Patrick Terminals launches digital platform for truck drivers
Patrick Terminals has launched Patrick Connect, a digital application designed to provide truck drivers with real-time information during their visits to container terminals in Australia.
The platform delivers operational instructions directly to drivers, including lane assignments, alongside safety notifications and updates from terminal operations teams. It also provides digital access to selected compliance information, including weigh-in-motion (WIM) results where the functionality is available.
The application has completed a trial at Patrick Terminals’ Sydney AutoStrad facility and is now ready for rollout to transport operators. Broader onboarding is planned over the coming months, although the company has not specified a timetable for deployment across its wider terminal network.
Digital information supports landside operations
Patrick Connect is designed to guide drivers through different stages of their terminal visit, from arrival at the gate through to departure. By providing instructions and operational information through a mobile application, the platform aims to reduce the need for direct communication between drivers and terminal personnel.
Terminal operations teams can also issue safety notifications and operational updates directly to drivers. The application supports self-service access to information, allowing transport operators to receive instructions without relying exclusively on in-person communication.
The platform includes access to weigh-in-motion information, enabling drivers to view relevant weight compliance results digitally. According to the application’s official documentation, this functionality is currently associated with Port Botany.
Bruce Guy, Terminal Manager at Patrick Terminals – Sydney AutoStrad, said the application was developed to make terminal visits clearer, safer and more efficient by providing drivers with the information they need throughout the process.
The company has not disclosed quantified results from the Sydney AutoStrad trial, such as changes in truck turnaround times, waiting periods or terminal productivity.
Part of wider terminal technology investment
The launch follows several years of investment by Patrick Terminals in systems supporting landside operations, including automated gates, truck management systems, digital booking platforms and improvements to truck grid infrastructure.
These technologies form part of the company’s efforts to improve coordination between container terminals and road transport operators. Patrick Connect adds a driver-facing information channel to those existing systems, providing direct access to operational instructions and notifications.
Following the completed Sydney AutoStrad trial, the next stage will involve onboarding additional transport operators. Patrick Terminals has not announced specific deployment dates for other facilities.
The introduction of Patrick Connect represents a further step in the digitalisation of landside container terminal operations, with its broader operational impact dependent on the rollout and adoption of the platform.
