Loadsmart and Starsky Robotics announced they were able to automatically dispatch an autonomous truck to haul freight; successfully pricing, tendering, booking, then picking up and delivering the shipment without any human interaction at all. Photo: Starsky Robotics

Loadsmart and Starsky Robotics announced they were able to automatically dispatch an autonomous truck to haul freight; having successfully priced, tendered and booked via Loadsmart, then picking up and delivering the shipment using Starsky's self-driving truck technology.

According to the two companies, the integration of Loadsmart's AI-powered pricing and load matching technology with Starsky's API meant no human intervention was required. The historic initiative is part of a larger strategic partnership which paves the way for the future of trucking: autonomous brokerages dispatching freight to autonomous trucks without human involvement.

Loadsmart said it was able to connect its network of customers with Starsky's fleet of regular and self-driving trucks by integrating Loadsmart's Automated Dispatch API with Starsky's Hutch API.

As a result of the partnership, Starsky is able to dispatch its trucks automatically without human intervention, while Loadsmart can expand its ability to automate the shipping process from quoting to booking to delivery to help its clients move more with less.

"For the first time ever, the advances that seem obvious for the ride-sharing services are coming to trucking," said Stefan Seltz-Axmacher, CEO and founder of Starsky Robotics. "It's not uncommon for a traditional trucking company to have five full-time employees involved in dispatching each truck for each load. By integrating e-brokers like Loadsmart, we are eliminating all back office human intervention and making the shipment process seamless, while focusing on ensuring the safety of driverless trucks. With Starsky's Hutch API, which was also announced today, we will be able to autonomously dispatch autonomous loads on a regular basis."

Ricardo Salgado, CEO of Loadsmart, said, "Autonomous vehicles play an integral role in our vision of delivering end-to-end automated shipping and logistics services. Starsky is one of the leading developers of autonomous trucking technology and given our belief that autonomous trucks will provide great value; the team will help us be at the forefront of providing our clients with access to cutting edge technology so they can advance their supply chain."

Paul Schlegel, Director of Trucking Operations at Starsky Robotics, said: "At Starsky, we're building a trucking company to support and enable our autonomous trucks. In my 33-year career in trucking, I've had to build out large infrastructure in planning and inside sales organizations to be able to get proper utilization our drivers and trucks. By partnering with Loadsmart, we've been able to let our driver managers spend more time making sure drivers are happy and they spend significantly less time negotiating with brokers."

"Our ability to connect shipper demand with autonomous capacity will turn the industry on its head — knowing when and where a truck is available and where it wants to go will automatically trigger our TMS integration to price and book the best load for that specific truck. We are moving from a load-to-truck world, to a truck-to-load one. Carriers will benefit from this feature by keeping their trucks full days in advance," said Hunter Yaw, VP of product, Loadsmart.