AiFleet is transforming trucking
Obvious Ventures
Venture capital for startups reimagining trillion-dollar industries through a world positive lens.
Sand in the gears of global supply chains has been increasing since 2020, but it had been seeping in long before. Nowhere has it been more prevalent than in the trucking industry. While the challenges are far-reaching, they are centered on one critical constituent: the drivers. It doesn’t take much to understand why.?
Sky-high turnover
Between 1995 and 2017, the trucking industry averaged a 94% annual driver turnover rate.
Decreasing pay
Adjusted for inflation, a truck driver’s median salary was $110K a year in 1980. By 2021, it had plummeted by more than 50%, to $48K a year.
Diminishing union jobs
In 1983, approximately 40% of truck drivers in the U.S. had jobs with a union contract. By 2020, the share had dropped to 10%.
Employees no more
Many trucking companies have abandoned employment models in favor of gig economy models, classifying today’s drivers as independent contractors and saddling many with debt as they struggle to cover the costs of their own equipment, gas, and more.
Long hours, unpaid time
Most truck drivers average 60 to 70 hours per week—not including wait times for the loading/ unloading of cargo, inspections, and cleaning —yet still aren’t paid overtime.?
It’s no surprise that the team at aifleet saw an opportunity. The company simultaneously created a dramatically improved experience for drivers— offering better employment structure, more time at home, and more efficient routing through AI—and a reduction in CO2 emissions. While still early in their journey, the team at aifleet has so far delivered impressive numbers:?
The most striking statistics may be those that speak to the company’s environmental impact: If all trucking fleets in North America operated with the same efficiency as aifleet, the company estimates:?
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