Research: disconnected systems are stifling hauliers’ productivity

Research conducted by software provider OneAdvanced in conjunction with members of the Road Haulage Association (RHA) has offered insights into the day‑to‑day pressure points where hauliers most want technology to cut friction and reduce administrative burdens.

OneAdvanced’s solutions for the transport and logistics sectors include the IQ intelligent work system, launched earlier this year and showcased at Multimodal 2026.

The research sought input from a broad cross-section of UK hauliers, “weighted towards the SME fleets and operational decision-makers most likely to be impacted by operational friction”.

It paints a picture of a sector that has reached the limits of its current systems, according to the RHA. The standout finding is that hauliers are struggling to integrate their digital operations, with 91 per cent operating “below seamless integration, with no improvement at scale”.

This implies the existence of an “integration ceiling” that individual solutions designed to tackle specific issues cannot break through, says the association.

“At the same time, operators are clear about what they want from technology: less daily friction, watertight compliance, protected cashflow and AI that is useful rather than futuristic,” it said.

43 per cent of those surveyed felt that paper still dominated the back office, with manual data entry suggested to be the highest-impact daily friction across all fleet sizes, intensifying with scale.

The research also highlighted a so-called data gap between small and large fleets: 44 per cent of ‘micro fleets’ were reliant purely on intuition for strategic decisions, whereas this fell to near zero for fleets operating more than 50 vehicles.

DVSA compliance and cashflow were found to be ‘non-negotiable’, with compliance and financial volatility being rated above cyber, environmental, social and governance (ESG) and subcontractor risk combined in fleets’ priorities.

Where AI was concerned, the top two use cases identified by those surveyed were smart document processing (59 per cent) and predictive maintenance (54 per cent), which the RHA said “exactly mirror the top two operational pain points”.

“Respondents want AI that removes daily drudgery, not futuristic platforms,” it said.

36 per cent said their transport management system needed significant modernisation, and this was tied with warehouse management systems.

“Combined with poor integration scores, this signals a window for next-generation systems,” said the RHA.

While 49 per cent reported unchanged customer demands, 51 per cent said they now faced growing pressure for ‘visibility portals’, carbon reporting or digital proofs of delivery (PODs), demonstrating a split between digitally-led customers and traditional ones.

Richard Smith, RHA managing director, said: “Our members consistently tell us that the biggest barriers to productivity aren’t a lack of ambition or willingness to embrace new technology – they’re the time and effort required to manage multiple disconnected systems whilst maintaining compliance and keeping vehicles on the road.

“These findings reinforce what we’re hearing across the sector. Operators are looking for practical solutions that reduce administrative burden, simplify compliance and improve efficiency, allowing them to focus on running successful businesses. Technology should remove friction from day-to-day operations, and that’s where it has the greatest value.”

Anwen Robinson, SVP for wholesale and logistics, transport and retail at OneAdvanced, said: “This research confirms what our customers tell us every day. Road transport has hit an integration ceiling, and bolting on more point solutions will not break through it. Operators are not asking for futuristic platforms – they want technology that removes daily friction, keeps them compliant and protects cashflow.”