The Rise of Digital Logistics

As the Access Economy landscapes continue to evolve, the two Access Economy industries standing above the rest are online food delivery and transportation. These industries are looking to be worth $210 billion and $100 billion, respectively, by 2020. But we are also seeing a new cash-cow emerge, digital logistics. It is expected to be worth almost $13 billion by 2020. Current major players include Advantech, DigiLogistics, Hexaware, IBM, JDA Software, Oracle, SAP, Tech Mahindra, and UTI Worldwide. They are building their futures around warehouse, transportation, and labor management technology.

Fleet Management Tech

Nestled within this digital logistics revolution is fleet management, and it is poised to be a massive success. Using GPS to find, build, and disperse your fleet of trucks, dump trucks, construction equipment, or other large vehicles will maximize the efficiency of a temporary fleet. And it will greatly simplify the hassle of regulations and paperwork involved with rented, subcontracted, leased, and employee-owned vehicles. As the digital logistics industries continue to grow and innovate, Meta Construction Technologies is at the forefront of connected fleet management technology.

A Fleet Manager’s Best Friend

Fleet managers have a difficult and pivotal role. These individuals are responsible for selecting the best vehicles, keeping extensive vehicle records, maintaining vehicles, navigating regulations, and managing contractors, all while ensuring that costs stay as low as possible. With BroadLoop, fleet managers now have access to information about their entire fleet, including the subhaulers.


We specialize in giving asphalt contractors control over their virtual fleet of dump trucks. Come see how BroadLoop can lower your trucking costs today.

Using Big Data to Predict Demand

Surge Pricing and Big Data

While the above is an extreme case of Surge Pricing, you may have felt a similar sting to your bank account if you have used Uber or Lyft during a large concert, sporting event, or festival in your area. But the pricing is not without justification. Uber’s data software monitors traffic conditions and the trips of other Uber drivers in real-time, so the pricing algorithm appropriately adjusts the travel price for the predicted total time and the overall demand for that Uber driver. Due to the constant connectivity of smart devices, Uber can see all of their drivers and passengers at a given moment, and they can then use this data to give both you and their drivers a fair price, even if it is up to 8 times the normal fare in some cases.

Translating the Uber Model

To explain Uber’s pricing model, Data Scientist, Bernard Marr, puts it succinctly: “Fares are calculated automatically, using GPS, street data and the company’s own algorithms which make adjustments based on the time that the journey is likely to take. This is a crucial difference from regular taxi services because customers are charged for the time the journey takes, not the distance covered.” Apply this Big Data approach to the construction industry, and you start to track vehicles, vehicle operators, vehicle usage, usage areas, the average journey before a vehicle reaches a site, and a whole array of other valuable data points that you can then apply to create a more efficient and fairly priced construction vehicle ecosystem.

Managing construction projects is hard work

Managing your virtual fleet is simple