Where AI Is Creating Real Value in Freight Operations Today

Manifest 2025 was one of the biggest gatherings of logistics technology minds in the industry. In this episode recorded on the ground there, Will Jenkins sits down with David Bell, CEO and Founder of CloneOps.ai, and Alfonso Quijano, CTO of Lean Solutions Group, to talk about where AI is actually showing up in freight logistics operations — and what it's actually doing versus what it's being marketed to do.

David shares the CloneOps.ai perspective: where voice and conversational AI creates real operational value for freight brokerages and carriers, what adoption looks like in practice, and the gap between what technology promises in a demo and what it delivers in a real freight environment. Alfonso brings the Lean Solutions Group view — a large-scale logistics organization's experience evaluating and integrating technology tools across a complex operation.

The conversation zeroes in on something that often gets overlooked in logistics technology discussions: the relationship layer. David and Alfonso both make the case that technology adoption in freight is fundamentally a trust and credibility problem as much as a product problem. Organizations don't adopt tools from vendors they don't believe in, and belief in a freight tech vendor is built through the same relationship dynamics that drive freight brokerage sales.

This episode is for freight operators, logistics leaders, and freight tech professionals who want a realistic view of where AI is in the industry right now and what's actually driving adoption.

Explore Journey's AI Sales Coach for freight teams or learn about freight operations consulting.