We had a major task ahead of us – we had to carry out research into the transport sector. It was quite an extensive study, as it was cross-sectional in nature: it covered drivers, small transport firms and larger logistics companies, as well as independent specialists.
We began by conducting in-depth interviews (IDIs) with drivers. I didn’t want to use an agency, so we hit the road. We went round car parks and asked drivers if they’d be willing to be interviewed. They were usually very friendly and, surprisingly, keen to talk.
Target groups – drivers
Goal
- Defining the key features of lorry navigation.
- Identifying the problems drivers face that are not addressed by existing solutions
Survey categories:
- Experienced long-haul drivers (5 people) – driving mainly on fixed international routes.
- Experienced local driver (1 person) – operating within the region (Wielkopolska/Poznań) on regular routes.
- Owner of a small haulage company (1 person) – managing a fleet of ~15 vehicles on a variety of routes both domestically and abroad.
Conclusion
Respondents
Experienced long-haul drivers (5 people), mainly driving regular international routes.
An experienced local driver (1 person) – covering the region (Wielkopolska/Poznań) on regular routes.
The main conclusion was that the drivers still had a lot of problems with finding the most important information about weight limits, bridge heights and road accessibility for heavy goods vehicles. This information is simply out of date or changes too quickly, given the number of roadworks in Poland. What’s more, it turned out that every country has its own specific issues when it comes to problems on the road.
The second important issue was lorry parking areas. We had the opportunity to gather information about the specific needs of lorry drivers on the roads. In Europe, it is rare to find good parking areas with sufficient spaces and facilities such as a shop, showers or security. In fact, Poland has some of the best facilities of this kind.
One of the most important observations was that, in reality, they do not rely heavily on navigation apps. Quite the opposite, in fact. They usually rely on their own experience and knowledge that is difficult to convey, such as intuition or expertise in specific areas.
Target group – transport companies
- Characteristics: medium-sized transport company
- Routes and coverage: different routes every day
- Staff profile: a stable workforce
Main challenges
- low tech awareness among drivers
- lack of qualified drivers
- reluctance to invest in navigation apps
- a lack of reliable, user-friendly tools for lorries.
- a lack of a centralised route management system.
Target group – logistics companies
