DRIVE-KIT: The Logistics AI Assistant for Mobile Teams

The organization has documented everything: loading instructions, safety guidelines, access routes, and customer-specific procedures. However, this information is distributed across documents, systems, and the knowledge of individual team members. Meanwhile, the driver is waiting at the workshop gate.

The usual sequence follows: searching, calling, and waiting. Dispatch answers the same question for the fifth time. New colleagues work their way through the process, while employees who do not speak German need additional support to access German-language documents.

This is where DRIVE-KIT comes in: at the intersection of organizational knowledge and day-to-day operations. It provides a direct route to the relevant information.

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DRIVE-KIT is an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant for logistics developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML. It makes company-specific knowledge available on mobile devices. The setup is intentionally simple:

• Provide knowledge: Approved documents and information form the knowledge base.
• Ask questions: Use text or voice in the preferred language, whether in the vehicle, at the loading dock, or at the customer’s site.
• Get an answer: The logistics assistant retrieves relevant content from the approved knowledge base and provides a clear response to the specific question.

The result is faster access to answers and less waiting. This approach supports the use of digital assistance systems in day-to-day mobile operations.

Reduced inquiries to dispatch and operations management
When information is directly accessible on the go, teams can reduce recurring inquiries to dispatch and operations management. These teams can then focus on cases that require a decision.

Support for onboarding
New employees can find required information independently. This reduces their reliance on experienced colleagues and makes onboarding more predictable.

Multilingual access to information
Questions and answers are available in multiple languages. This gives employees who do not work in German easier access to approved safety and work-related information.

One platform for all
Approved information can be made consistently available through defined knowledge areas, roles, and access structures.

A clearly defined starting point
Instead of starting a large-scale transformation project, the approach addresses a clearly defined everyday problem. This allows stakeholders to assess the benefits within a manageable use case.

What is already possible today

• Multilingual knowledge queries via text and speech
• Integration of company-specific documents as a knowledge base
• Mobile use in day-to-day operations
• Customer-specific knowledge areas, roles and access structures
• Presentation in the company’s brand identity

Areas of collaboration with industry partners:

These areas include context-based information provision, integration of location and order information, proactive notifications, structured feedback from operational processes, and integration with transportation management and other operational systems. Step by step, the knowledge assistant is being developed into a context-based artificial intelligence (AI) assistant for operational logistics processes.

DRIVE-KIT is already being used under real-world operational conditions and is being further developed with industry partners. Requirements identified during testing inform ongoing development. The key question for day-to-day operations is whether the solution helps the person at the loading dock.

Areas of application: AI assistant for logistics in freight forwarding, waste management, and services

DRIVE-KIT is designed for organizations with many mobile employees, including freight forwarders, logistics networks, port and terminal operators, waste management companies, and companies with their own transportation or service processes.

Work and safety information
Work instructions, safety guidelines, loading instructions, and operational standards are accessible on the go. The AI assistant supports drivers by providing access to this information.

Customer and location information
Access routes, contact information, loading and unloading guidelines, and details for individual locations are readily accessible.

Operational inquiries
When questions or discrepancies arise, DRIVE-KIT helps users find relevant information in the approved knowledge base.

Digitization and artificial intelligence (AI) in freight forwarding involve more than planning and billing. DRIVE-KIT focuses specifically on operational work on the road.

To facilitate realistic planning, here are three key points:

1. DRIVE-KIT uses the knowledge base approved for the specific use case to provide relevant information. Complete, up-to-date, and clearly written documentation is an important prerequisite for accurate responses.
2. Context-sensitive features, such as the integration of location and order information and proactive notifications, are under development. Current planning is based on the multilingual knowledge assistant, with additional features to be added gradually.
3. It is best to start with a clearly defined use case before expanding to the entire document repository.

The following steps outline the collaborative process.

First, the team selects a clearly defined use case. Together, the participants identify suitable user groups, information, and processes. DRIVE-KIT is then configured with the relevant company information and tested under real-world conditions.

Typical questions during this process include:

• What information do drivers need most frequently?
• Where do recurring questions arise?
• What information is particularly relevant for new or international employees?
• What specific support can DRIVE-KIT provide in day-to-day operations?

DRIVE-KIT is available to interested organizations.

A short live demo shows how DRIVE-KIT could be used within an organization and provides an opportunity to discuss a suitable use case.

Request a live demo

Request a live demo