The utilization of machine learning and artificial intelligence has become increasingly popular in the field of transportation and logistics. With the surge of available data for companies to use both internally and externally, as well as the advancements in scalable computational power for large amounts of data processing, the possibilities for providing insights to enhance decision-making processes are endless. Today, many industry leaders are investing large amounts of resources into these technologies to optimize processes, improve human decision-making and predict future opportunities. Machine learning has the potential to help businesses better understand their customers’ wants and needs so they can provide the best possible experience.
Here are a few cases in which machine learning has helped in the space of transportation and logistics:
Demand Forecasting
Logistics providers can be much more productive and efficient when they can forecast future demand. Whether it be detecting customers that will have freight to move or carriers that are willing and able to haul that freight, machine learning can aid in the decision-making process of which customers and carriers to reach out to.
Natural Language Processing
There are many use cases in which it is beneficial for computers to analyze and process the human language through various mediums, such as emails, phone calls and invoices. By automating this, companies can help their employees save time and effort in tedious tasks that would otherwise have to be performed manually.
Predicting Peak Times and Seasons
Similarly to how it is beneficial to understand who to contact, it is equally as beneficial to know when to contact them. Customers and carriers may only want to be contacted during certain periods of the year or times of the day. It is to a company’s advantage to gather, analyze and provide these insights to its employees using both historical and external data sources.
Route Optimization
Determining the optimal route for a carrier to move freight can make a large impact on saving time, reducing shipping costs and increasing profit margin. Logistics providers can use machine learning to analyze the best routes for cost savings with fuel, tolls and maintenance, all while making sure not to sacrifice on-time delivery for the customer.
Help Deliver the Latest Technology-Rich Solutions
The increased usage of machine learning has enabled businesses across the industry of transportation and logistics to utilize big data to improve decision-making and become more efficient. As a forward-thinking organization, Werner implements the latest technologies to remain a top competitor in today’s new age of technology. The innovation arm of the business, Werner EDGE, has released numerous initiatives to enhance the experience of professional drivers, customers and alliance carriers. Analyzing historical data has helped make that possible to gain a better understanding of the behaviors of customers and carriers to a much larger degree than ever before. There will be more exciting initiatives to come for the remainder of 2020 and beyond, and with the utilization of machine learning, the experience of drivers, customers and carriers will remain the top priority.
