Information and communication technology adoption in the Italian road freight haulage industry

Pietro Evangelista, Edward Sweeney

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Despite the importance of information and communication technology (ICT) in the management of transport and logistics systems, there is a shortage of studies in the road freight haulage sector. This paper is aimed at filling this void through an exploratory survey on ICT adoption and the influencing factors carried out in the Italian road transport market. The paper provides a review of the previous research on this topic that allows the identification of research gaps that have been addressed through a questionnaire survey. The findings provide evidence of a passive stance on ICT usage characterised by the adoption of isolated applications. The financial risk associated with technology investment and human resources are the main barriers to ICT adoption, while the improvement of service level and the reliability of transport operations emerge as stimulating factors. The results suggest that the potential benefits of technology have not been fully exploited and a risk-sensitive stance on ICT is evident preventing the full incorporation of ICT into business processes.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)261-282
Number of pages21
JournalInternational Journal of Logistics Systems and Management
Volume19
Issue number3
Early online date28 Dec 2013
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Bibliographical note

International journal of logistics systems and management is the original source of publication

Keywords

  • information and communication technology
  • road freight
  • ICT adoption
  • influencing factors
  • operational reliability
  • service levels
  • human resources
  • technology investment
  • financial risk
  • logistics management
  • transport management
  • information technology
  • questionnaire survey
  • Italy
  • haulage industry

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