Trucking businesses that want to keep up with today’s fast-moving and dynamic landscape, meet consumer expectations, and outlast competitors should be prepared to invest in technology – including artificial decision intelligence.

Evolving technology touches every aspect of our world, and the applications for AI-powered solutions continue to grow. In the trucking business, artificial decision intelligence is helping dispatch managers make decisions with a level of optimization and efficiency not previously possible. 

It is quickly becoming this industry’s next step in technological evolution.

What is Artificial Decision Intelligence and How Is it Used in Trucking?

Artificial decision intelligence is the use of artificial intelligence to help people make faster, more accurate, and consistent decisions. ADI doesn’t remove humans from the decision-making process but instead empowers them to make better ones. 

Using not only historical datasets, but advanced ADI software, to design a policy or parameters for making decisions is the only way to optimize-decision making that considers both historical data and future uncertainty. 

Artificial decision intelligence is particularly applicable in optimizing dispatching decisions because of the intricacies of the dispatch manager’s role. Dispatchers must manage load assignment decisions, driver schedules, and preferences — and do it all with a focus on maximizing profits while working under tight time constraints. 

It takes dispatch managers intensive time and resources, day in and day out, to constantly attempt optimal load assignment decisions. In addition, if dispatchers were to handle all of this on their own, not only would a single driver/load pairing iteration take up valuable time, but it would need to be repeated until there were enough network scenarios to compare and choose the best one.

How can artificial decision intelligence maximize those decisions? 

1. Increase Productivity

When decision intelligence platforms are integrated with a carrier’s TMS, dispatchers get a system that eliminates the complex calculations but doesn’t take the final decision out of their control.

The carrier’s TMS contains all critical operational data, and the platform must have an up-to-date stream of accurate information from the TMS as input (i.e. “one-way integration”). 

Then, after the decision intelligence engines run their analyses and produce a recommendation, they can feed results back into the TMS (i.e. “two-way integration”). 

By integrating AI-powered optimization solutions with TMS systems, carriers are quickly seeing significant increases in revenue per truck and the ability to shift staff away from routine planning tasks. 

With two-way integration, dispatchers save time and eliminate manual errors while enabling adaptable and efficient decision-making, even as new information emerges in operations. 

2. Improve Decision-Making 

Artificial decision intelligence software can provide dispatchers with a recommendation that represents the engine’s mathematical confidence around a decision. 

The rating provides a point of reference for the dispatcher to understand the relative attractiveness of the recommended decision using complex calculations but doesn’t take the final decision out of their control.

Artificial decision intelligence platforms allow trucking companies to move away from short-term or geographically constrained decision-making, and instead optimize for all opportunities across the network that pay off in the long run. 

3. Enhance Agility and Adaptability 

Since each load assignment decision affects the next one, it can quickly get too complex for even the most experienced dispatcher’s brain to realistically handle. 

Dispatchers must also adapt to real-time changes. They might have known the optimal decision initially, but that decision may be different if a certain load gets canceled. In that case, the problem must now be reworked with the latest information. 

By incorporating a decision intelligence platform into their workflows, dispatchers get a tool they can continuously rely on that adapts to the ever-changing real world — not just in planning but also in seeing their decisions through. 

The technology quickly provides optimized recommendations for the dispatcher to consider, overlay “real-world” variables, plan for unknowns, and make the final decision.

4. Break Down Borders

Typically, different regions — for instance, the Southeast or the Northeast — work independently due to the scale and complexity of the variables and decisions involved. The reason many transportation companies dispatch regionally is simply because that is what is manageable for their dispatchers.

However, artificial decision intelligence platforms can handle these cross-regional variables with ease, eliminating siloed decision-making.

In other words, the puzzle can extend beyond a single region. Dispatchers gain a full network view and can take advantage of more load assignment options and as a result, more optimization opportunities.

5. Provide Career Advancement Opportunities

Learning how to work with an advanced artificial decision intelligence software program builds on an individual's existing skill set to enhance their capabilities within their industry. 

Acquiring new technology skills is a form of upskilling that deepens one's knowledge and expertise, helping them keep pace with industry advancements and increase their value as their career progresses. 

AI isn’t going anywhere. It's important for employees to learn to work with AI tools, because these technologies are transforming industries and the way work is done.

By taking advantage of the efficiency gains AI provides, dispatchers can shift time away from routine planning tasks to high-value, high-impact decisions and planning such as focusing on driver and customer relationships. 

Mastering AI tools enables employees to stay competitive, adapt to evolving job roles, and enhance their efficiency. By embracing AI, they gain valuable skills that not only make them more effective in their current positions but also open new opportunities for career growth in a tech-driven future. 

Incorporating artificial decision intelligence into dispatchers' toolkits is a critical step for the trucking industry to remain competitive and agile in an increasingly complex landscape. 

This technology not only enhances productivity and decision-making but also empowers dispatchers to adapt to real-time challenges, making their work more efficient and effective. 

Furthermore, mastering these AI tools equips employees with valuable skills for career growth in a tech-driven future. 

As transportation companies face growing demands and operational complexity, artificial decision intelligence serves as a key enabler for optimal decision-making and industry-wide innovation.

About the Author: Erica Frank is the vice president of marketing at Optimal Dynamics, where she leads efforts to communicate the success stories of carriers using the company’s decision automation solutions. She previously held senior marketing roles at Solera, Omnitracs, and SmartDrive. 

This contributed guest article was authored and edited according to Heavy Duty Trucking’s editorial standards and style to provide useful information to our readers. Opinions expressed may not reflect those of HDT.