C.H. Robinson has rolled out Lean AI agents that automate 95% of missed less-than-truckload (LTL) pickup checks, saving more than 350 hours of manual work each day and reducing costly return trips by 42%. The company says the technology can help shippers move freight up to a day faster by resolving pickup issues in near real time.
The AI system uses two agents working simultaneously—one to contact carriers about missed pickups and another to determine next steps—allowing hundreds of shipments to be resolved daily across more than 11,000 customers. C.H. Robinson, which manages 37 million shipments annually, says the approach frees teams from time-consuming follow-ups while preventing knock-on delays across LTL networks.
The initiative reflects a wider industry shift toward workflow-level AI adoption as speed becomes a key competitive metric in supply chains. Beyond automation, the system also generates operational insights for carriers, helping them improve communications and optimise pickup scheduling.