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Painter outlines Trimble’s investments in AI and cloud-native software. (Trimble)

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NEW ORLEANS — Technology supplier Trimble has introduced its next-generation transportation management system and is rolling out new artificial intelligence tools embedded in its software to help its transportation customers better compete in the “AI age.”

At its tech conference, held Nov. 16-18, the company showcased a variety of new AI agents and workflows designed to streamline tasks and boost efficiency across all its systems, including its TMS platforms and its maintenance, routing and mapping software.

Trimble CEO Rob Painter described AI as a “force multiplier” for the technologies, workflows and connected ecosystem that drive the transportation industry.

“AI is making possible a world where your most complex data becomes actionable intelligence in minutes, a world where manual, repetitive tasks that previously took hours are handled in seconds, a world where your team’s productivity is amplified in an instant,” Painter said during the conference’s opening session.

The company’s next-generation core software product, the newly unveiled Trimble TMS, is a cloud-native system that incorporates AI and machine learning to automate business processes and deliver predictive insights to fleet managers.

It will be available as a complete, end-to-end TMS, or as seven individual software modules that customers can implement individually for use with Trimble’s existing TMW.Suite, Innovative and TruckMate TMS products.

Michael Kornhauser, sector vice president for Trimble Transportation & Logistics, said Trimble’s longstanding TMS products are reliable, integrated systems that have been enhanced repeatedly over the years, but acknowledged that they are rooted in a past era of technology.

“For years, our TMS solutions have helped power the businesses that make our country move at scale,” he said. “But here’s the truth — they weren’t born in the AI age, and we all know that.”

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Kornhauser introduces the company’s next-generation TMS and a variety of new agentic AI tools. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)

The new Trimble TMS changes that, Kornhauser added. “This is the cornerstone of your connected future.”

Together, the seven modules that compose the Trimble TMS are designed to streamline the entire life cycle of transportation operations, from order acceptance and load building to dispatching and payment.

Each module features embedded AI agents that automate various tasks to save time and resources while providing live tracking and visibility.

Fleet operators will be able to implement the Trimble TMS all at once or over time by adding individual software modules to their current TMS platforms.

“You can experience Trimble TMS without a rip and replace,” Kornhauser said.

Trimble just introduced its next-generation Trimble TMS, a cloud-native transportation management system “built for the AI age,” here at its Insight 2025 tech conference in New Orleans. — Seth Clevenger (@SethClevenger)

Two of the individual software modules, Trimble TMS Order and Trimble TMS Capacity, are available in a prerelease trial for truckload carrier customers using TMW.Suite or Innovative. The company is targeting a first-quarter 2026 rollout for the beta version of the end-to-end Trimble TMS.

Kornhauser said Trimble anticipates that its entire TMS customer base will eventually migrate to the new Trimble TMS, likely within the next five to 10 years.

Trimble’s AI development efforts and its core mission to connect people, data and workflows across the supply chain are aided by the scale of its customer base. Painter said a global network of 1 million trucks and $60 billion in annual freight spend are supported by Trimble’s technology.

Agentic AI

Trimble highlighted several of its new AI agents and the specific functions that they can complete in an autonomous fashion.

The Order Intake Agent, which will be available for Trimble’s TMS offerings, quickly processes incoming orders from emails, PDF files and electronic data interchange and automatically enters that data in the TMS, eliminating the need for manual review for 90% of standard order entries.

“The process of scanning and entering your orders is as easy as forwarding an email,” Kornhauser said.

Another example is the Invoice Scanning Agent for Trimble’s TMT Fleet Maintenance system.

This agent automates manual data entry by scanning PDFs and entering repair order data into TMT, enabling maintenance managers to focus instead on higher-value work.

Trimble also introduced a Road Call Agent for its TMT Road Call vehicle breakdown response software. The AI agent interprets a driver’s natural-language description to automatically create a ticket for the breakdown based on the phone call, which can accelerate response times and minimize vehicle downtime.

“The job of AI is not to replace your people. It’s to free them up to do their best work and scale the business without adding head count,” Kornhauser said. “That starts with handling the mundane tasks that slow down your work.”

The Order Intake Agent is now available for prerelease trials with Trimble TMW.Suite and is expected to be available for Trimble TMS, TruckMate and Innovative during the first half of 2026.

Trimble plans to roll out the other new AI agents in the first quarter to existing customers.

An Open Ecosystem

Throughout the conference, Trimble emphasized its partnerships with other technology vendors via its connected freight ecosystem.

“No single provider can solve every challenge,” Kornhauser said. “True strength in transportation comes from collaboration. That’s why we are committed to operating an open network.”

The company has set out to improve communications between the back office and the driver with Trimble Fleet Hub, which more efficiently connects Trimble’s TMS software with in-cab technology from major telematics vendors.

Trimble said Fleet Hub enables dispatchers to manage communications from any location and speed up messaging with drivers, which helps address communication problems that can contribute to driver turnover.

“This connection puts your back office and your drivers on the same page, closing communication gaps,” Kornhauser said.

Fleet Hub integrations are now available with telematics vendors Platform Science, Isaac Instruments and Samsara and will soon deploy on Geotab, Motive and Solera, he said.

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Conference attendees explore the exhibits at Trimble Insight 2025. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)

Two carrier customers cited enhanced communications from Fleet Hub in recorded remarks played at Insight.

“We’ve seen amazing improvements in speed and reliability and just an overall better driver experience,” said Matt Galusha, transportation technology special projects manager at bulk carrier Foodliner.

Craig Zeller, owner of Zeller Transportation in Hartford, Wis., said the company’s drivers and back-office personnel alike have become more efficient since deploying configurable workflows and implementing Fleet Hub to enhance the connection between TMW.Suite and Samsara.

Trimble Fleet Hub is available for Trimble TMW.Suite and Trimble TMS, with Innovative and TruckMate availability targeted for the first half of 2026.

In another example of industry collaboration, Trimble announced an integration between its Fuel Dispatch TMS and fuel logistics software company Tandem Concepts to better support fuel haulers. The integration enables companies to run validation prior to dispatch to prevent drivers from encountering allocation or credit issues when they arrive at the fuel rack.

Trimble also reiterated the importance of cybersecurity in a rapidly changing technology landscape.

“A connected ecosystem is only as strong as its foundation, and that foundation must be fully secure,” Kornhauser said. “Cybersecurity is not an add-on. It’s the baseline for everything we build at Trimble.”

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