Hirschbach Motor Lines has put an AI agent named Augie, built by logistics AI startup Augment, in charge of all outbound driver outreach across its brokerage operation — handling driver information requests, pickup arrivals and delivery arrivals, according to FreightWaves. The agent is automating more than 300 pickup and delivery check-ins per week and reaching drivers on over 85% of the carrier's Logistics Solutions loads.
Augie's Scope: 40% of Track-and-Trace, Now Automated
FreightWaves reported that the three interaction types handled by Augie — driver information requests, pickup arrivals and delivery arrivals — represent the automatable slice of Hirschbach's track-and-trace work, accounting for roughly 40% of the carrier's overall track-and-trace volume, excluding power-only freight. Within that slice, Augie is reaching drivers on more than 85% of the carrier's Logistics Solutions loads.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Share of track-and-trace volume covered by Augie | ~40% (excluding power-only freight) |
| Logistics Solutions loads reached by Augie | >85% |
| Automated pickup/delivery check-ins per week | 300+ |
For me, the early success isn't simply about the number of calls or messages Augie handles. It's that we're proving AI can become part of the operating model and reliably own a defined portion of the work. That was the big unknown: it works really well in demo environments. How does it actually work in real environments? And we've gotten it there. — Ivan Ramirez, CTO at Hirschbach Motor Lines, told FreightWaves.
Customers can rename the AI agent; Hirschbach refers to its version as Hirschie.
Why Hirschbach Bought, Not Built
The decision to bring in an outside AI partner came after roughly a year and a half of evaluating vendors, according to Ramirez. "I knew none of these guys had anything built," he told FreightWaves. "They'd all just gone and raised a bunch of money and had this great idea on how they were going to build out these different AI platforms. For me and our team, it was really about the team. What team are we going to partner with?"
Augment stood out on three fronts, Ramirez said:
- Team: A combination of logistics experience and technology depth.
- Product roadmap: Stretches beyond track-and-trace into appointment scheduling, load creation and carrier communication.
- Partnership: A willingness to let Hirschbach shape the roadmap rather than wait on a vendor release schedule.
"We did not want a traditional vendor relationship where we purchased a fixed product and waited for features," Ramirez said. "We've done that before and it's been a horrible experience. We wanted a partner willing to learn alongside us."
That led to a deliberate build-versus-buy decision, even though Hirschbach has a technology team capable of doing more in-house. "We made a decision early on that Hirschbach is a transportation company that uses AI to operate better," Ramirez said. "We're not trying to become an AI infrastructure company. So let's go find a really good partner where we can get to value a lot faster and get real operational value."
Large-Fleet Complexity: Appointments and Hours of Service
Selling AI into an enterprise carrier looks nothing like selling into a startup-friendly niche, according to Harish Abbott, co-founder and CEO of Augment. Dedicated operations alone carry layers of complexity: multiple stops, multiple loads, bill of lading handling and facility-specific assignment rules.
"The very first thing in all of this is: how do we get folks out of the day-to-day busy stuff, the unglamorous work, so they can be freed up to do more creative work," Abbott told FreightWaves.
Abbott called appointment scheduling one of the biggest pain points large fleets bring to the table, particularly through high-volume retail portals. "It's not easy to make appointments, especially in these large portals like Walmart and others," he said. "Power-only is very different than live load, very different than dedicated runs."
Watch list
- Roster expansion: Augment's product roadmap already extends into appointment scheduling, load creation and carrier communication, meaning the same AI agent could take on tasks beyond check-ins, according to Ramirez.
- Network visibility: Abbott said the bigger opportunity is tying appointment data back into hours-of-service and driver planning, so fleets see the whole network rather than one appointment at a time.
- Power-only vs. live load: The carrier's metrics exclude power-only freight, and Abbott flagged power-only as "very different" from live load and dedicated runs — an area where AI handling may progress differently.
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