Automated vehicles are coming, but not yet. In controlled environments like mine sites, ports, farms, and private roads automated vehicles have already arrived.

But public environments present many challenges that may take a generation to address. These include appropriate regulation, investments in infrastructure, proof of safety, capital investment lag times and insurance.

However, blockchain and AI are impacting logistics, storage, freight forwarding and supply chain management. Robots are being used in freight handling, port, rail and airport operations.

Wearables and video based safety monitoring systems help to improve safety for train drivers, by monitoring behaviour, tiredness and the time spent in the cab.

Warehouse workers are wearing wrist screens to direct them to product locations enabling worker performance to be monitored and compared. Tasks are increasingly being automated and it will not be long before warehouses are completely automated, with stackers being replaced by robots.

Systems used to monitor safety can be used to monitor and compare individual performance, so personal monitoring is a double edge sword.

Other technological threats to the Transport industry are Cybersecurity and the threat of deliberate interference with robots and automated systems in transport, ports, airports and warehousing.