In this new episode of SOLUTRANS On Air, Hervé Rébillon speaks with Christophe Juhel, Business Developer at DJTAL SYSTEM. Together, they explore how artificial intelligence is gradually becoming part of daily operations in the road freight transport industry. Christophe also highlights the many opportunities these technologies offer, while underscoring key issues related to data confidentiality.
Published on Aug 21,2025 at 8:51 AM | Updated on Apr 2,2026 at 10:10 AM
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Hervé Rébillon: Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly present in the road transport sector. How is it being integrated today?

 

Christophe Juhel: We’re already seeing a number of real-world applications. Initially, AI was mostly used in the background—by major manufacturers, for example—to support engine or vehicle design. But now the visible part of the iceberg is emerging with the rise of generative AI, through tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity. In transport, this is mainly happening on the driver and vehicle side. Take smart cameras, for instance: they help contextualise driving tasks and gather data on driver behaviour—posture, whether they're eating or smoking, and so on—with a view to delivering targeted training. We’re also seeing applications in driver assistance systems. These features are already widespread in passenger vehicles but are now reaching the heavy-duty segment too: pedestrian detection, obstacle alerts, etc.


Predictive maintenance is another major development. By analysing data, AI can anticipate potential failures, preventing unplanned downtime. And in TMS (Transport Management Systems) and logistics operations, AI helps optimise transport flows. A number of promising projects are underway in this area

 

Hervé Rébillon: How are transport companies perceiving AI?

 

Christophe Juhel: Two trends are emerging. On one hand, there’s growing interest: companies are realising they use many different tools that don’t communicate with one another. This results in operators having to juggle between multiple screens, which complicates their daily work.


They’re also identifying a large number of repetitive, time-consuming tasks that add little to no value. For instance, when a dispatcher spends 30% of their time on manual data entry, that’s a waste of valuable expertise. That time could be much better spent on higher-value activities that benefit both the company and its customers.


On the other hand, there's still some hesitation. The technologies are still relatively new and, despite the media buzz, not always mature. And economic conditions have been tough for the road transport sector since last year. We’re currently more in a learning phase than in a phase of major investment.

 

Hervé Rébillon: Should AI be seen as an ally and an opportunity?


Christophe Juhel: I'd say both. When properly designed, AI becomes a valuable ally. It gives business leaders access to sharper dashboards and allows dispatchers to refocus on high-value tasks. In maintenance, it replaces systematic approaches—like replacing tyres or brakes every two months—with predictive logic, which is far more effective. It’s a real opportunity, especially for what we call "quick wins"—those easy, fast gains. But we must remain cautious: data security and job transformation are critical concerns.

Related article:  AI in road transport – What’s at stake and what lies ahead?


Hervé Rébillon: Let’s talk about these changes. The role of “AI agent” is gaining visibility. How does this role fit into a transport organisation?


Christophe Juhel: AI agents are starting to appear, but this requires a technological leap from providers. They need to upgrade their infrastructure and skills, which involves a significant investment. An AI agent isn’t just answering a question—it’s carrying out specific tasks. For example, it might automatically input a transport order into a TMS based on a received document (PDF, Excel, voice note, or message). It extracts the required details—pickup and delivery addresses, time slots, etc.—and directly feeds them into the system.


It can even interact with the customer: if information is missing from the document, the AI agent can automatically request it in a natural, human-like tone. This saves the dispatcher valuable time and prevents incomplete data from undermining the effectiveness of the AI. These agents are huge time-savers.

 

Hervé Rébillon: But is this really a new job role within the company?

  

Christophe Juhel: Not exactly—it’s not a standalone job. It’s more of a complementary tool. Its purpose is to automate low-value tasks and allow employees to focus on what truly matters.


AI agents can be used for order entry, customer communication, or route optimisation. In the past, we used software for simulations—now AI can process a live order and assign it to the optimal route in real time, factoring in all constraints: distance, timing, CSR rules, and more. Another example: improving truck load ratios. These smart building blocks can now be integrated into existing TMS platforms—no need to change tools. They improve daily operations while boosting both profitability and decarbonisation efforts.


Also on SOLUTRANS OnAir: Episode #31 – Hydrogen: Are commercial vehicles ready for lift-off?


Hervé Rébillon: And at DJTAL SYSTEM, are you integrating AI into your solutions?

 

Christophe Juhel: Absolutely. We’re fortunate to work with a new generation of professionals for whom AI is nothing new. At DJTAL SYSTEM, we’ve been using AI for over ten years. Today, all the right conditions are aligned: the technology is mature, and the market is ready. It’s not magic—it’s simply the right time.

 

Hervé Rébillon: Let’s talk about a key issue: data security. Does the use of AI in a transport company pose a risk?

  

Christophe Juhel: It can, if the right precautions aren’t taken. Using AI means sending data to a remote server. And countries like the U.S. or China have laws allowing them to freely access that data.


In other words, using a public AI tool is essentially sharing your know-how, your confidential data—and possibly your clients’ data—with foreign entities. That information could then be used to train other AIs or for other purposes beyond your control. In transport, companies typically work under NDAs with clients. So data protection is absolutely essential.

The best way to safeguard this integrity is to use local, open-source AI models. These are installed directly on company servers and trained using internal data—without sending anything to third-party servers.
However, this approach comes with challenges. First, you need the right expertise to understand and manage these technologies. Then you need the proper hardware, especially GPUs—Graphics Processing Units, not Generative. These processors originated from graphics cards, which explains NVIDIA’s dominance in the market. But global demand is so high that access to these components is now extremely limited and expensive.

 

So the barriers to entry—both technical and financial—are significant. That’s why the issue of data security must be taken very seriously. Internal awareness is key: employees must be trained not to use public AI tools to generate presentations, write summaries, etc., whenever internal or sensitive data is involved.
Setting up a clear company-wide policy on AI use—whether via work tools or personal accounts—is a must, and it should be done without delay.

 

 

Artificial intelligence will be a key topic during the conference programme at SOLUTRANS 2025, as well as among the many exhibitors present at this global hub for industrial and urban vehicles.
See you in Lyon, Eurexpo, from 18 to 22 November 2025!