J.B. Hunt deploys agentic AI from incubator’s first startup to streamline freight operations

J.B. Hunt Transport Services has rolled out agentic artificial intelligence across all its business units to automate load coordination and smooth freight movement. The AI tool, developed by Overroute—the first startup from the Logistics Venture Lab incubator co-founded by J.B. Hunt and UP.Labs—went live in July 2025 and is now operational across J.B. Hunt’s operations. Overroute CEO Alex Reed told Transport Topics that the AI agents assist human operators by making phone calls, identifying appointment conflicts, rescheduling, and surfacing critical system information to boost efficiency. “These are different pieces that are floating in the stack of some carrier’s network that are helping these humans work more efficiently,” Reed said. Overroute, which launched in December 2025 with 15 employees, is currently developing three AI agents: one already in production at J.B. Hunt, and two in prototype stages focused on driver data collection and appointment scheduling. The driver-data agent aims to plug gaps in operational visibility, Reed explained, noting that even advanced telematics often miss real-time driver interactions. “A lot of it comes down to actually making phone calls,” he said. “The idea was very simple. Let’s go get operational data to plug gaps.” Overroute plans to expand beyond J.B. Hunt, targeting additional fleets as it builds toward a broader intelligence layer. J.B. Hunt, which handled approximately 1.85 million loads and 862,000 final-mile stops in Q2 2026, sees the AI deployment as part of a strategy to reduce friction in freight execution. “Overroute is an example of a broader strategy where we’re using AI as a force multiplier within our expansive network to reduce friction and improve how freight gets executed every day,” said Nick Hobbs, J.B. Hunt’s chief operating officer. The Logistics Venture Lab, a joint venture between J.B. Hunt and UP.Labs launched in October 2024, produced Overroute as its first startup. Agentic AI refers to autonomous systems capable of setting goals, planning, and executing workflows independently, adapting to new information without constant human input—unlike traditional chatbots. Overroute’s approach emphasizes not just generating answers but understanding their origin, relevance, workflow context, and required actions, including when human intervention is necessary. J.B. Hunt ranks No. 3 on the TT Topics Top 100 list of largest for-hire carriers in North America, No. 2 in the truckload/dedicated sector, and No. 1 in intermodal/drayage, while also placing No. 4 among the largest logistics companies.