The pitch that AI will replace dispatchers is wrong, and the pitch that AI is just hype is also wrong. What AI actually does in a heavy-haul broker's workflow is more specific than either.
A senior dispatcher's day is roughly two things: lookups (state permit ceilings, escort thresholds, carrier authority and insurance, bridge clearances, fuel curves, port congestion) and judgment (which carrier to call first when rates are close, when to hold a load for a better trailer, when to push back on a shipper's timeline). The lookups eat about 60% of the workday. The judgment is what shippers pay for.
We use AI to clear the lookups. Permit math, escort triggers, double-broker red flags, lane-by-lane carrier shortlists — all front-loaded before the dispatcher picks up. That returns the runway to the work that actually moves loads. Faster quotes for shippers. More volume per dispatcher without dropping the named-on-every-load standard.
What AI doesn't do: negotiate with a carrier at 11pm when a route changes. Make the call to push a customer's pickup window. Decide when to take a loss-leader load to lock a relationship. That's the judgment layer. We keep humans there on purpose.