The formula for growth in a hot freight market is simple: buy more trucks and hire more drivers. Only it's not that simple.
Motor carriers are certainly buying more trucks. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Class 8 truck orders totaled 142,093, second only to the third quarter of 2018 for the record.
Carriers are also trying to hire more drivers. With the flurry of pay raises during the past few months, many fleets are now starting drivers at $80,000 or more per year.
Forgoing quality for quantity to onboard new drivers is not a risk that most fleets are willing to take, however. And with escalating labor costs, recruiting difficulties and towering safety priorities, the industry is moving towards self-driving trucks.
U.S. Xpress, for instance, recently announced a significant financial investment in TuSimple, and is actively testing the technology on select shipping lanes.
The future of trucking may be self-driving trucks, but for the foreseeable future, advanced technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will not be used by fleets to replace drivers. Instead, the focus will be using technology to build and retain a safer and more productive workforce.
Below are three ways fleets are using AI to build better drivers.
