After a six-month pilot, the Reading, Pennsylvania–based logistics provider is rolling out an agentic AI platform from Augment across its operations, heralding in a deeper commitment to applying artificial intelligence to day-to-day freight execution. The implementation expands Penske’s existing track-and-trace capabilities by adding an AI “teammate” designed to actively pursue shipment status updates when traditional visibility tools fall short.
Rather than waiting for carriers to push updates through portals or integrations, the system reaches out directly, via phone, email, or text, to carrier dispatchers to validate load status in near real time. The goal is to improve the ease, speed, and reliability of freight visibility for both customers and internal operating teams.
“We’re well underway with executing our AI strategy, and our partnership with Augment is one of many AI-related and tech-enabled supply chain initiatives we are implementing to enhance the experience for our customers,” said Jeff Jackson, president of Penske Logistics, in a news release. “AI at this scale is about giving customers more convenience, certainty and clarity in an increasingly complex and dynamic operating environment.”
In its initial phase, Penske plans to rely on Augment’s platform to validate the status of approximately 600,000 loads. The company anticipates productivity gains of 30% to 40% as the system eliminates routine manual follow-ups and streamlines communication with carrier dispatchers. Those efficiencies span inbound freight, middle-mile movements, and final delivery, with additional gains expected as the platform continues to scale.
The deployment reflects a broader reality across freight networks: even as digital freight visibility tools have improved, large portions of shipment status tracking still depend on phone calls, emails, and human intervention. That’s especially true when exceptions arise or when carriers operate across fragmented systems that don’t cleanly integrate with shipper and 3PL technology stacks.
Augment’s AI teammate is designed to operate in that gap. When shipment updates aren’t available through automated channels, the system initiates outreach using the carrier’s preferred method of communication. It adapts to each carrier’s escalation paths, understands when to involve a human operator for exceptions, and ensures validated information is reflected back into Penske’s transportation management systems.
Importantly, Penske says the approach has been well received by carriers because it mirrors how dispatchers already work. Instead of forcing carriers into new portals or rigid workflows, the AI meets them where they are, reducing repetitive check-in requests while maintaining accuracy and accountability.
For Augment, the Penske rollout represents a significant validation of its logistics-first approach to artificial intelligence.
“The AI transformation in logistics is bigger than bolting on another tool, it’s an opportunity to rethink how work gets done,” said Harish Abbott, co-founder and CEO of Augment, who previously co-founded Deliverr before its acquisition by Shopify. “That shift requires a logistics-native approach that works across the systems and channels teams already use and gets smarter as it learns how the business actually runs.”
Unlike task-specific automation tools, Augment’s platform is built to operate across the full order-to-cash lifecycle. Beyond tracking and follow-ups, the AI teammate can support quoting, dispatch, appointment scheduling, document collection, and billing—areas where manual processes still consume significant operational time and attention.
For Penske, those capabilities align with a broader push toward agentic AI systems that don’t just surface insights but actively take action. By reducing routine work, the company expects its teams to focus more on exception management, customer engagement, and higher-value problem-solving.
More broadly, the rollout shows how large logistics providers are beginning to prioritize execution-focused AI over purely analytical tools. While forecasting and predictive analytics remain important, many of the most immediate gains come from eliminating the everyday friction that slows freight down.
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