DPD is exploring how innovations in computer vision and machine learning can increase the safety of fleet and delivery operations under a new pilot scheme.

The parcel delivery giant has teamed up with Wayve, a specialist in AI-driven autonomous mobility technology, to collect day-to-day driving data from its vans.

It’s deployed data-collection devices on 50 vans in Greater London, using Wayve’s camera-based tech. This works off 4G connectivity and provides a 360-degree surround view of the vehicle.

“DPD’s delivery fleet drove over a 156 million miles in 2018, covering 96% of the UK road network on average, at least once a month. Working with Wayve, we plan to use this data to improve insurance claim handling for vehicles on the road,” said Max Glaisher, senior product manager, innovation at DPD UK.

“We are excited to collaborate with Wayve, an industry leader in AI and machine learning, as we continue to explore the use of cutting-edge technologies to support our Insurance and Risk teams,” said Andrew Morgan, insurance & risk manager at DPD UK. “Through this pilot, we aim to learn how advanced vision-based technologies can be applied to enhance the safety of our fleet for drivers, and other road users.”

Wayve, which has been developing its AI-driven autonomous mobility technology for the past four years, said the pilot programme would enable it to collaborate closely with a last-mile delivery customer on fleet learning technology that will help large-scale operators enhance fleet safety.

“Real-world driving data is fundamental to building the core capabilities of Wayve’s technology and we have built industry-leading expertise in the collection and utilisation of fleet-scale data,” said Alex Kendall, Wayve CEO.

“Working with DPD is an incredible opportunity to accelerate the collection of peta-byte scale datasets that expand our coverage in more areas of the UK and helps us improve the safety and driving intelligence of our technology.”