Planning electric trucks through diesel glasses (part 3 of 3)
By Maarten Alta ยท 20 October 2026
Translated from a LinkedIn post in Dutch.
In part 1 we saw that logistics creates a lot of value per hour worked, but that productivity growth is lagging behind.
In part 2 it became clear that the staff shortage is persistent: 49% of business owners see it as a barrier.
The conclusion: if more people is not an option, every hour has to be used more wisely. That starts with training and craftsmanship.
Take the planner. According to the green paper "Planner of the future" by TVM, a Dutch transport insurer, the planner's role is shifting "from executing to directing, analysing and coaching". The planner is "the linchpin of the process". Yet, according to TVM, training does not always keep pace with that heavier role.
You can see this in electrification. Almost 20% of new trucks in the Netherlands are electric, but many companies still plan them as if they ran on diesel. TVM is clear: "Charging has therefore become a fixed part of planning." That means planning with State of Charge, charging infrastructure, buffers and alternatives. And the price per kWh can be steered.
Energy simulations show that smart planning with good infrastructure can lower the cost per kWh by around 30%. With a TCO of which roughly a third is energy, that is a real competitive advantage.
That is where AI and automation come in:
- Schedules are increasingly generated largely automatically. The planner's work shifts to the exceptions.
- AI helps with combining trips and preventive maintenance. But, as TVM writes: "AI calculates and advises, but human judgement remains decisive."
Data science
Data science is also becoming more important. Consolidation in the sector creates larger companies and networks, and according to TVM planning is "increasingly organised across the entire chain". Data has become an "active steering instrument", where the focus is not on collecting data but on data quality. That calls for new skills, such as AI literacy, scenario thinking and understanding what data means.
TVM concludes that structural retraining is "no longer an extra, but a precondition".
A smart system in the hands of someone who plans through diesel glasses delivers little. Investing in training is investing in productivity. This closes the circle of this series: productivity, staff, and training and craftsmanship are three sides of the same challenge.
Which skills should the transport planner have in 2027, in your view?
Sources: TVM verzekeringen, green paper "Planner van de toekomst" (April 2026); own energy simulations; STL Sector Monitor Q2 2026; see also parts 1 and 2 of this series. Analysis and wording with Claude AI.
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