The industry-wide push for better visibility has fundamentally reshaped the way freight moves. Freight visibility platforms have built networks with millions of users, promising real-time insights. Descartes VP of Strategic Operations Andrew Wimer, however, sees a deeper problem within the visibility landscape. The industry is losing trust, largely due to shortcuts that prioritize scale over reliability.

Wimer’s concern is not with visibility itself, but with industry practices that rely on single-source tracking, and surface-level automation. Ongoing issues like repetitive AI-driven calls, the sale of driver data, instance access to fleet-level ELD location data without carrier awareness, and AI misused as a lesser stand-in for reliable tracking best practices are eroding confidence in the technology meant to support drivers and carriers.

Wimer’s perspective is rooted in more than fifteen years of expertise in the industry, from which he can share countless instances from truck drivers, freight tech users and others that reveal constant interruptions, privacy worries, and the sense that the technology serves the platform more than the people using it. That perspective shapes how Descartes builds its visibility products.

At the core of Descartes’ approach is the scale of its visibility network, combining deep ELD integrations with the industry’s largest connected driver app ecosystem. Freight generates large amounts of data across ELDs, telematics systems, and mobile devices, and Descartes brings those signals together to maintain consistent visibility.

The real challenge isn’t data volume; it’s dependence on a single tracking method. When an app is misconfigured or an ELD temporarily goes offline, operations teams lose visibility and switch to manual recovery. Brokers make check calls, customer service sends emails, and staff get pulled from revenue-generating work just to chase updates. This is why Descartes utilizes an “ELD plus” approach, or waterfall tracking, to fall back on other tracking methods to capture data when the preferred method is not available.

Descartes responded with OpsForce AI, a suite of agents built on the Descartes MacroPoint™ visibility network. Rather than replacing proven ELD-first tracking, OpsForce AI strengthens it by intervening only when something breaks. These agents operate across a multithreaded network, automatically restoring tracking, resolving quality issues, filling visibility gaps, and more without further burdening drivers or operations teams.

One of the first agents addresses a key challenge: driver app adoption. Many visibility failures start before a load even moves, from non-ELD compliant carriers, misconfigured apps, or drivers needing help with installation. The Driver App Installation Agent spots these early and walks drivers through setup, making sure location settings and the app are correct.

There’s also a Check Call Agent, who calls drivers if a load is not tracking or stops tracking for a set amount of time to confirm their status and help get them tracking again. The goal is permanent resolution, so the same driver is never contacted twice for the same issue.

Another agent handles arrival and departure validation. Geofencing has tracked arrivals for years, but confirmation always triggered human follow-up. The agent now asks whether the driver is at the dock, waiting in line, or dealing with a rejection. She validates times, removes false exceptions, and collects proof of delivery. That data flows back to the customer system, cleaning milestone data, and speeding payments.

For Wimer, the mission is clear: build visibility that respects drivers’ time, frees brokers to focus on revenue, and restores trust across the freight network. By combining unmatched visibility network reach with targeted AI intervention, Descartes continues to drive the future of supply chain visibility.

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