Interpretation of the “Guidance on Building a Standard System for Smart Logistics in Transport”

Release date:

2022-10-27

Author:

Jinhua Logistics

Transportation is a foundational, pioneering, and strategic sector of the national economy, as well as an important service industry. It serves as a critical cornerstone and a key link in the development of China’s modern logistics system. Promoting the smart‑logistics transformation of the transportation sector is of great significance for accelerating the building of a transportation powerhouse and fostering high‑quality economic development.

To thoroughly implement the Outline for Building a Transportation Powerhouse, the National Comprehensive Three-Dimensional Transportation Network Planning Outline, and the National Standardization Development Outline, and to accelerate the development of an intelligent logistics system, the Ministry of Transport and the State Administration for Market Regulation have jointly issued the Guidelines for Building an Intelligent Logistics Standards System in the Transportation Sector (hereinafter referred to as the “Guidelines”). The relevant details are set out below:

I. Background of Drafting

Smart logistics is an emerging field that represents the deep integration of information technologies—such as the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, and blockchain—with the modern logistics industry. It boasts distinct advantages, including strong connectivity, broad integration, low economic costs, high operational efficiency, and significant ecological benefits, and it embodies the future direction of modern logistics. Transportation is a foundational, pioneering, and strategic sector of the national economy, as well as a vital service industry; it serves as a critical cornerstone and key link in the development of China’s modern logistics system. Promoting the advancement of smart logistics in the transportation sector is of great significance for accelerating the building of a transportation powerhouse and fostering high-quality economic development.

Standardization is a crucial foundation for building an intelligent logistics system. In recent years, there has been strong demand for standardization in areas such as new‑type transportation infrastructure, autonomous driving and smart shipping, online freight services, electronic documentation, and delivery drones. It is therefore necessary to accelerate the development of a standardized framework for intelligent logistics in the transport sector to guide the formulation and revision of standards across various fields. To this end, the Ministry of Transport and the National Standardization Administration, after conducting extensive research and thoroughly soliciting opinions and suggestions from relevant stakeholders, have organized the drafting of the “Guideline.”

II. Overall Approach

The Guidelines are grounded in standards related to smart logistics within the transportation sector, focusing on the transport and delivery stages and emphasizing smart‑logistics features. They have been developed in accordance with an overarching approach that is demand‑driven, innovation‑led, scenario‑oriented, and dynamically adaptable.

The Guidelines propose that by By 2025, focusing on areas such as infrastructure, transport equipment, system platforms, electronic documentation, data interoperability and sharing, and operational services and management, we will complete the development or revision of more than 30 key standards, thereby establishing a smart logistics standards framework for the transportation sector that is structurally sound, clearly hierarchical, comprehensively systematic, advanced and applicable, and internationally compatible. We will also launch a number of exemplary projects to implement and apply these standards, continuously elevating the level of standardization in smart logistics and providing high‑quality standards to accelerate the building of a strong transportation nation.

III. Main Content

The smart logistics standards system for transportation comprises four components: basic and general standards, facility and equipment standards, system platform and data/document standards, and service and management standards, encompassing a comprehensive set of standards. A total of 72 items, including 28 currently valid standards, 9 standards under development, and 35 standards yet to be formulated.

First, there are foundational and general‑purpose standards, covering such basic areas as terminology, coding and identification, and data resources.

Second, facility and equipment standards, encompassing specifications for smart logistics hubs, intelligent transport vehicles, cargo units, and smart terminal devices (such as on-board terminals and portable mobile devices).

Third, system platforms and data‑document standards, encompassing standards for various platforms, system software, and electronic documents in the development of smart logistics for transportation, as well as standards related to data transmission and exchange, information interconnection, and open sharing.

Fourth, service and management standards, encompassing smart transportation operation processes, operational services, monitoring and management, and quality assessment, among others.

In addition, the Guide also lists items that are closely related to the smart logistics standards system for transportation but do not fall under the purview of the specialized technical committees within the transportation sector. 19 standards.

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