Loadsmart and Starsky Robotics have announced that the two companies were able to automatically dispatch an autonomous truck to haul freight, having successfully priced, tendered and booked via Loadsmart and then picked up and delivered the shipment using Starsky’s self-driving technology. The integration of Loadsmart’s AI-powered pricing and load matching technology with Starsky’s API meant no human intervention was required. The historic initiative, which marks the first time an autonomous company and a digital broker have collaborated to price, book and load a shipment without any human involvement, is part of a larger strategic partnership which aims to pave the way for the future of trucking.
Trucking is the backbone of the American economy, moving 70 percent of all freight. However, because of the ATA estimated 60,000 driver shortage, many trucking companies are struggling to find drivers to keep up with demand. Having a solution that automates the traditional freight flow will help them achieve the scale.
Loadsmart was able to connect their network of customers with Starsky’s fleet of regular and self-driving trucks by integrating Loadsmart’s Automated Dispatch API with Starsky’s Hutch API. As a result of the partnership, Starsky is able to dispatch it’s trucks automatically without human intervention, while Loadsmart can expand its ability to automate the shipping process from quoting, booking to delivery to help its clients move more with less.
“Today, for the first time ever, the advances that seem obvious for the ride-sharing services are coming to trucking,” said Stefan Seltz-Axmacher, CEO and founder of Starsky Robotics. “It’s not uncommon for a traditional trucking company to have 5 full-time employees involved in dispatching each truck for each load. By integrating e-brokers like Loadsmart, we are eliminating all back office human intervention and making the shipment process seamless, while focusing on ensuring the safety of driverless trucks. With Starsky’s Hutch API, which was also announced today, we will be able to autonomously dispatch autonomous loads on a regular basis.”
Ricardo Salgado, CEO, Loadsmart, said, “Autonomous vehicles play an integral role in our vision of delivering end-to-end automated shipping and logistics services. Starsky is one of the leading developers of autonomous trucking technology and given our belief that autonomous trucks will provide great value; the team will help us be at the forefront of providing our clients with access to cutting edge technology so they can advance their supply chain.”
Paul Schlegel, Director of Trucking Operations at Starsky Robotics, said: “At Starsky, we’re building a trucking company to support and enable our autonomous trucks. In my 33 year career in trucking, I’ve had to build out large infrastructure in planning and inside sales organizations to be able to get proper utilization our drivers and trucks. By partnering with Loadsmart, we’ve been able to let our driver managers spend more time making sure drivers are happy and they spend significantly less time negotiating with brokers.”
“Our ability to connect shipper demand with autonomous capacity will turn the industry on its head – knowing when and where a truck is available and where it wants to go will automatically trigger our TMS integration to price and book the best load for that specific truck. We are moving from a load-to-truck world, to a truck-to-load one. Carriers will benefit from this feature by keeping their trucks full days in advance,” said Hunter Yaw, VP of product, Loadsmart.
