Freight brokers: What your role will look like tomorrow

For years, the narrative around freight brokerage technology has centered on automation freeing up employees to focus on relationship-building and high-level tasks. But what does that mean in practice?

FreightWaves spoke with Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Ally Logistics and one of its technology providers, Fleetworks, to get a clearer picture of how these roles are evolving.

Traditionally, entry-level positions in freight brokerage involved repetitive tasks like posting loads, responding to carrier calls and tracking shipments. However, with the adoption of AI-driven solutions and automation tools, these tasks are likely to be increasingly handled by technology over time. This shift lets employees move from being reactive problem-solvers to proactive decision-makers.

At Ally Logistics, automation has significantly reduced the need for manual data entry and call handling. For example, the company has been utilizing the AI solution FleetWorks to negotiate initial rates, manage carrier communications and route calls to the correct representative.

“A carrier calls in, talks with the bot and they agree on a rate. From there, the call is transferred through the phone tree to a human rep who then finishes the job, books the load and confirms everything,” said John Corey, truckload operations manager at Ally.

One of the most significant changes in freight brokerage work is the shift toward carrier relationship management. Instead of spending their time answering every carrier call, employees now focus on developing long-term partnerships with reliable carriers.

AI assists in vetting carriers in real time and flagging potential compliance issues, which allows brokers to be more selective and strategic about their partnerships. This enhances the overall quality of service brokers provide to both carriers and shippers.

Another responsibility that has emerged is issue resolution and escalation. AI systems handle the bulk of communications but escalate complex problems to human employees. Rather than perform routine check-ins, workers now step in when an issue actually requires their intervention. For instance, if a refrigerated shipment’s temperature is incorrect, the AI promptly notifies a broker, who can take immediate action. This process ensures that human intervention is reserved for high-value tasks that require critical thinking and expertise.

“Freight brokering is not like a perfectly flat task. For example, you get crazy spikes of activity throughout the day where a majority of business gets done,” said Paul Singer, founder and CEO of Fleetworks. “We have even seen this trend in early morning operations. During these times of the day, you just get bombarded with phone calls and emails. With Ally Logistics and others, we now see that when the human does pick up the phone, it’s for a known issue or reason, avoiding those big spikes in inefficient time.”

Capacity and pricing strategy have also become key areas of focus. AI-driven insights provide visibility into market trends, lane availability and pricing fluctuations. Brokers analyze this data to adjust their rates competitively or identify lanes with high service reliability, improving margins and untapped capacity in a business environment that is constantly fighting shrinking margins.

“If we’re able to steer all of this phone call data to the right place, then we have more, accurate data points that we can score carriers on and build relationships based on their frequency into our network,” explained Brian Moran, director of truckload operations at Ally Logistics.

Customer experience and service differentiation will become even more important in the evolving freight brokerage landscape. With AI handling a growing share of the transactional elements of the job, employees can dedicate more time to refining customer strategies. This means shippers receive personalized, data-driven service rather than being treated as just another transaction.

“We also think technology investments are going to open up new conversations with our shipper partners outside of just covering a load,” said Dan Manshaem, founder and CEO of Ally Logistics. “For example, what we’ve heard a lot from our shippers is the sustainability challenge in freight brokerage and finding better ways to measure sustainability goals across their carrier base. … We are finding that we can build stronger partnerships by automating some of the functions that historically created friction from having those deeper conversations.”

Employees are also increasingly involved in operational efficiency and tech integration. Instead of merely using technology, they are actively refining and optimizing AI-driven workflows. At Ally Logistics, for example, employees provide direct feedback to improve how AI interacts with daily operations. This level of involvement ensures that technology is continuously progressing in a way that benefits both employees and customers. Brokers are no longer just users of technology; they are integral to shaping its development.

“We want to hear feedback from our team, whether it’s just overhearing them on the phones or just one-on-one discussions with employees. Then our job is to try to solve those problems for our people,” said Corey.

Ally Logistics is focused on a comprehensive technological transformation that extends beyond FleetWorks, strategically implementing multiple technologies to reimagine logistics operations for its employees.

At the core of its approach is a multifaceted tech stack designed to automate and optimize traditionally manual processes. A Highway integration represents a critical component for carrier vetting through real-time safety verification and automated compliance checks. Qued is streamlining scheduling capabilities including promotional opportunities for employees in a role that rarely extended beyond basic data entry.

From manual work to strategic oversight

As technology takes over routine operations, employees are tasked with more strategic and analytical responsibilities. This change has led to the emergence of what could be described as a “control tower” role, in which employees oversee and optimize automated processes rather than manually execute them.

As Manshaem, explains, the control tower manager becomes a sophisticated orchestrator of automated processes, focusing on intentionally building carrier networks and optimizing technological interactions.

The role is characterized by a deep integration of data analysis, strategic relationship management and technological expertise. Unlike previous logistics positions that were primarily reactive and transactional, these professionals now leverage advanced AI and automation tools to make proactive, data-driven decisions. They spend less time on manual tasks like load booking and more time analyzing carrier performance, developing rating systems and identifying nuanced relationship-building opportunities.

Technologically, these professionals become the critical bridge between automated systems and human expertise. They oversee real-time carrier vetting, manage complex communication workflows and continuously refine automation processes based on detailed feedback. Their skill set now requires a unique blend of technological understanding, strategic thinking and relationship management capabilities.

Manshaem describes technology as a “people empowerment tool,” emphasizing that it is designed to enhance rather than replace human intelligence. Managers in the future will act as conductors of a sophisticated technological orchestra, ensuring that automation strengthens strategic capabilities rather than rendering them obsolete. This shift is not just a transformation of individual job functions but a complete reimagining of how logistics professionals create value in an increasingly digital ecosystem. As a result, traditional roles are being reshaped – account assistants, once focused on manual tasks, are evolving into “account optimization specialists.”

This isn’t the end to how these roles can evolve. Singer explained the carrier data that technology providers can get their hands on utilizing AI.

“Fleetworks is probably talking to more carriers than any individual broker in the country at any moment in time,” said Singer. “This is great because this helps all of our customers understand carriers a little bit better. So we just want to be in more places and meet more carriers where they are, whether that is in phone calls, emails or messaging platforms like WhatsApp. Carriers, brokers and shippers win together when communication becomes seamless.”