How AI Cuts Trucking Costs by $53,000 Every Year

AI Helps Wisconsin Trucking Company Cut $53,000 in Annual Labor Costs

A Wisconsin trucking company recovered an estimated $53,000 in labor costs after its owner used artificial intelligence to review telematics data and identify excessive on-duty time in the yard.

Pam Polyak, a third-generation trucking owner who operates Polyak Trucking and Polyak Consulting, said she used Claude AI to analyze data from Samsara, the company’s fleet-management system. The review took roughly three minutes and highlighted a driver who was averaging more than 110 minutes of on-duty, not-driving time at the terminal during each shift.

Polyak said she instructed the AI tool to flag drivers spending more than 30 minutes on duty without driving while at the terminal. The results revealed a consistent pattern of extended yard time that went well beyond what would normally be expected for pre-trip or post-trip work.

“It was very clear that somebody’s behavior was theft-related in terms of time,” Polyak said, describing shifts in which the driver spent two, two and a half, or three hours sitting in the yard.

Because Polyak Trucking pays drivers by the hour, the additional time directly increased payroll costs. The company’s location near Chicago was one reason Polyak said she adopted hourly pay, but that structure also made unexplained delays more expensive.

“That right there easily saved me $53,000 worth of time and money because of him getting paid hourly. And being a small local company, I tend to pay my drivers hourly,” Polyak said.

The example illustrates how smaller fleets can use existing operational data to examine costs that might otherwise go unnoticed. Rather than relying on a large back-office staff, an owner can use an AI tool to sort through telematics records and identify unusual patterns for further review.

Polyak said the technology is useful beyond identifying excessive idle or yard time. In another analysis, she asked Claude to compare toll expenses for drivers hauling the same lanes. The tool found a $50-per-load difference between two drivers moving identical freight but using different routing directions.

For an owner-operator or small fleet manager, those discrepancies can be difficult to detect when information is spread across electronic logging records, toll statements, fuel receipts and dispatch data. Polyak said AI can help organize and compare the information without requiring an operator to spend hours at a desk.

She also said many small carriers remain cautious about adopting AI. Some operators formed their opinions after using early versions of ChatGPT primarily for writing or content generation. Polyak’s approach is different: She encourages carriers to use AI for reviewing business data, finding patterns and supporting operational decisions.

Polyak took over her family’s trucking business from her father in 2020. She has more than a decade of industry experience, holds a master’s degree and now leads six businesses, including Polyak Trucking and Polyak Consulting. Her work has included partnerships with major brands such as Kroger and The Coca-Cola Company, along with service to more than 3,000 customers.

Her discussions have also covered issues that directly affect drivers and small carriers, including Compliance, Safety, Accountability scores, safety ratings, insurance costs, driver retention, transportation-management systems and fleet technology.

Cost control remains particularly important as small fleets manage volatile operating expenses. Polyak advised carriers to monitor diesel spending closely, govern truck speeds and consider lower highway speeds—even 63 or 65 mph in a 70-mph zone—when appropriate for the operation.

She also urged carriers to include fuel surcharges in customer contracts. Without a mechanism to recover changes in fuel prices, a carrier can see its margins shrink quickly when diesel costs rise.

Polyak warned that payment timing can create an additional burden. She said tender cycles of 30 to 45 days, combined with similar payment terms, can leave small carriers waiting for revenue while payroll, fuel, maintenance and other bills continue to come due.

That cash-flow pressure may become more noticeable through the fourth quarter, she said. In some cases, limited liquidity could affect a company’s ability to provide holiday bonuses—not necessarily because owners do not want to pay them, but because available cash is tied up in unpaid invoices and operating expenses.

Polyak has discussed these issues through her trucking podcast, Hauling Success, which focuses on operational practices and technology for transportation companies. She has also shared observations from industry events including Manifest in Las Vegas, the Mid-America Trucking Show, transportation advocacy meetings in Washington, D.C., and the Broker Carrier Summit in Kansas City.

For professional drivers and small-fleet owners, the use of AI does not eliminate the need for sound judgment or direct management. In Polyak’s example, the technology identified a pattern; the company still had to evaluate the data and address the underlying conduct. The potential value lies in giving small operators a faster way to examine their own numbers and find costs that may otherwise remain hidden.