AI Is Dumb. Or Maybe It’s Just Us?

We at Level5Fleet are tech geeks—our idea of fun involves optimizing espresso extraction algorithms and debating Roomba’s future as a barista. Yet even we recently encountered an example of tech absurdity: someone (we swear it wasn’t Harold) ordered dim sum takeout, only to have it “stolen” by a courier who didn’t exist. Okay, we made that up—but admit it, you nodded because it sounded believable.

Here’s the thing: delivery apps like DoorDash don’t have war rooms to combat fictitious dim sum pickups. Why? Because their entire system inherently prevents it.

Yet, bizarrely, freight security isn’t as fortunate.

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Booking Automation: Email-Bot Madness

Freight brokers and shippers are excited about the latest trend: AI-powered email bots that automate booking. These systems read emails, parse PDFs, confirm availability, and shoot back replies. It’s an impressive feat… except it’s essentially an AI managing fax machines.

Picture Expedia faxing travel itinerary requests to brick-and-mortar travel agents. Then imagine building a sophisticated AI that can read those faxed-back responses, cross-reference your Google Calendar, and confirm flights. Smart? Technically, yes. Intelligent? We’ll let you decide…

Yet, shockingly, this is precisely what’s happening with freight booking today. Over 60% of digital freight-matching platforms deploy AI to parse email communications and PDFs, automating a fundamentally outdated process. Less than 10% of shippers use API-driven contracts exclusively—meaning the majority of “automated” bookings are still a complex dance of electronic faxing.

Execution Security: Welcome to 1997 (Again)

Okay, so you’ve successfully booked your load using a fancy AI bot. Congratulations! Now, meet Bob at the dock. Is Bob really Bob? According to DAT and Highway, best practices still involve manual verification of MC numbers, suspiciously rapid capacity expansions, and calling dispatchers for verbal confirmations.

If you’re big, perhaps you’ve splurged on license plate readers, scanners, automated gates, and maybe even a friendly robot named “Gary.” But let’s face it, unless you’re Amazon or FedEx, spending $15M on gate infrastructure isn’t realistic. More likely, you’ve got Steve with a clipboard, waving trucks through based on a handwritten manifest.

In other words, the same industry relying on email-reading AI still validates critical security steps manually. The scalability of manual processes? Exactly zero.

War Rooms: When Protocols Fail

Even the most sophisticated freight brokers—like C.H. Robinson and TQL—now operate full-on “war rooms” to combat cargo theft. These rooms are staffed with analysts scanning real-time load data, flagging suspicious tender patterns, sudden capacity jumps, and unusual lane activity.

It is impressive. But let’s be honest: the need for a war room means the system failed somewhere upstream. Uber doesn’t need a control center to stop someone from stealing your $18 burrito—because identity and access are baked into the platform.

In freight, we’ve accepted duct-taped workflows and heroic monitoring as “normal.” Maybe it’s time the infrastructure got smarter.

Protocol Infrastructure: Real Intelligence

Imagine, instead, freight protocol infrastructure. Here’s how it looks:

• Shippers post the rate they’re willing to pay.
• Carriers post their minimum acceptable rate.
• Assets communicate their availability – and their drivers’.
• The platform automatically matches both at the midpoint.
• Trailers verify driver identity automatically.
• Parking brakes engage unless the correct tractor and driver credentials match.
• Doors remain locked until a virtual seal is digitally “broken” by the shipper/consignee.

In this system, there’s no need for an AI reading emails or a war room calling dispatchers. The infrastructure itself prevents mistakes, theft, and fraud. It guarantee price fairness. It’s not artificial intelligence—it’s structural intelligence.

Maybe AI Isn’t Dumb, but We Sure Use It Dumbly

AI can solve incredibly complex problems — yet here we are using it to automate fax-like communication and paper-based verification.
That’s like calling a Waymo self-driving car to rush your fax to the UPS store.
Wrong solution. Wrong problem.

The future of freight isn’t about using smarter fax machines—it’s about eliminating them altogether.

Ready to move beyond artificial non-intelligence? Let’s chat.

Admiral Freight
Freight security you didn’t realize you needed—delivered by hardware, guaranteed by automation.

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