The Loading Bay
Podcasts, videos, and articles sharing what operators and technology providers are actually doing. Implementation stories, trial results, and the lessons that don't make it into press releases.
Why Driverless Freight Will Scale Faster Than the Robotaxi
Almost everything written about self-driving vehicles is about cars. That's backwards. Driverless freight will scale faster than driverless passenger transport, and the reasons have almost nothing to do with the technology and almost everything to do with how the two things actually operate.
The Hydrogen Debate in Transport: A Reality Check
Hydrogen has serious credentials in steelmaking and ammonia production. But for road transport, the efficiency losses, infrastructure gap, and economic reality all point the same way. Battery-electric is already delivering. Hydrogen might find a niche, but it's not the transition.
HVO Is a Tool, Not a Transition
The carbon case for HVO is real, but only if the feedstock is genuine waste. With fraud arrests upstream and certificates from the same schemes that signed off fuel that didn't exist, operators need to treat HVO as a bridge they interrogate, not a box they tick.
The Physical Internet: The Coolest Logistics Idea You've Never Heard Of
The Physical Internet says we should redesign how goods move by borrowing the architecture of the digital internet. Standardised containers, shared hubs, smart routing. And if you're running freight through a pallet network, you're already doing a version of it.
Would 400+ Miles of Range Change the Maths for Your Operation?
The Windrose Global E700 stopped by Welch Group HQ in Duxford as part of its UK tour. Centre-driver cab, 729kWh battery, 700km+ claimed range, MCS-ready. We had a look around. 🔗 Connect with Jamie Sands: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-sands/ 🔗 Windrose Website: https://windrose.tech/ 🔗 Twenty
The Bottleneck Isn't the Truck
Subsidise what is shared, scarce, and slow to build. If that single principle shaped UK freight decarbonisation policy, we'd be in a very different place. Instead, the centre of gravity is still stuck on "help me buy a truck". The Plug in Truck Grant was topped up again on 6 January 2026, with discounts up to £120,000 for the heaviest vehicles and funding extended to March 2026. That helps early adopters. But it does not solve the bottleneck that actually determines pace of adoption: power availability, cost to serve, and reliability.
Full archive
Every article, episode, and video in The Loading Bay, most recent first.
- Why Driverless Freight Will Scale Faster Than the RobotaxiArticle ·
- The Hydrogen Debate in Transport: A Reality CheckArticle ·
- HVO Is a Tool, Not a TransitionArticle ·
- The Physical Internet: The Coolest Logistics Idea You've Never Heard OfArticle ·
- Would 400+ Miles of Range Change the Maths for Your Operation?Video ·
- The Bottleneck Isn't the TruckArticle ·
- The Quiet Land Grab in Logistics, and Why Independent Operators Need to Pay AttentionArticle ·
- Megawatt charging: enabling electric long-haul trucking?Article ·
- Can Drones Cut Rural Delivery Costs for Operators?Podcast ·
- An Operators Guide to Energy Markets for Electric HGV FleetsArticle ·
- The Reflexivity Problem with eHGV Residual ValuesArticle ·
- Grid Connections for Fleet Operators: Who Does WhatArticle ·
- 2025 Impact ReviewVideo ·
- Should you respond to the HGV decarbonisation consultation?Video ·
- Can data make fleet electrification easier?Podcast ·
- 12 Pillars of Change: Defining the Road Zero - Session 3Video ·
- 12 Pillars of Change: Defining the Road Zero - Session 2Video ·
- 12 Pillars of Change: Defining the Road Zero - Session 1Video ·
- Where Will Fleets Charge? BonusVideo ·
- Where Will Fleets Charge?Video ·
- What Happens When You Bet on the Future?Podcast ·
- How Quick Is an electric HGV Off the Line?Video ·
- What Does It Take to Lead the Charge?Podcast ·