Todd Florence, chief information officer at Estes, says AI is most commonly used to optimize processes such as routing and load planning. (Estes Express Line)
Important points:
- North America’s largest airline said in Transport Topics’ Top 100 Rental Airlines study that it is prioritizing AI, safety technology and connected systems to improve efficiency and decision-making.
- The airline highlighted how AI-powered automation, predictive analytics, and in-cab safety systems are delivering measurable improvements in safety, driver retention, and operational performance.
- Looking ahead, fleets plan for deeper integration of AI, expanded safety adoption, and gradual adoption as advanced technologies such as autonomy and connected platforms mature.
North America’s largest motor carrier is focusing much of its technology investment on artificial intelligence to improve back-office efficiency, automate processes and enable better decision-making.
Safety technology and in-vehicle video systems that help prevent collisions, support driver coaching, and enhance liability protection are another clear priority for fleet operators.
A number of motor carriers outlined their views on current and emerging technology as part of their responses to Transport Topics’ annual survey of for-hire carriers in the Top 100 list.
The comments below are excerpted from the survey submissions.
“We believe that the most impactful technologies are those that drive a culture of safety. Our focus and priority is on blending AI-powered hardware with advanced back-office automation to fundamentally enhance the way we protect drivers, motor vehicle users, and the communities we serve. We’re in the early stages of deploying the latest AI camera technology across our fleet, including both cameras and side-view cameras. But the real value is in how we leverage that data. By leveraging back-office automation, we can automatically deploy personalized coaching and training to inform drivers based on their driving habits. ” — NFI
“By combining AI-powered cameras, telematics, and real-time diagnostics, we moved from reactive to proactive operations to prevent incidents, improve driver performance, and increase visibility across our network. The results have been remarkable. We drove significant year-over-year revenue growth and drove driver retention. Safety is no longer just a metric, it has become a real differentiator for us. Looking ahead, we are focused on deeper AI-driven decision-making, predictive maintenance, and deeper integration with our customers’ systems to create a more responsive, real-time logistics network. ” — Hogland Transfer
“AI is extremely powerful and should be used across all business platforms.” — Chima Freightlines
“Everything seems to be about AI automation at the moment, and we are aggressively investing in the use of this technology. The first and biggest gains appear to be on the billing and reporting side, where the strength of AI’s pattern recognition really shines. We are also leveraging enhanced P&D dispatch technology, having in-vehicle devices and in-vehicle cameras, and expanding our use of Dimensioner.” — oak harbor freight line
“One of the things I consistently advocate for is the idea that impactful technology means the biggest or flashiest investments. Often, the most meaningful improvements come from identifying frictions in existing processes and asking where people are still doing work that can be automated, simplified, or supported with better tools. That’s where we find the biggest efficiency opportunities.…Today, AI We focus on optimization-driven optimization: better routing, smarter cross-docking decisions, and load planning that adjusts the load dynamically — these are compound improvements that will improve as we accumulate more data.” Todd Florence, Chief Information Officer, Estes Express Lines
“We use in-cab AI to monitor drivers.” — apex logistics
“As an asset-based airline, we are investing in AI, safety and proactive management systems to drive accident and incident prevention and eliminate risk in high-risk environments.” — system cargo
“There’s a lot of talk about AI. We’re taking a wait-and-see attitude. Of course, we’re going to take advantage of all the new safety technologies and leverage some of the AI tools in the Microsoft stack. But we’re still not too keen on jumping into developing AI agents to replace a lot of tasks. We think AI will help make our employees more efficient and automate some more tasks in the back office.” PGT Holdings
“We have invested in safety technology for our ELD systems, including AI capabilities. We believe more motor carriers are implementing advanced safety technology to satisfy insurance companies. We believe this trend of increasing technology in and around trucks will continue, which should make our roads safer.” — apache logistics
“In the short term, the most impactful technologies are likely to be those that deliver practical and measurable improvements: AI-driven optimization of routes and pricing, connected vehicle technologies that enhance real-time visibility and predictive maintenance, and improved compliance.” At the same time, there is a lot of focus on advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving features, but we see these as longer-term opportunities that will take time to scale meaningfully across the industry.” — market express
“Cameras have significantly improved hazards, and additional technology in next-generation power units should continue this through additional sensors for collision avoidance and recorded events.” — pride transport
