www.truckandtrack.com Autumn 2026 Truck and Track 33 PALLET NETWORKS Technology as part of the infrastructure UPN’s history is also a useful snapshot of how road freight has become increasingly digital. In 2006, the network introduced its first signature-capture system. A mobile Track and Trace app followed in 2013, European pallet services in 2014, SmartPOD electronic signature capture in 2016 and the paper-reducing SmartDOC system in 2017. The shift accelerated in 2020 with the opening of SmartHUB and the launch of contactless cross-network SmartHUB IT. Two years later, SmartHUB 2 increased overnight sortation capacity to 15,000 pallets. In 2023 UPN introduced SmartSCORE, its customer-feedback platform, and in 2025 came SmartTRAK, a new freight-monitoring system designed to give customers live visibility of consignments. SmartTRAK is a good example of how expectations in road transport have changed. Customers no longer simply want to know that freight is “out for delivery”; they increasingly expect the kind of visibility they receive in the consumer parcel market. UPN says SmartTRAK provides live mapping, real-time drop sequencing and dynamically updated estimated arrival times, while SmartPOD records GPS-stamped delivery information, signatures and photographic confirmation. For member hauliers, that digital layer is not just a customerservice tool. Better information can reduce avoidable calls, improve planning and create a shared operating picture across more than 100 independent businesses. In a network environment, consistent data matters. The independent haulier at the centre What has not changed is the role of the regional transport operator. Pallet networks depend on local companies that know their territories, customers and delivery challenges in detail. A national brand may sit above the operation, but the freight is still collected and delivered by drivers working from depots embedded in their local areas.
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