Rapid advances in vehicle automation and connectivity are poised to transform inland transportation, impacting rural and urban life, over the coming decade and beyond. Full digitalization of transit paper-based processes and other data-based technological innovations will be transformative, streamlining international freight procedures, reducing administrative burdens, enhancing transparency, and improving the efficiency, speed and security of international transport operations.
However, these advances also bring in new risks and challenges: a mismatch between the pace of innovation and regulation, a lack of data and scientific evidence to support new legal and technical standards, uneven deployment, cyber vulnerabilities and incompatible digital standards.
Accelerating the responsible integration of innovative technologies in inland transport and promoting efficiency and interoperability across borders and sectors will therefore be at the centre of discussions at the 88th annual session of UNECE’s Inland Transport Committee (ITC), the main UN regulatory body for inland transport - performing a function similar to the regulatory bodies for air and sea transport - International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) International Maritime Organization (IMO) - respectively. (....)