“[We are] We are currently looking at all AI opportunities. ” — dayton freight line
“We believe the most impactful technologies in trucking are those that turn data into action, particularly AI, telematics and predictive maintenance. While our current investments are focused on delivering immediate operational value, we are strategically positioning our business to adopt emerging technologies such as autonomy and electrification as they mature and become economically viable.” — Transportation Logistics/Lily Transportation
Refrigerated airline Hurricane Express highlighted its investment in TMS. (Hurricane Express)
“The most impactful technologies in trucking are those that improve visibility, speed of decision-making, and safety. We are investing in TMS to drive efficiency and scalability while enhancing real-time data collection. This allows us to better track performance and We are seeing increased adoption of predictive analytics for routing and planning across the industry and through conversations at carrier conventions. Looking to the future, increased automation of back-office functions and AI-supported decision-making tools will continue to streamline operations.” — hurricane express
“[We are] We are investing heavily in safety equipment and cautiously in AI. ” — raider express
“We are implementing in-cab event recorders and working to optimize our route guidance software to improve efficiency. We are also leveraging AI even more and will continue to do so in the coming years.” — peninsula track line
“We believe that technology can improve the efficiency of our department’s dispatch processes and decision-making to some extent. The biggest impact has to be in accident mitigation technology for tractors, including self-driving tractors.” — andrews logistics
“The trucking industry is at a tipping point as technology moves from basic visibility to true automation and real-time decision-making. Several innovations will shape the future, but the most impactful will be AI-driven operations, connected fleet technology, and advanced safety systems.” — gulf winds international
“We believe AI and predictive analytics will have the biggest impact on route optimization, predictive maintenance, pricing, and operational decision-making, among others.” — chief express
“Artificial intelligence is already transforming areas such as route optimization, predictive analytics, exception management, pricing, and workflow automation. AI is expected to help operations teams move from reactive decision-making to more predictive and proactive planning. Gain real-time visibility into your needs. Safety technology will also continue to play a key role. In-vehicle devices, in-vehicle cameras, and advanced driver assistance systems can help fleets improve compliance, reduce accidents, and better support drivers… At the end of the day, logistics is still a performing business, and companies that combine strong operations with practical technology implementation will gain the most. ” — STG Logistics
CR England highlighted the value of emerging technologies in improving safety. (CR England)
“We are actively investing in these areas by implementing in-vehicle safety technology, leveraging data analytics to optimize operations, and automating manual processes where possible. Looking to the future, we believe we will see the gradual adoption of more advanced automation technologies aimed at improving safety, efficiency, and operational visibility.” — CR England
“While artificial intelligence continues to gain traction, we believe its most immediate value in trucking will come from workflow optimization, analytics, predictive maintenance, automation of repetitive management functions, and improved operational forecasting, rather than fully automated decision-making.…Looking to the future, the industry will continue to leverage more integrated intelligence. We expect that companies will continue to move toward increasingly connected operations, including transportation, warehousing, safety, maintenance, and customer visibility systems that run on connected platforms.Those that successfully integrate technology implementation with strong business execution and human oversight will ultimately gain the greatest competitive advantage. ” — Alina Savo, Director of Marketing, Highlight Motor Group
“We believe that AI can be a useful back-end tool to assist with load handling, billing, and other internal processes. When it comes to our equipment, we have smart cameras on both the driver and the road to stay on the cutting edge and invest in the latest tractor and trailer technology on the market. AI is a powerful tool, but we don’t believe it will replace professional drivers anytime soon.” — united petroleum transports
“We have deployed AI across our business, from maintenance to operations and safety to finance. We have also purchased all the latest and greatest safety technology in our trucks, including in-cab AI technology and mirror eye cameras.” — PS Logistics
“AI will continue to grow and become more pervasive and useful. Technological advances will continue to be leveraged across the LTL space.” — southeast freight line
“Safety continues to be a focus from a technology perspective. Equipment safety is a big part of our business, with the increasing importance of avoiding accidents (leading to higher insurance premiums, legal claims, and settlements). AI will continue to play a bigger role, not just in our industry, but in the economy as a whole. The better and better we can incorporate AI, the better we can differentiate ourselves from our competitors and better serve our customers.” — Koch company.
