SEARCH searchBY TOPIC
right_division Green SCM Distribution
Bookmark us
sitemap
SCDigest Logo
 
 
 
distribution

Focus: Transportation Management

Feature Article from Our Transportation Management Subject Area - See All
 

From SCDigest's On-Target E-Magazine

- Sept. 25, 2014 -

 

Logistics News: DHL to Test New Parcelcopter Drone, but Widespread Use Still Years Away

 

DHL Sees Drones Only as Niche Mode for Special Situations; US Regulators Not Optimistic On Drone Use Any Time Soon


SCDigest Editorial Staff

 

Global transportation giant DHL is the latest to enter the drone delivery wars, with plans to ship medicines to remotes area via the unmanned aircraft its calls a "parcelcopter," in what it says will be a month-long test.

SCDigest Says:
start
The drone trial also highlights a potential barrier to drone adoption, and that is weather. Rains and winds can keep drone flights from taking off.
close
What Do You Say?
Click Here to Send Us Your Comments
feedback
Click Here to See Reader Feedback


But DHL says it plans very limited use of the drones, while US regulators do not have very encouraging words relative to use of drones any time soon on the US by Amazon, Google, or other shippers.

DHL's first actual use of a drone for a real shipment is expected early Friday morning, when a drone will take off and deliver medicines to Juist, a sparsely populated island off the northwestern coast of Germany.

The flight, which will be about 7 miles each way and is expected to take as long as 30 minutes, would be the first time a drone without the aid of even a land-based pilot has been authorized for regular use in Europe, the company said.

But instead of the more ambitious visions for drone delivery espoused by Amazon and now it appears Google as well, DHL says it sees very limited use of drones for package deliveries.

DHL said the drone technology could be used in special situations, such as to deliver to remote locations, where the drones may be more cost-effective than to send a traditional delivery truck or a use bike messenger.

That remote location would describe Juist, where less than 2000 people live. If all goes well, DHL is expected to send medications twice a day, weather permitting. The deliveries will take place when alternatives, like the local ferry or aircraft services, are not available.

When DHL's drone, which weighs less than three pounds, lands on the island, one of the company's local couriers will then deliver the packages to specific residents, DHL says

The company added that it had worked with the German air traffic agency and the country's Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure to create a restricted flight zone for the company's drone project. The aircraft will hover 100 feet off the ground and reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour during the journey from the mainland to Juist.



(Transportation Management Article Continued Below)
 
CATEGORY SPONSOR: SOFTEON

 
 

The drone trial also highlights a potential barrier to drone adoption, and that is weather. Rains and winds can keep drone flights from taking off, and bad weather in the Juist area is expected tomorrow.

Meanwhile, drone deliveries in the US shouldn't be expected for some time, officials say.

Amazon of course in late 2013 announced on 60 Minutes that it was putting heavy investment into the potential of drone deliveries, saying it would be ready whenever the Federal Aviation Administration published its promised rules for commercial drones in US airspace, and which are now past due.

A florist in Michigan and a craft beer maker in Wisconsin were also piloting drone deliveries with real customers - but the FAA quickly shut those operations down when they heard of tests.

You have to love the beer one - the company was delivering cases of micro-brew to ice fishers out on the lake who placed orders for replenishment via smart phones.

But widespread use of commercial drones is likely to take significantly longer than many proponents of the budding industry anticipate, according to U.S. and Canadian aviation regulators.

That blunt message was delivered by high-ranking aviation safety officials from the U.S., Canada and the United Nations several weeks ago to an industry conference in Washington DC.

"We're still many years away from what you would see as safe integration in the very busiest airspace," said John Hickey, the No. 2 safety official at the FAA. "We will not allow drones to come into the system until we are completely sure they are safe."

So, don't expect that drone from Amazon with you order landing on your driveway anytime soon.

However, it appears Amazon may get permission to test use of drones over in India fairly soon, and it is said to be conducting some tests now in Canada, while Google is also looking to entering the drone market and is running tests in the Outback in Queensland, Australia.


Do you think drones will ever become a real mainstream tool to deliver parcels? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts at the Feedback button (for email) or section (for web form) below.

 
   
 

Recent Feedback

 

No Feedback on this article yet

 
 
   
.