As trucking providers continue to endure one of the industry’s longest-running downturns, most remain upbeat about its future, especially regarding technology.
That’s the finding of a new Truckstop.com survey of more than 500 freight carriers in the U.S. The survey found that 60% of responding drivers feel optimistic about the future of the trucking industry.
They cited positives that include tech-enabled gains in fraud prevention, route optimization, and a growing comfort with AI-powered tools.
“What we found is that carriers are adopting technology faster than ever, and they’re seeing the results,” said Todd Waldron, vice-president of carrier experience. “From stronger fraud prevention to smarter routing, tools like the ones we’re building are giving carriers more confidence and control over their operations.”
Responding carriers said technology makes decision-making faster, easier, and more reliable.
Nearly 70% of drivers, including 79% under the age of 35, say they feel comfortable using emerging tools and tech.
“What’s exciting about our findings today is that they suggest trucking is becoming more open to the kinds of ongoing innovations that deliver real value to the men and women behind the wheel,” Waldron said.
“Whether we’re talking about electronic logging devices and transportation management systems or AI-powered telematics and predictive maintenance, we’re seeing rapid acceleration in an era where we expect to see big advances that truly benefit the carriers we serve.”
When asked what factors will have the biggest influences on the industry in the next five years, respondents cited load availability, fuel costs and emerging technologies. They indicated route optimization is the biggest potential benefactor of AI, followed by AI-assisted dispatch and predictive maintenance.
