Trucking with Artificial Intelligence

Aug 21, 2024

Trucking with Artificial Intelligence

#artificialintelligence #technology #trucking

Artificial Intelligence is creeping into every part of our lives including the trucking industry. As drivers and owner operators you may not notice it as much as a technology company or business owner, but it’s there! Right now artificial intelligence is like mixing a fuel additive with your fuel, it’s working but you don’t notice anything physically different. It’s working in the background. Why am I talking about this? Why should you care? You should care because it will become more prominent as we go along and it will at some point not only become noticeable but start integrating with your life. 

Where artificial intelligence now in trucking? In transportation much of the technology is operating in the background in areas like telematics, maintenance, driver behaviours, trucks, dispatch, recruiting, and much more. Most drivers have it installed and don’t give it a moments thought but it's telling everyone how you’re driving and what your truck is doing. 

In the business world there is a big divide as to whether artificial intelligence is being embraced. I was not a fan of it when it was first introduced and use it minimally in our business but I can see it being used more and more. It is taking over and being introduced in every part of business and areas that you don’t understand it will become instrumental in helping you see issues to work on. 

How is it working now? If you look at many warehouse distribution systems they are already working with artificial intelligence. You walk through the aisles and you don’t see any people just machines. Over time processes were moved to machines as they are more precise and predictable. They don’t need a coffee break and don’t need to be paid overtime. One person can watch the action and the technology will tell them everything that’s happening. 

How will it help you as a driver? As a driver it will help you drive better based on the road conditions. It will help you choose the best route based on traffic data in the system. It will tell you when your truck requires maintenance or service. It may even be the artificial intelligence that hires you for your next trucking job. 

Most people are afraid of artificial intelligence taking over their lives and I was too. I have started to embrace it slowly and use it to enhance my job rather than fight it. Tech companies are investing heavily in artificial intelligence so it isn’t going away. You need to know your job so you can qualify the information you are given and use it to your advantage. Let it help you be a better driver and improve your efficiency. If you are an owner operator it may help you run your business allowing you to free up time or improve driving performance and you know that can lead to money staying directly on your bottom line. 

We’ll be talking about artificial intelligence in many of our podcast episodes this month so subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. Start using artificial intelligence to your advantage and for areas that you need some help in now. It’s not going away! 

About the Author

Bruce Outridge has been in the trucking industry for over 40 years. With 25 years behind the wheel across North America and now covering the industry through Lead Pedal Media he has many insights as to the state of today's trucking industry and offers tips through his podcast on how to have a good career in trucking. You can learn more about Bruce and his work at www.BruceOutridge.com 

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