Research on logistics that considers the working environment of truck drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Logistics concerns organisational planning, implementation and operations and plays an important role in the supply chain. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many supply chains broke down and goods became difficult to procure. The crisis underlined the importance of logistics. Professor Kuninori Suzuki, Nihon University, is a leader in the field of logistics who has authored well respected and highly read books that have been translated into different languages. He is currently conducting research on how the pandemic impacted the working environment of truck drivers. He is developing a logistics system that can deal with the shortage of truck drivers that keeps digital transformation (DX) in mind. By utilising AI to optimise operation scheduling, Suzuki wants to improve productivity in the loading and unloading of goods. He is also using AI to clarify the criteria for making decisions for return cargo and making recommendations on handling goods on a pallet-by-pallet basis. The goal is the development of a freight transport model that minimises the burden on truck drivers. A key focus for Suzuki is the food and beverage industry as this sector was most affected during quarantine, forcing significant changes on how food and drink is moved through supply chains. He utilises statistical processing and numerical analysis through computer simulations in his work. There is a focus on collaboration, including in-lab discussions with colleagues and feedback on the issues facing the companies with whom they are partnering. Suzuki set out to verify if the large-scale introduction of unmanned transport forklifts would reduce labour costs and improve the quality of unloading and loading.