AI Can Analyze the Data, but Humans Still Own the Outcome 

Artificial intelligence has become the loudest conversation in trucking, promising faster  compliance checks, deeper video analytics, and instant answers to complex regulatory  questions. But according to Rustin Keller, President and CEO of J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc., the technology’s growing footprint hasn’t changed who’s ultimately accountable when something  goes wrong.  

“AI is going to accelerate business, not just in high tech places where it can be awe inspiring,  but also in the back office,” Keller said. “It gives employees the ability to quickly do analysis of a  lot of data. It’s amazing.”  

Speed and insight, though, don’t remove responsibility.  

“At the end of the day, humans are still responsible for outcomes,” Keller said. “Humans still  have to run the operation, site, or fleet safely. You’re responsible for incidents and the programs  you implement to make things safer. When an incident occurs, you don’t get to say ‘AI is to  blame.’”  

Fleets today have access to a volume of operational data that would have been unimaginable a  few years ago. The value of that visibility is immense, but it doesn’t solve every problem.  

“You now have footage of the drivers, yards, warehouses, and all aspects of the operation,”  Keller said. “You now can get more data than ever on all accidents from a given period and you  can analyze root causes.”  

The harder problem, in his view, starts after the data is in hand.  

“You still need to know what to do next,” Keller said. “Getting better information is awesome, but now  what?” AI can generate options, but it can’t make the call. “You still own it and you still have to  decide what’s appropriate. AI can’t understand your team and your operation’s nuances. You  have to take the next step forward.”  

The gap between data and action is where experts bring the most value.  

“That’s what we do at J. J. Keller,” Keller said. “We make great safety and compliance products and platforms, but we’re an advisory company first.” 

J. J. Keller’s identity as an advisory firm is baked into the company’s origin story, and Keller  traces it back to his grandfather. The company was founded in 1953 by John J. “Jack” Keller in  Neenah, Wisconsin.  

“My grandfather started the company as a one-man consulting firm to help motor carriers navigate complex new interstate trucking regulations under the ICC and DOT,” Keller said. “Our first product was advising customers, and that’s still our roots.”  

That advisory pedigree shows up in engagement numbers today, and Keller says demand for  direct human expertise has climbed despite the advent of new technologies.  

“We do more than 350 webcasts and seminars every year,” Keller said. “Some people  might think AI will slow that down, but we’re seeing all time records on attendance. More people are seeking our seminars than ever before.”  

According to Keller, what’s driving that appetite is not AI adoption itself but what he considers  the industry’s real adversary. “We always say that our number one competitor is complacency,”  he said. “Doing nothing is number one. Companies often decide that what they have is just fine.”  What’s shifting, he argued, is fleets’ willingness to tolerate that complacency. “What’s happening  now, though, is that people are getting more educated and now are seeking more information from experts when they run into the difficult issues,” Keller said. “More people can see the pitfalls and  the legal cases, and they know they have to do something.”  

Keller has also noticed a change in tone from customers who once pushed back on regulatory  requirements they didn’t want to accept. “Customers used to argue with our consultants on the  little nuances of regulations,” he said. “They would insist they didn’t need CDLs or hazmat  certifications for their operations when they most certainly did, but that kind of attitude is largely  going away.”  

Basic regulatory facts are easier to find than ever, he said, but that hasn’t eliminated the need  for guidance. “AI can’t sit down with you and talk about improvement plans.”  

Even as J. J. Keller builds its own AI capabilities, there are limits to what technology can  accomplish. “Our team is building AI tools, trained off of our own data,” Keller said. “But AI can  only do so much. It’s making its best estimate. Ultimately, it’s still up to our consultants to walk  through real actionable steps.”  

With so many vendors marketing faster, AI-driven answers, Keller offered a simple standard for  separating substance from hype: can the tool’s output hold up under scrutiny?  

“Can your software defend an approach you decided to take or processes you implemented?”  Keller asked. “Can it explain why you made a choice or exercised professional judgment? You  still need experts to explain the options you had and what course you took and why.”  

That standard, he said, also draws a line between using AI to gather information and using it to  make decisions that carry legal or safety weight. “It’s good to get a synthesized assessment 

from AI,” Keller said, “but you need specific advice and people with specific experience in the  field.”  

On regulation specifically, Keller sees real value in AI’s ability to summarize fast-moving rules  and case law (up to a point).  

“AI is helping people understand what is required of them,” he said. “You can use tools now to  explain rules and court cases. AI can give you a good summary and explanation of what applies  to you and what rules are in play.” Where it falls short, he argued, is translating that summary  into an operational plan. “You still have the issues of priorities, initiative, leadership, what tools  to put in place, best practices, and procedures,” Keller said. “Humans are still responsible for  the ultimate outcome.”  

Keller pointed to video-based safety analysis as a clear example. “With tons of video footage,  you can find the most common error, and now you know the Pareto distribution of problems,” he  said. “But what’s the best approach? It’s often a combination of solutions in a very particular set  of circumstances. You have to figure out the best approach based on your unique situation,  leadership team, and employees. Generic solutions are often going to cause problems.”  

As AI tools become table stakes across the industry, Keller doesn’t expect them to be the  deciding factor in which fleets pull ahead. “It ultimately comes down to leadership,” he said.  “More information doesn’t mean better decisions. You still need great leadership and a team that  can identify the approach that’s best for you.”  

That belief shapes what Keller hears directly from fleet leaders who are weighing how far to lean  into automation.  

“We get a lot of questions about customer service,” he said. “A lot of companies are taking a  gamble that they can automate everything and that humans aren’t necessary for a lot of work.  Our clients want to know, can we still reach people? Can I still call an actual expert on the  phone? We’re an advisory company, so we still have people on the phone every day and we still  help people face to face.”  

The appetite for automation, Keller added, has its limits: “Companies don’t want to rely on chat  bots for everything.”  

J. J. Keller’s roots as a credible, regulation-first advisory firm predate the AI era by decades, and  that remains the company’s core identity.  

“We’re unique in that what we offer is not simply a product,” Keller said. “We’re here to help you  improve outcomes. We do make products, but our goal is a combination of helping you  understand your situation, helping you make the best decisions, and helping you make your  operation safer and reduce your risk.”  

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