ArcBest has launched multiple pilot projects aimed at automating routine tasks in its truckload and service center operations.
The company launched an inbound call pilot on its truckload side aimed at automating routine calls, President Seth Runser said in a Q1 earnings call on April 29. The carrier did not say when the pilot was launched.
Some of the automated calls are related to everyday tasks like appointment scheduling and booking loads, a spokesperson told Trucking Dive in an email.
“By automating the routine, it allows our teams to stay focused on serving our customers with excellence in more complex work that requires a human touch,” the spokesperson said.
The company is also working on an appointment optimization project, which ensures routes aren’t overloaded and delivery schedules are accurate, the spokesperson said.
While the project is in the pilot phase at a “handful” of service center locations, ArcBest has “plans to expand throughout 2025,” the spokesperson added.
The project will also have future phases with more options for customers to select delivery appointment windows.
For example, phase two will use daily demand predictions to streamline pickup routes, while phase three will introduce a routing tool to generate nearly real-time automated customized routes, Runser said in the call.
ArcBest is rolling out the phases, starting with the most impactful service centers first.
“Notably, at our Baltimore service center, implementing this software reduced the manager’s planning hours from four hours to just 45 minutes, allowing for more direct engagement with teams on the dock and less screen time,” Runser said.
ArcBest has been working on several automated or AI-related projects to drive efficiencies in its operations. The company is using “AI, machine learning, different tools that we've built that have made us more nimble than we've ever been in our past,” Runser said, adding that 45% of shipments are now digitally fulfilled.
During Q1, the optimization projects also helped improve productivity for 1% of asset-based operations and 24% for asset-light operations, Runser said.
Other carriers leveraging AI in similar applications include C.H. Robinson and ITS Logistics. C.H. Robinson is using AI to automate the quoting process and recommend loads to carriers. While ITS is using advanced chatbots to give shippers and carriers the ability to ask questions and get answers in real time.
