How AI and freight tech are solving real-world problems for carriers (with Don Everhart)

Brokers keep calling with new platforms. Software companies keep showing up at trade shows with bigger promises. But if the tools do not actually move freight faster or keep money in your pocket, the pitch does not matter much.

In a recent episode of Behind the Freight, Todd Waldron and John Howland met with Don Everhart, Head of Partnerships and Strategy at Transflo. Don has spent over twenty years in the industry, starting from the early days at Swift Transportation. On this episode, he shared how technology is shifting from hype to actual solutions that remove friction for carriers of all sizes.

Access the full episode of Behind the Freight:
YouTube
Spotify
Apple Podcasts

Cutting through the tech hype

Don has lived on both the operations side and the tech side of the trucking industry. He grew up in a trucking family and spent fifteen years at Swift before moving into freight innovation. His background helps him see past the marketing jargon. He believes good technology should be outcome-driven rather than just being a new tool to talk about.

For Don, the goal of any new software is that it should remove the friction that slows your business down every day. He suggests that carriers focus on tools that solve specific problems instead of chasing every new trend that pops up in the industry.

Using AI to win more loads

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic, but Don explains where AI fits for fleets. For an owner-operator or a small fleet, the biggest challenge is often load acquisition. You cannot be on the phone negotiating with 150 different brokers when you are busy driving or managing your equipment.

Don recommends using AI to handle those interactions. AI allows small operators to scale their decision making without needing to hire more people. For larger carriers, the back office is the focus area. By automating tasks like invoicing and paperwork, these companies can move faster and reduce the number of manual errors that delay payments.

Carriers looking for a faster way to find and book loads can start with the Truckstop Load Board. Drivers on Load Board Advanced and Pro accounts can also talk to Truckstop’s AVA (Advanced Voice Assistant) — a hands-free assistant that searches loads, checks rates, and connects you to brokers live, all by voice.

The reality of autonomous trucking

We hear a lot about self-driving trucks, and Don has seen the technology firsthand. He admits that he often trusts the robot more than many of the humans he sees on the road today.

“We’re living in exponential times but it looks linear because we’re on such a short time horizon.”

The technology is advancing, but the biggest hurdle right now is regulatory. We still have to work through the legal side of liability and litigation before autonomous vehicles become a standard part of national freight lanes.

Reallocating people to build relationships

One of the most important points Don makes is about how carriers use their staff. Rather than replacing people with software, he argues for a different approach: put the technology to work on the tedious tasks so your team can focus on the work that actually requires a person.

“If you’re going to remove the tedious work, spend that work with human time.”

Trucking is still a relationship business. When software handles the data entry and the paperwork, your agents can spend more time talking to drivers and customers, which matters to the people out on the road away from their families.

What really matters at the end of the run

No piece of technology is as important as the person behind the wheel. Margins and metrics matter, but Don said it plainly on the episode:

“None of it matters if we don’t make it back to our most important stop.”

The freight industry gets better when these tools drive more respect and better conditions for drivers. Focusing on practical tech that solves specific, daily problems is how you build a more profitable trucking business — without losing sight of the people running it.

Listen to the full episode for a no-fluff view on AI and tech in trucking.

LISTEN NOW