Kenco Puts Six AI Agents Into Live 3PL Operations in Three Months

Third-party logistics provider Kenco has moved six artificial-intelligence agents into live operations after a three-month deployment with technology company DeepFabric. FreightWaves reported August 27 that the agents are working across commercial, operations, transportation and client-service functions. The companies plan to expand the program to 20 supply-chain agents during the next 12 months.

The rollout focuses on repetitive, document-heavy work where information must be checked across warehouses, carriers and customers. Freight auditing is one of the central uses, alongside proposal and inventory management. Kenco operates 141 distribution facilities covering 43 million square feet across 33 states and Canada, giving the program a large network of invoices, handoffs and service records on which to test whether automation produces measurable operational value.

A notable feature is the move from a limited proof of concept into production without a reported customer-service disruption. Kenco retains human approval authority through inspection and override paths. That structure matters because freight decisions can affect billing, inventory, appointments and carrier relationships. A fast output is not useful if the underlying data is incomplete or the system cannot explain when a person must intervene.

For trucking fleets and logistics teams, the broader trend is practical rather than futuristic: AI is being applied first to audits, bids and information flow, not to replacing every operational role. Companies considering similar tools should establish a pre-deployment baseline, define who approves exceptions and measure results such as manual hours per 100 invoices or bids completed without added headcount. Drivers and dispatchers still provide the real-world context needed when weather, equipment, customers or appointment conditions depart from the plan.