Loadsmart, New York, and Starsky Robotics, San Francisco, automatically dispatched an autonomous truck to haul freight.

The integration of Loadsmart’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered pricing and load matching technology with Starsky’s API meant no human intervention was required. This initiative is part of a larger strategic partnership that paves the way for the future of trucking—autonomous brokerages dispatching freight to autonomous trucks without human involvement.

Loadsmart connected 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 dispatched its trucks automatically without human intervention, while Loadsmart expanded its ability to automate the shipping process from quoting to booking to delivery.

“Today, for the first time ever, the advances that seem obvious for the ride-sharing services are coming to trucking,” says Stefan Seltz-Axmacher, co-founder and CEO 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, we will be able to autonomously dispatch autonomous loads on a regular basis.”

“Autonomous vehicles play an integral role in our vision of delivering end-to-end automated shipping and logistics services,” adds Ricardo Salgado, chief executive officer of Loadsmart. “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.”

“At Starsky, we’re building a trucking company to support and enable our autonomous trucks,” says Paul Schlegel, director of trucking operations at Starsky Robotics. “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,” says Hunter Yaw, vice president of product, Loadsmart.