AI Meets Drayage: AI Agents from PortPro Launch at a Critical Moment for Drayage

In an industry where time is money and every inefficiency compounds costs, trucking companies and brokers are often bogged down by the very backbone of their operations: manual, repetitive tasks. 

Whether it's updating spreadsheets, checking container statuses, or chasing down empty returns, these seemingly small activities can consume hours every day. But what if those tasks could be delegated—not to another team member, but to artificial intelligence?

I’m super proud of our PortPro team as we unveil a new suite of AI-powered tools known as AI Chat and AI Agents. These digital assistants are designed to transform how drayage carriers and brokers operate by handling the time-consuming work that clogs up dispatch and operations teams. 

What Are AI Agents?

​​AI agents are digital tools that can think, learn, and take actions on behalf of users. Unlike traditional software, which only follows pre-coded rules, AI agents are powered by artificial intelligence and can understand user intent, process data, and make decisions dynamically. 

These agents can automate tasks, answer questions, or even handle entire workflows based on real-time information. Think of them like smart virtual assistants — but far more capable and customizable to your specific business or operational needs.

What sets our AI agents apart is their ability to act within the existing PortPro system. Instead of building new features or writing new code, our AI agents are embedded into PortPro’s TMS to perform actions users would typically have to do manually — like assigning a driver to a container load, generating an invoice, or responding to a customer inquiry. Through our AI chat interface, users can interact with these agents naturally, using everyday language to trigger complex backend tasks.

In industries like logistics, our AI agents are about to transform how work gets done. For example, a drayage company can deploy an AI agent to monitor container arrivals and automatically notify dispatchers when a load is ready — all without a human lifting a finger. 

This level of automation not only boosts efficiency but also reduces errors and helps companies scale without adding more headcount. As AI continues to evolve, agents will play an even bigger role in simplifying operations and enhancing decision-making across every part of the business.

Why This Matters

Drayage is one of the most operationally demanding segments of the supply chain — and one of the most manual. Day after day, teams spend valuable time on repetitive tasks: updating spreadsheets, checking container statuses, validating documents, and chasing down return details. 

These small inefficiencies add up quickly, contributing to as much as 20% of total operating costs. In today’s market, that kind of overhead is unsustainable.

PortPro’s AI Agents are built to change that. By automating the routine work that slows teams down, they free up time, reduce errors, and allow companies to focus on what really moves the needle — serving customers, protecting margins, and winning more business.

What makes PortPro’s approach different is its accessibility. Teams don’t need to learn a new system or write code. AI Agents are activated through a simple chat interface and work right inside the TMS your team already uses every day. Whether it’s assigning a driver, sending a customer update, or checking load profitability, it’s now just a message away.

In a hyper-competitive and margin-tight environment, the companies that succeed will be the ones that operate smarter, not just harder. With AI Agents, PortPro is giving drayage carriers and brokers a way to do more with less — and get ahead.

The Bigger Picture: AI and Logistics

PortPro’s move reflects a broader trend in the logistics sector. AI-powered automation is no longer a distant vision—it’s rapidly becoming a core competitive advantage. Gartner predicts that by 2026, over 60% of supply chain organizations will have implemented some form of AI for operational efficiency.

Research from McKinsey & Company underscores this transformation. A December 2024 McKinsey study found that AI has the potential to dramatically improve safety, sustainability, and workforce reskilling—freeing teams to focus more on the customer and less on routine admin. AI-powered logistics solutions could cut logistics costs by 15%, optimize inventory levels by 35%, and increase service levels by 65%. 

Long term, AI adoption in logistics could generate between $1.3 trillion and $2 trillion in annual economic value.

The Future of Drayage Starts Now

We’re just getting started.

To everyone who helped shape this launch — thank you.

To our current PortPro customers — we built this for you.

Learn more about PortPro’s AI Agents – https://portpro.io/ai-agents-for-logistics