In an interview with FreightWaves, Everhart offers insights on emerging FreightTech trends and industry buzzwords, such as AI, as well as strategic advice for executives on adopting new technologies. He also discusses his vision for advancing innovation in his new role at Transflo.

FREIGHT WAVES: Which emerging technologies do you think will have the biggest impact on the supply chain over the next five years?

EVERHART: Obviously AI. This is a rapidly evolving (technology) stack, and as an industry I think we are only scratching the surface.

The challenge here is that people have seen and (overcome) other (technology) hype cycles, so I don’t blame people for being cynical. We will continue to see new applications of new technology emerge, as well as a rapid increase in AI offerings over the next five years.

FREIGHTWAVES: Are there any technologies that are currently overrated?

EVERHART: This is going to sound funny, but so does the AI.

I see many companies throwing a quick spin on an OpenAi (tool) or anthropic model and calling it revolutionary. Remember: AI is an umbrella label that encompasses much more than (language learning models).

FREIGHTWAVES: As automation and AI reshape logistics, what new skills do you think the workforce will need?

EVERHART: I think this will be more impactful to today’s workers than search was when Google and its competitors entered the picture.

Advanced pattern recognition, with an emphasis on the critical actions required to process previously unidentified shapes, will become important.

In order to unlock this potential, the workforce will need to find a way to harness it as a force multiplier rather than seeing it as something that will replace them.

Skill development will be needed in the area of ​​rapid engineering, how to tweak or think through model inputs and outputs, and helping others learn to use this knowledge as well.

FREIGHTWAVES: How should educational institutions or training programs adapt?

EVERHART: Kiss him. I have seen some academics fully embrace it, while others still try to ban it.

The reality is that these are the tools that people will use in their daily work in the future.

FREIGHTWAVES: Is predictive logistics really possible, or is it more efficient to develop reactive systems?

EVERHART: I believe that a balance between the two can and must exist.

A lot can be predicted, but we are fundamentally a reactive industry.

The supply chain is making progress in this direction, but it will be more of a spectrum shift rather than an overall shift.

FREIGHTWAVES: How accurate is AI today in predicting disruptions?

EVERHART: It cannot yet completely (predict disruptions). It can recognize patterns we couldn’t otherwise see and balance a ton of inputs that would be nearly impossible for a human to weigh, but we need more data aggregation and consolidation in our industry so that this has a significant movement in forecast accuracy. .

FREIGHTWAVES: How do you see the impact of blockchain technologies on the supply chain industry over time?

EVERHART: I think we’re seeing the impacts (of blockchain) every day, (even though) many people have declared blockchain dead or it never landed in the supply chain.

I would tell these people that they are interacting with blockchain technology on a regular internal level and they don’t even realize it. New applications and utility of blockchain-enabled tools exist in many areas of the supply chain.

FREIGHTWAVES: With IoT, sensors and real-time data sharing, logistics has become more connected. How should leaders approach cybersecurity risks in such a connected supply chain?

EVERHART: If you don’t have a data governance policy in place for this data, this is step 1.

The exposure surface or attack vectors are increasing at an exponential rate and cybercriminals are becoming more creative.

It’s essential to move to a zero trust approach as early as possible in your journey.

Gone are the days of not investing in cybersecurity, even for a small business, even if they simply hire a third-party company for monitoring. We must all do our part.

FREIGHTWAVES: From a technical perspective, how should logistics managers build their teams and operations to help combat fraud?

EVERHART: Compliance is increasingly becoming a technical role from a security perspective.

Think about how you are aligned internally and make sure your teams are talking.

Most importantly, collaborate with others in the industry.

FREIGHTWAVES: What should we rely on technology to solve versus humans detecting phishing attempts and the like? ?

EVERHART: The technology deployed to detect threats is far better than I could ever do as a human.

There are patterns and decisions – that’s where AI shines.

FREIGHTWAVES: How do you see your years of industry experience shaping your approach and impact in your new role at Transflo?

EVERHART: I’ve spent a lot of time in my career building great relationships and seeing/looking for opportunities to bring teams together.

This is a unique situation for me where I can do the same work – it happens to be my favorite type of work – on a large scale.

I’ve spent my first few days meeting the team and getting organized, but I can’t wait to unlock the potential of Transflo and our partnership ecosystem.

AI technology helps fleet managers detect drowsy drivers

First Transport Fraud Awareness Day highlights sector crisis

How freight fraud became the perfect crime