Walmart: AI Optimizes Truckers' Routes

Walmart Leverages AI to Optimize Truck Drivers' Routes

At Walmart, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a valuable ally in improving the working conditions of its truck drivers. The company has decided to invest heavily in this technology, providing its employees with advanced tools and specialized training. The goal is clear: to enable drivers to return home more quickly while optimizing logistics operations.

Leo Garcia, a logistics manager at Walmart, has utilized his knowledge of AI to develop innovative applications. Through an AI certification course, he was able to design a tool that helps truck drivers reduce time spent on the road and decrease the number of trips made with empty trailers.

A Personal Journey in Service of Innovation

Garcia is responsible for hundreds of semi-trailers transporting goods in the Chicago area. Having been a driver himself for over five years, he is particularly sensitive to the challenges faced by his teams. "Being on the road for five days is tough," he confides. "It's essential to do everything possible to ensure our drivers can get back to their families as often as possible."

Garcia has always wanted to build and create things, but he lacked the fundamentals to do so. Walmart's AI training program allowed him to acquire the necessary skills to create concrete solutions. In addition to this course, Garcia has taken other training on data analysis, further enriching his approach to logistical challenges.

Tools for More Efficient Routes

The AI course transformed Garcia's approach to logistical problems. He quickly identified a major issue: drivers returning home without empty trailers. Indeed, sending a truck back empty after a delivery incurs additional costs, known as "empty miles." To address this, Garcia used Walmart's internal coding agent, Code Puppy, to develop a tool that analyzes available loads and suggests the best options in terms of location and timing.

Garcia's tool selects the top five loads based on location, timing, and other factors. For example, if a driver is in the San Gabriel Valley and needs to return to Oregon, the tool evaluates all possibilities to optimize the route. "This allows us to quantify options in seconds," explains Garcia.

Tangible Results on the Ground

Recently, a driver needed to pick up a trailer while returning home to Wisconsin. Upon arrival, he discovered that the load would not be ready for another three hours. Garcia noted that the driver could wait those three hours, but that would delay his return, which is difficult. Thanks to the tool, an alternative solution was found: a supplier five miles from the initial location had a load ready for the same destination, allowing the driver to stick to his original schedule. Another driver was then assigned to pick up the initial load.

Towards Broader Adoption

Projects developed with Walmart's coding tool can be evaluated and potentially deployed on a larger scale within the company. Although Garcia's tool is still in the testing phase, it could soon be used more widely to enhance the efficiency of Walmart's logistics operations.

Garcia, who started his career at Walmart at the age of 18, never imagined he would design software. "If someone had told me that today I would be managing an area and developing tools to help the company grow, I wouldn't have believed it," he concludes.