There’s no shortage of bold promises in logistics right now. AI agents that act like humans. Virtual assistants that claim they’ll “handle it all.” One demo later, and it feels less like innovation and more like babysitting an overconfident intern.
The truth? Most logistics teams don’t need AI that talks back. They need AI that quietly gets $#!% done.
This guide breaks down the three major flavors of AI in freight tech – and why the smart money isn’t on flashy “agents” or button-heavy inbox tools. It’s on automation that works where it matters.
AI Agents: The Overambitious New Hire
AI agents are the golden child of the tech hype cycle right now. They promise to think like a human, take action on their own, and replace entire roles.
That’s good—in theory.
But freight isn’t a sandbox. It’s a high-stakes, edge-case-heavy, relationship-driven industry. And giving full control to a chatbot? Risky.
Think: “Your load has been booked by an agent who misread the pickup location as ‘Paris, TX’ instead of ‘Paris, IL.’”
AI agents often lack:
- Context
- Control
- Oversight
And in real ops environments, they’re prone to breaking or ghosting, especially when the unexpected (read: every day) happens.
Some logistics companies have tested out AI agents for quoting and booking. But real-world usage often reveals limitations, like missing implied details, misclassifying priorities, or even acting on outdated preferences. These are costly mistakes.
AI Assistants: Helpful… Until They Need Help
AI assistants are the cousins of agents: less autonomous, but still underwhelming. Think inbox plugins, chat interfaces, browser tools.
They offer short-term wins: summarizing emails, suggesting responses, logging info. But they still require a human to review, confirm, and correct most outputs.
In other words: They don’t free you up. They just add another layer of tools to manage. Great for individuals. But not built for ops teams trying to move hundreds or thousands of loads a week.
AI Automation: The Workhorse That Freight Actually Needs
Now we’re talking.
Automation doesn’t aim to replace people. It aims to take repetitive tasks off their plate, like quoting, track & trace, POD requests, and order entry, and handle them quietly, reliably, and at scale.
This isn’t sci-fi. It’s already happening.
The best automation tools:
- Run in the background
- Follow clear rules
- Have built-in fallback steps and human oversight
- Deliver ROI without retraining your whole team
You don’t need an AI brain. You need an AI engine that knows how to run freight.
Why the Hype Gets It Wrong
Freight is a highly reactive and uncertain business. The same shipper who ghosted last week now needs 10 last-minute quotes. A minor typo can cost thousands.
That’s why tools designed for generic customer service don’t hold up in freight.
“They promised it would work out of the box. But the second a flatbed request came through with special instructions, it broke—and we had to manually untangle the mess.”
What logistics ops teams actually need:
- Reliability
- Audit trails
- Human-in-the-loop workflows
- Control, not black-box decision-making
Why Task-Based Automation Wins in Freight
Freight is repetitive. Fast-paced. Messy. The best ROI comes from automating high-volume, clearly defined tasks, not from trying to simulate human thinking.
Top areas for task-based AI:
- Quoting: Extracting and responding to RFPs
- Order Entry: Auto-filling TMS fields from email
- Track & Trace: Sending updates and chasing carriers
- POD Retrieval: No more “can you send that again?”
This approach saves time, improves accuracy, consistency, and scalability without the operational risk.
Levity’s Take: Built for Freight, Battle-Tested in Production
While the rest of the AI world dreams up synthetic workers, Levity is quietly automating thousands of tasks behind the scenes at 3PLs and brokerages.
Levity AI Flows are:
- Rule-based (you’re always in control)
- Visible (no black-box logic)
- Flexible (shaped to fit your ops, not force it to change)
- Proven (running daily in real freight environments)
Freight quoting? Levity auto-identifies spot quote requests in emails, extracts the details, and replies instantly, 10X faster than a human.
Need order entry? Levity connects to your TMS and books loads straight from your inbox, no swivel-chairing required.
Want analytics? Levity’s Control Tower shows exactly how many quote requests come in, which ones you responded to, and what’s converting.
“The time-saving gains might seem small on a per-load basis, but when added up over hundreds or thousands of loads, the impact is substantial.” — Dan Manshaem, CEO, Ally Logistics
Skip the Gimmicks, Automate What Works
You don’t need an AI “worker.” You need a system that understands how freight actually operates and makes it smoother.
Levity believes in automating tasks, not people. And it shows. The freight companies that win are the ones who double down on clarity, control, and consistency, and not chatbot hype.
Want AI that shows up, not shows off?
See how Levity helps freight teams automate smarter at Levity.ai.
