Oren Zaslansky, founder and chief executive officer of Flock Freight, discusses three major issues in the freight industry: the benefits of artificial intelligence, opportunities for shared truck loading, and the impact on freight of SEC's proposed climate disclosure rules.

Artificial intelligence is “helping companies to make supply chains smarter, and avoid future disruptions,” says Zaslansky. It all starts with taking in data from multiple disparate systems, and bringing it together so that it can be contextualized for the first time. Then, modern-day AI and machine learning can be applied to help companies make more informed decisions and predict what changes might affect their supply chains in future.

AI is already proving its value in supply chain management today, Zaslansky says. “These models are learning,” he adds, but their ability to do so depends on having access to sufficient quantities of data “so that it’s statistically relevant.” 

Another key issue for supply chains today is the need to make better use of existing freight capacity. Many trucks today are operating half full, Zaslansky says. “If we could put more freight on them, it would mean more economic activity for carriers and lower costs for shippers. We don’t want to keep adding more trucks and trains. First, we want to utilize the maximum capacity that’s available now, by sharing space.”

Most shippers are equipped to aggregate their needs through platforms. Neutral third parties, however, can accomplish that task among nominal competitors and even industries. “Many goods can be put together in a very agnostic way that creates value for everyone,” Zaslansky says.

Zaslansky also addresses the challenge of logistics providers and retailers meeting new emissions disclosure rules, with the ultimate goal of offering a way for consumers to see the carbon footprint of any given product at a glance.