Risk-Mitigation Strategies for Autonomous Delivery Vehicles in the Last Mile: A Comprehensive Overview of the Current State and Future Potential of Autonomous Delivery Technologies in the Supply Chain

Abstract

The delivery industry has experienced rapid expansion, driven by the substantial increase in online shopping and the growing demand for food delivery services. Despite this growth, the last stage of delivery, known as the last mile, continues to pose challenges in terms of cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency. In this manuscript, the potential of autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs) as a viable solution to these challenges is deeply explored. ADVs have the capability to significantly reduce labor costs, improve overall delivery efficiency, and play a role in decreasing carbon emissions. However, it is crucial to recognize the potential risks that ADVs may encounter, including concerns related to technological reliability, security, and regulatory obstacles. Successfully implementing ADVs will necessitate effective risk management and mitigation strategies. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential for ADV last-mile delivery while minimizing associated risks. In addition to discussing the current state of ADVs, this study underscores the necessity for innovative risk mitigation solutions to optimize last-mile delivery and particularly emphasizes the crucial role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the realm of route optimization and operational efficiency enhancement.

Received: 14 August 2024 | Revised: 24 September 2024 | Accepted: 10 November 2024

Conflicts of Interest 

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work.

Data Availability Statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Author Contribution Statement

James E. Zemanek, Jr: Conceptualization, Validation, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration. John F. Kros: Conceptualization, Validation, Writing – review & editing.