Using Blockchain Technology to Foster Collaboration among Shippers and Carriers in the Trucking Industry: A Design Science Research Approach

In the global trucking industry, vertical collaboration between shippers and carriers is attained by intermediaries, called brokers. Brokers organize for a shipper in accordance with its quality price requirements, support to collaborate horizontally sharing large distribution order from shipper. also act as trustees, preventing passing of private information any party others. Despite these benefits, intermediaries industry are involved several sustainability problems, including high costs, levels carbon emissions, percentages empty miles, low-capacity utilizations, driver shortages. Several studies have acknowledged importance improving address problems. Obviously, major concern brokers not collaboration, but rather optimize their own gains. This paper investigates potential blockchain technology improve eliminating while preserving responsibilities organizers trustees. extends transportation control tower concept logistics literature, presents system architecture implementation through smart contracts on network. proposed system, scalability privacy operations ensured integration privacy-preserving off-chain computation storage solutions (running outside blockchain). The this design artifact fostering was evaluated both experts professionals.