3PL Summit: Trimble exec sees AI changing brokerage cost structure

Chief platform officer provides advice to brokerage leaders

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ 3PL Summit on Wednesday February 26.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Transforming transport and logistics with AI

DETAILS: In an era when artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, freight brokerage stands at the forefront of transformation. In this insightful fireside chat, Jonah McIntire, chief platform officer at Trimble, explores how AI is revolutionizing transportation and logistics. With over 15 years of experience driving digital change in supply chain management, McIntire shares his expertise on AI-driven freight procurement, automation and the future of brokerage.

SPEAKER: Jonah McIntire, chief platform officer at Trimble

BIO: McIntire is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in the supply chain industry and its digital transformation. He is a strong advocate for data-driven processes and decision-making. McIntire is recognized as one of the innovators in applying AI and machine learning to freight procurement and assignment.

KEY QUOTES FROM MCINTIRE:

“You ask [AI] to think about something and get reflections. You pay by the thought and it’s a much cheaper thought. … So it takes this cost, which used to be a fixed cost, and it converts it into a variable cost. And that’s important in particular for the brokerage community.”

“Arguably, the most important aspect of a brokerage business is its ability to sell. It’s usually what it’s constrained by. So if you ask, ‘How would you double the business?,’ typically, you wouldn’t double. You wouldn’t say, well, the hardest part of doubling the business is going to be securing capacity, issuing invoices, adding a new office, winning enough business and winning enough customers. And there’s some real key ratios here that have always existed about how much book of business each head count can produce and how long it’ll take them to ramp to get to that level. And I think that those [ratios] are really disrupted by the arrival of AI.”

“I suspect what [AI] leads to is just a really different relationship between us and our technology. Rather than being tools that we have to build and configure and train for our workers, our workers have to really adapt to the tool actually. … We end up with these very superpowered individuals.”

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Grace Sharkey

Grace Sharkey is a professional in the logistics and transportation industry with experience in journalism, digital content creation and decision-making roles in the third-party logistics space. Prior to joining FreightWaves, Grace led a startup brokerage to more than $80 million in revenue, holding roles of increasing responsibility, including director of sales, vice president of business development and chief strategy officer. She is currently a staff writer, podcast producer and SiriusXM radio host for FreightWaves, a leading provider of news, data and analytics for the logistics industry. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Michigan State University. You can contact her at gsharkey@freightwaves.com.