying items within a radius of three miles within three to thirty minutes. They can maneuver around objects and people, and the last mile delivery can be monitored via smartphone. Goods are kept secure in each robot's cargo section, which remains locked throughout the transportation process and can only be opened when it has reached its destination.