AI Isn't the Enemy with VP of Tech, Nick Beukema

What does it actually take to stay relevant as AI reshapes the workforce? In this episode of Inside Freight by Fifth Wheel Freight, we explore a simple but critical mindset shift: you won't be replaced by AI, but you may be replaced by someone who knows how to use AI well.

Nick Beukema, VP of Technology at Fifth Wheel Freight, breaks down how professionals across freight, logistics, and beyond can stop fighting AI and start directing it. He discusses how to identify which parts of your job are at risk of automation, practical first steps for getting comfortable with AI tools, why creativity will become the competitive bottleneck, and more.

Whether you're a broker, shipper, carrier, or logistics professional, this episode gives you an honest, practical take on working with AI rather than against it.

Inside Freight is produced by Fifth Wheel Freight, a third-party logistics provider based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, offering truckload, LTL, drayage, rail, over-dimensional, and expedited freight services across the US and Canada. Learn more at fwf.com.  

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So, yeah, I think the main piece is like, don't fight it. Like, how might you work with these, you know, AI agents, AI tools, and things like that? And like, how might I apply it?

SPEAKER_01 0:09

And that could just be as simple as just if there was one sort of like mindset shift that you would recommend people make as we continue to as technology continues to progress, as AI continues to be very much at the forefront, what would that be in order to, you know, keep up with the times, if you will?

SPEAKER_00 0:30

The biggest one is going to be, I think, you know, kind of how I spoke to earlier, identifying like what kind of work are you doing? Yeah. And self kind of identifying, is this going anywhere or not? And in that same vein, you know, it's I feel like it's kind of cliche at this point, but a lot of people say it because it's true. You're not going to get automated by AI. You're going to get automated by someone who uses AI. What does that look like? That would be the mind shift that I would recommend is like try to anticipate where your industry or your skill is going.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

And try to like figure out what does it look like to bring an AI agent into that, into that realm.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Like, how can you be the driver?

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And it kind of becomes like the symphony coordinator at that point, right? Where like there's a realm of like, you know, you're probably you might end up taking on a little bit more of like functional manager skills to an extent because it's kind of what AI can be as like you're the director, you're the coordinator, right? And like kind of so looking at those kind of skill set changes, I think like at the end of the day, just kind of working on a creative process too of like how might I be creative in my industry and and kind of set myself apart. Because I think that will become the bottleneck here very shortly. So yeah, I think the main piece is like, don't fight it. Like, how might you work with these, you know, AI agents, AI tools, and things like that? And like how might I apply it? And that could just be as simple as just going to your LLM of choice and trying it out a couple times and try the voice mode and like see how it treats documents and like how what can it reach out to and do searches for things like that. Lightweight stuff like that. Or if you've done all of that, try to figure out how you can take it to the next level. I think it's going to be ubiquitous across every it already almost is, but like it will continue to be. And like it's important to be familiar and comfortable with uh using LLMs in your daily life.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's one thing that a lot of people, I mean, so it's something I realized when I finally started like being like, okay, I need to give LLMs a shot. Once you start realizing what it can do, you just it starts opening up all sorts of possibilities and you realize you can be wildly creative with it. To your point, I think just diving in and trying it is what's important. Cool. Well, thank you for all of your insights today. We'll be keeping an eye out for self-driving trucks. We'll refer back to this and see if some of your predictions are right.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

I'll try to buy one as soon as I can.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Okay, perfect. Um, but otherwise, thanks for coming on. We appreciate the insights.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

Thanks for listening to Inside Freight by Fifth Wheel Freight, where we break down the logistics topics that matter to brokers, shippers, and carriers. FWF is a third party logistics provider headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, specializing in truckload, LTL, drayage, rail, overdimensional, and expedited freight across the US and Canada. To learn more, visit FWF.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.