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Spotted: Transport technology experts Convoy provide a free app that connects truck drivers with businesses needing freight shipping services. The company says that empty trucks drive 35 per cent of the total freight miles driven in the United States, resulting in 72 metric tonnes of unnecessary carbon emissions.

By using the app, drivers plan a full route, rather than a single trip. That maximises efficiency by reducing empty miles to as close to zero as possible. The artificial intelligence-powered system matches shipments to trucks in seconds, reducing waiting times for drivers and businesses. Moreover, when something occurs to throw a route off schedule, the system easily and automatically replans it.

Self-employed drivers can bid on loads and manage payments through the app, as well as personalise their preferences for alerts when shipments become available. As more companies start using the system and the volume of freight increases, efficiencies rise across the industry, driving down carbon emissions. Convoy recently won the 2020 Transport category in Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Award.

Other innovations spotted by Springwise that are designed to help truck drivers include a smart hat that alerts them to possible drowsiness and a self-driving kit that retrofits 18-wheelers for autonomous driving.

Written by: Keely Khoury

Explore more: Mobility & Transport Innovations | Computing & Tech Innovations