How Laconic Tech Uses AI Agents to Automate Load Boards and Back-Office Work with Ken McLoud

You can feel the pressure in trucking right now—tight margins, constant market shifts, and more work piling onto the same people. So instead of chasing hype, we sat down with Ken McLoud from Laconic Tech for a real conversation about what AI actually looks like in logistics today.Ken is an engineer turned founder building AI tools for “dirt under your fingernails” businesses—freight brokerages, carriers, manufacturing, and heavy equipment—and he brings a practical, no-BS approach to automation.We start with a real-world use case that just makes sense: an AI agent that monitors load boards, factors in truck availability and fuel costs, applies your definition of a “good load,” and places bids fast enough to actually win. From there, we expand into a simple but powerful mindset shift—stop asking “Where can we use AI?” and start asking “What’s the bottleneck?”Once you identify the constraint, you map the workflow, build it into an SOP, and automate the repetitive pieces—keeping your people focused on what matters most: relationships, problem-solving, and service.We also get real about the downsides. AI between you and your customer can hurt trust if used wrong. And it’s not free—API costs stack up quickly when systems run nonstop. Ken breaks down how to stay flexible, avoid vendor lock-in, and build smarter by mixing models like Lego blocks—using cheaper tools where possible and stronger ones where needed.If you’re serious about applying AI in trucking, freight brokerage, and operations without getting lost in the buzzwords, this episode is for you.Key Takeaways👇✅ Start with the bottleneck, not the technology—solve real constraints first ✅ AI agents can monitor load boards, evaluate data, and place competitive bids in real time ✅ Turn workflows into SOPs before automating—clarity comes before efficiency ✅ Keep humans focused on relationships, exceptions, and service recovery ✅ Be careful putting AI between you and customers—it can hurt trust if overused ✅ AI isn’t cheap—token-based pricing can add up fast if not managed ✅ Avoid vendor lock-in by treating AI models like Lego blocks—mix and match tools ✅ Use lower-cost models as filters before escalating to more powerful (and expensive) ones Interested in being a guest on the podcast? Click here to join the conversation!Support the showNeed help finding the perfect truck seat? Let us find one for you! Call 269-692-5770, email: [email protected] ,or fill out form and use code TR104U.Get your Trucking Ray merch to show that you roll with Trucking Ray and That’s Delivered Podcast!  click: here