Ajot: Delivery drones to disrupt the U.S. logistics industry by 2028

Tech.co’s latest survey data has revealed that delivery drones are expected to make a disruptive impact on the U.S. logistics industry by 2028. The survey findings show that 17% of U.S. logistics businesses say delivery drones will have the most disruptive impact in the next 2-3 years.

Delivery drones could ease truck driver shortagesAccording to Tech.co’s survey, workforce shortages are the single biggest pain point for nearly a quarter (24%) of logistics businesses. A variety of tech solutions have been proposed to ease the strain of trucker shortages, from route optimization software to self-driving trucks. Delivery drones could play a valuable role in alleviating the stress of driver shortages on the U.S. supply chain.

Looser regulations proposed for U.S. delivery drones

According to the Federal Registrar, the Trump administration has proposed new rules around drone use in America. The proposal would allow unmanned aircraft systems to be piloted beyond visual line of sight.,This aims to make it easier to get approval for a wide range of drone purposes, including package delivery.

How will looser drone regulations benefit the U.S. logistics industry?

Anyone who currently wants to fly a drone beyond the visual line of sight needs to go through the FAA to be granted a waiver, but the new proposal would do away with that waiver program. This would mean businesses could ramp up their drone delivery programs in a way that could make a big impact on the supply chain in the long run.

Companies already using delivery drones

Tech.co’s survey reveals 7% of U.S. logistics businesses are already using delivery drones. While this new regulation may open the door for more drone use, this tech is already being used by a wide range of companies.

Some of the companies already using delivery drones:

Amazon Prime Air

Google Wing

Walmart

DoorDash

Zipline

But drone delivery isn’t available everywhere yet. Some companies have been testing in specific states, with limited functionality country-wide.

For example, Walmart is currently only using delivery drones in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.

Tech.co’s Content Manager, Aaron Drapkin, comments:

“As workforce shortages continue to plague the transport and shipping sector, it seems that a significant number of logistics professionals see a solution on the horizon in the form of delivery drones – with a small percentage of those we surveyed already using them.

While AI-powered route optimization and vehicle maintenance tools are already helping businesses become incrementally more efficient, technology like delivery drones could positively transform last-mile delivery in particular, which is notoriously complex and costly.

But there’s a reason why drone delivery services haven’t taken off en masse just yet. For starters, many drone delivery projects have had major issues navigating urban environments. Back in 2022, for instance, a Google Wing drone crashed into power lines in Australia, causing a fire and prompting significant community backlash.

Crashes and accidents are a real risk, too, not least because the complex air traffic infrastructure needed to support an ecosystem of logistics companies running drone programs just doesn’t exist yet.

There are a range of social concerns to consider as well — not everyone will be enthused by the idea of big technology companies being able to fly camera-clad drones right up to their front doors.

Arguably, however, the most immediate obstacle is the current regulatory landscape. Until recently, commercial drone operators have had to wade through a sea of stringent aviation regulations governing aircrafts that carry small cargo or follow restrictive, consumer-focused regulations designed to keep hobbyists who fly them for fun from crashing.

Many businesses will be buoyed, then, by the Trump administration’s decision to do away with some of the red tape that stops companies from flying drones out of visual lines of sight. Truly transformative technology rarely arrives without teething problems — and the transport industry needs solutions fast.

The appetite for delivery drones is certainly growing — and while there are significant hurdles to overcome before we all start installing helipads in our backyards, workforce shortages reaching critical levels prompt the all-hands-on-deck approach needed to overcome them.”