How AI is helping logistics experts go from firefighting to customer-centric foresight

The global freight forwarding world is a maze of moving parts, and everyone's chasing speed, clarity, and control. For Pegasus Logistics, that pursuit leans heavily on AI, and the tech is quickly proving its worth across operations.

Hiram Hartnett, EVP of Sales at Pegasus, is among those leading the charge. He's focused on using AI to sharpen performance and keep customers one step ahead.

Too little too late: At Pegasus, they aren't just putting out fires, they're working to prevent them. Hartnett says the real value of AI is in anticipating issues before they snowball. "All of those tools enable you to stay on top of the exceptions, versus catching the exception three hours too late," he explains. That shift from reactive to proactive is a game changer when time-sensitive cargo is on the line.

Bots on the busywork: Manual tasks slow things down. And in freight, seconds matter. Hartnett uses AI bots to cut through routine work, especially in areas like data entry, where 28% of domestic shipments used to need human input. Now, machine learning tools handle the bulk, letting team members focus where it matters.

Seconds, not hours: Beyond operations, AI is speeding things up everywhere, from auditing invoices in accounting to surfacing smarter leads in sales. CRM platforms and intent tools like ZoomInfo are redefining the sales playbook. Hartnett is blunt: "The old-school person can't just go beat on doors like they used to. You've got to use the tools around you to be successful."

Made to measure: Visibility is the holy grail. But with thousands of potential partners in play, it’s easier said than done. "When you have a thousand partners, how are you going to possibly provide that visibility through the entire supply chain for each and every customer?" Hartnett asks.

Pegasus offers layered solutions: from basic online tracking to GPS devices strapped to the actual equipment on high-risk shipments. "In those cases where the consequence is so extreme, we may have tracking devices on the actual equipment versus just in the truck or on the truck." The key, he says, is tailoring the level of visibility to the risk and the client, not overpromising a one-size-fits-all fix.

Customer-first, always: AI isn't a vanity project. It's about doing better by the client. Hartnett puts it plainly: "To a customer, it's not about technology and it's not about people. It's about how are you staying ahead of problems."

That’s the north star—whatever the tool, the goal is simple: see it coming, fix it fast, and make it seamless for the customer.