Smarter supply chains: How AI is transforming the future of haulage

Written by Catherine Coupland from Sentinel Partners

The haulage industry is under constant pressure, with rising costs, regulatory pressures, and supply chain disruptions, meaning businesses are constantly looking for ways to improve operations.

However, one area that is often overlooked is the amount of time spent managing paperwork and administration. Every delivery creates information that needs to be captured, checked and processed. Delivery tickets, proof of delivery documents, weighbridge records and invoices all play an important role, but for businesses handling thousands of deliveries each year, managing this information manually can become a significant challenge.

This is where practical applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help.

Transforming manual processes with AI

At Sentinel Partners, we work with organisations to identify where technology can remove unnecessary manual effort and improve the way information moves through a business.

For the haulage and supply chain sector, one of the biggest opportunities is document processing.

Many businesses still rely on employees to manually review documents, enter information into systems and check that records match. While these processes are essential, they can take up valuable time and create delays.

AI can help by reading documents, extracting relevant information and identifying where action is needed. Instead of replacing people, it supports teams by taking care of repetitive tasks and allowing employees to focus on areas where their experience adds the most value.

A real example from the supply chain sector

Here at Sentinel Partners, we recently supported a major UK construction materials supplier operating across more than 50 locations and transporting over 20 million tonnes of material each year.

The organisation was facing significant challenges in managing the large volume of paper tickets and delivery records generated by their supply chain. With around 40,000 tickets to process manually, the task of reading, digitising and matching these documents was time-consuming and prone to human error.

Additionally, the existing system used to partially scan and read tickets was not performing well, leading to further manual effort.

Sentinel designed an AI-powered solution that automates much of the process. The solution reads and digitises scanned delivery tickets, including handwritten notes, and extracts key information such as net weight and delivery type.

It then matches this data with records in the client’s invoicing and transport systems, helping to ensure transactions are accurate before they are processed. By integrating with the client’s finance and logistics systems, information flows seamlessly between platforms, making it easier to spot and resolve any discrepancies in real time.

As delivery tickets can arrive in different formats, the solution also includes a manual review option, allowing operators to accept or reject matches when needed while keeping the majority of the process automated.

The result?

The solution significantly reduced invoice processing times, improving cash flow and freeing employees to focus on higher-value tasks. AI-driven ticket matching also reduced human error, increased accuracy, and enabled anomalies to be identified and resolved in real time.

Could AI help your business?

The challenges faced by the haulage sector are not unique. Across many industries, businesses are dealing with time-consuming manual processes, disconnected systems and large volumes of information that need to be managed accurately.

At Sentinel Partners, we have been helping organisations for over 15 years to identify where technology, automation and better use of data can make a practical difference.

Learn more about our client journey here.

If you are exploring how AI could improve processes within your business, we offer a free discovery call to understand your current challenges, discuss potential opportunities and identify where technology could add real value

Book your free discovery call with Sentinel Partners today by contacting +44(0)800 612 2116