AI alerts help win over skeptical drivers, fleet execs say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Austin Henderson, vice president of innovation and engineering at Werner Enterprises and FirstFleet, recalled a meeting in which a truck driver who once was skeptical of artificial intelligence admitted that an AI-enabled distracted-driving alert saved his life. Henderson joined Gary Johnson, head of safety and compliance strategy at Motive, and Jared Whitson, senior director of safety and compliance at Bennett Family of Cos., to discuss the technology’s successes and concerns during an educational session Oct. 19 at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition. During the session, titled “The Rise of Physical AI in Trucking,” panelists discussed how AI and connected vehicle data can support safety, driver coaching, fueling decisions and administrative work while leaving judgment and oversight to people. In his story, Henderson said the system detected the driver’s distraction and notified the back office, and staff contacted the driver and talked him through the situation. The driver later watched the video and recognized the danger. Whitson said Bennett uses forward-facing cameras on about 2,500 trucks, primarily to detect and review events. He also described location-based alerts that notify staff when a truck with a critical fault code enters a shop’s geofence. “If you cross a geofence at one of our shops and there’s a critical fault code on the truck, then it sends a notification and advises people,” he said. Eventually, he added, the system could go a step further and generate a repair work order. Image Jared Whitson, senior director of safety and compliance at Bennett Family of Cos. (Erin Granzow Photography) Henderson described…

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