AI for trucking companies
An AI dispatch assistant for trucking that handles check calls and status updates
An AI dispatch assistant for trucking makes check calls to your drivers, records each status in your transportation management system (TMS) and warns customers and brokers about delays before they call you. It covers dispatch after hours, hands decisions to the on-call dispatcher and is designed so drivers are not asked to use a phone while driving.
What the agent handles
- Driver check calls and TMS status updates
- Delay and arrival notices to customers and brokers
- Proof of delivery and other load documents
- Detention time tracking and notices
- After-hours coverage with hand-off to on-call dispatch
Why dispatchers fall behind on a busy board
A dispatcher at a small or mid-size carrier plans loads, talks to drivers, updates the TMS, answers brokers and deals with breakdowns, often for many trucks at once. Each broker wants a status call and each customer wants an arrival time. Each delivery also needs signed paperwork before you can invoice.
The work continues after hours. A driver reports a late unload at 10 p.m. and a broker asks about a load at 5 a.m. One person on call handles it all from a phone. When nobody notes arrival and departure times, detention goes unrecorded, and that is revenue you may not be able to bill.
An AI dispatch assistant takes the routine updates and paperwork. Your dispatchers keep their time for drivers, exceptions and planning.
What the AI dispatch assistant for trucking does
It works from the loads in your TMS and the rules your dispatchers already follow.
Check calls timed around driving
It reads location and status from your tracking data first and contacts the driver only at planned points, such as arrival at pickup or when the truck is parked. Each answer goes to the load in your TMS.
Delay and ETA notices
When a load runs late, it sends the customer or broker a new estimated time of arrival (ETA) and the reason before they have to ask. You choose who gets notices and how often.
Proof of delivery and paperwork
It asks the driver to send photos of the signed bill of lading and proof of delivery (POD) once parked, checks that the images are readable and files them with the load so billing can start.
Detention time tracking
It records arrival and departure times at each stop from tracking data or driver replies, compares them with the free time in the rate confirmation and notifies the broker or customer when detention starts.
Answers broker status calls
Brokers who call or email to ask where a load is get the latest status from your TMS. Questions about rates, appointments or changes go to a dispatcher.
After-hours dispatch coverage
At night and on weekends it takes driver and broker calls and logs breakdowns, late loads and other issues. Anything urgent goes to the on-call dispatcher with a short summary.
Systems the dispatch assistant works with
We connect the agent to the tools your dispatch office already runs, with access limited to active loads.
- Your transportation management system (TMS)
- Electronic logging devices (ELDs) and telematics for location and duty status
- Driver phones, by voice call and text message
- Your dispatch line and after-hours on-call number
- Broker and customer email
- Document storage for bills of lading and PODs
- Team chat for dispatcher alerts
Driver safety and dispatch guardrails
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rules prohibit commercial drivers from texting or using a hand-held mobile phone while driving, and prohibit carriers from allowing or requiring it (49 CFR 392.80 and 392.82). We design every call and message around those rules.
- The agent checks tracking or logging data before it calls and reaches drivers at planned stops or when the truck is parked. Text messages ask drivers to reply once they are parked.
- It gives no instruction that would push a driver past hours-of-service limits. Questions about available hours, breaks or routes go to a dispatcher.
- A dispatcher decides on rate changes, new loads, reroutes and appointment changes. The agent collects the facts and passes them on.
- It can read the loads it works on and the drivers assigned to them, and no other records in your TMS.
- It identifies itself as an AI assistant on calls and messages, and drivers can reach a person at any time.
- Your team can review every call transcript and message, linked to the load.
What we measure with your dispatch team
Before the pilot, we record where your dispatchers' time goes and report against that baseline each month.
- Manual check calls replaced
- Driver status calls your dispatchers no longer make by hand.
- Early delay notices
- Delays reported to the customer or broker before they asked.
- Detention captured
- Stops with complete arrival and departure times, and the detention your team invoiced.
- Paperwork turnaround
- Time from delivery to a readable POD on file, which affects how fast you can invoice.
From audit to launch in four stages
- 01 · 1–2 weeks
Opportunity and risk audit
We interview your team, map the workflows and rank AI opportunities by payback and risk.
You get: Ranked use cases, ROI model, risk map
- 02 · 4–6 weeks
Pilot with clear success criteria
One agent and one workflow, connected to your real systems and measured against the goal we agreed on. Then you decide whether to continue.
You get: Working agent, results report, go/no-go decision
- 03 · 2–4 weeks
Secure launch
We harden, attack-test and monitor the agent and train your staff before it talks to a single customer.
You get: Security report, operating guides, launch
- 04 · Ongoing
Run and improve
We track quality, cost per workflow and new risks, and keep improving the agent. Short contracts, no lock-in.
You get: Monthly performance and cost report
AI agents for trucking companies: FAQ
What does an AI dispatch assistant do for a trucking company?
It handles the routine side of dispatch: check calls to drivers, status updates in your TMS, delay notices to customers and brokers, proof of delivery collection and detention records. At night it answers driver and broker calls and passes urgent issues to the on-call dispatcher. Load planning, rates and other decisions stay with your dispatchers.
Will an AI dispatch assistant call drivers while they are driving?
It is designed not to. FMCSA rules prohibit commercial drivers from holding a phone or texting while driving, and prohibit carriers from allowing or requiring it. The agent checks tracking data before it calls, contacts drivers at planned stops or when the truck is parked and asks for text replies only once the driver is parked. You set the calling rules with your safety manager.
Can an AI dispatch assistant track detention time?
Yes. It logs arrival and departure times at each stop from tracking data or driver replies, compares them with the free time in your rate confirmation and alerts the broker or customer when detention begins. Your billing team gets the times and the supporting messages in one place, ready to invoice.
Does the AI dispatch assistant work after hours?
Yes. It answers driver and broker calls at night and on weekends, records what happened and gives routine status from your TMS. Breakdowns, accidents, refused loads and anything else you mark as urgent go to the on-call dispatcher right away, with a summary, so they don't have to call back for basic details.
Can the AI change a load or agree to a new rate?
No. The agent reports what drivers, brokers and customers tell it, and a dispatcher approves any rate change, new load, reroute or appointment change. Commitments stay with a person your customers know, and the agent's access stays limited to the loads it is working on.
How long does a pilot take for a trucking company?
In most cases the pilot runs 4–6 weeks with one terminal or one group of drivers, after a 1–2 week audit of your loads, calls and systems. We agree on success criteria before the pilot starts, such as dispatcher hours saved and paperwork turnaround. The agent runs in your own phone, AI and cloud accounts.
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Free 30-minute assessment
Find the one workflow worth automating first.
Tell us how your team works. We'll come back with two or three AI opportunities, the risks to watch and a rough payback estimate. No obligation.
- A senior engineer replies within one business day
- We can sign an NDA before you share details
- No fixed packages, every quote tailored to you