Open Access

Janis Simons, John von Stamm, Lisa Weichsel, Tobias Schröer, Maik Schürmeyer

• In long-distance road freight transport, capacity utilization of semi-trailers is less than 30 % due to mandatory steering and rest periods. Truck parking spaces are overcrowded while resulting parking search traffic leads to additional emissions. At the same time, the acute driver shortage and customers' expectations of ever faster functioning supply chains force the highest efficiency in transport means and personnel. Multi-carrier relay-transport represents an approach to solving these problems and exploiting untapped efficiency potentials: Via a digital platform, long distances are intelligently divided into short route sections which are distributed among different carriers. At predefined switching points, the asynchronous handover of semi-trailers to rested drivers takes place. To enable a secure cross-company physical handover, IoT-locking mechanisms play a crucial role. This paper details the asynchronous handover process and introduces the technical design of an IoT-lock which provides effective theft protection while the trailer is parked and reliably connects tractor and semi-trailer during transport. Based on an analysis of stakeholder requirements, software functionalities and mechanical properties of the IoT-lock are derived, which ensure effective theft protection as well as real-time data transmission for relay transports. In addition, legal requirements for asynchronous transfers are investigated to determine liability in case of damage or loss. These form the basis for digital handover protocols that record the condition of the freight and trailer during the handover process.