How to Prepare for the Future of Automation: Tips from U.S. Xpress
How to Prepare for the Future of Automation: Tips from U.S. Xpress
Fresh off their completion of Foresight Scouts® on the Democratization of Automation, Corporate Training Manager John Gianella and Innovation Insight Analyst Ada Panni of U.S. Xpress share their insights on foresight and how U.S. Xpress is preparing for the future.
December 3, 2021
If you’re familiar with Bridge Innovate, you’ll know that we love strategic foresight as a regular business practice. We define strategic foresight as a planning-oriented discipline that uses a set of practices and capabilities for anticipating and preparing for the future by pulling it towards us.
Authors for Elsevier, an analytics publication, developed a model that assesses the “future preparedness” of a firm which is highly correlated in scientific makeup to foresight. The model found that future-prepared firms outperformed average firms by 33% in higher profitability and 200% in higher growth.
Given this knowledge, why are we driving forward looking in the rear-view mirror? You won’t get far, and neither will companies that base their strategies solely on past performance. U.S. Xpress, one of the nation’s largest truckload carriers headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, is not one of those companies. They have been leveraging foresight to address challenges like talent development, supply chain disruption, and self-driving vehicles long before these issues made the news.
Related: Demystifying the Future with Foresight Scouts®
THE ADVANTAGE OF STRATEGIC FORESIGHT
U.S. Xpress is experiencing many of the same problems as other trucking companies, most notably the massive driver shortage. It’s estimated that the amount of professional truck drivers will be 100,000 short of what is needed by the end of 2021. John and Ada say the shortage is the result of several factors, including difficulty in obtaining a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License), bottlenecks leading to lower wages, and unpredictable schedules.
While many companies are still stuck in reaction mode, U.S. Xpress has proactively designed a new solution to emerging trends, Variant. A digitally orchestrated fleet, Variant has become the nation’s fastest growing carrier, according to Ada. It brings technology to load planning by assigning multiple loads in advance, allowing for better miles, better pay, and predictable home time—key factors in a driver’s decision of what carrier to work with.
In addition to the current industry-wide driver shortage, U.S. Xpress is preparing for autonomous trucking and all the benefits and challenges it may bring. Whether government mandated or on U.S. Xpress’ own terms, John believes it is inevitable. They have already begun researching safety and efficiency, testing, and the large scale effects autonomous trucking may have on infrastructure.
HOW FORESIGHT SCOUTS® MAKES YOU FUTURE-READY
Foresight Scouts® is a Bridge Innovate offering that teaches the fundamentals of strategic foresight by utilizing our expertise in design thinking and digital collaboration tools. The program is a virtual cohort learning experience that helps participants explore future trends while learning how to mine data and synthesize industry-specific external trends for superior decisions and higher performance. Every participant will walk away from the program with Foresight Brief™ to share with their team and organizational leadership. Here are just two elements of the program John and Ada highlight:
Identifying Macro Forces: Foresight Scouts® helps you to identify future trends as well as any disruptions those trends may cause when considering macro forces that business have no control over but most adapt to in order to succeed. John found the consideration of ethics as a macro force particularly relevant to the future of AI—as it becomes more intelligent, who is responsible for its decisions if something goes wrong?
Foresight Scouts® Tools: The program offers a multitude of tools that equip participants to better understand the future. John enjoyed how the Impact and Certainty Matrix provides key decision support by prioritizing the potential impact of macro and micro forces. The PESTLE Scan helped Ada understand how the use of predictive analytics in creating a more person-centric approach to higher education could impact hiring practices.
Ready to release your grip on the past and start investing in predictive analytics, future trend analysis, and emerging technologies? Sign up for our next Foresight Scouts® cohort to explore the future of talent development, a key priority for leaders in the next normal. Don’t forget to watch the full webinar for more insights from John and Ada about their learning experience.
The Inspire Series fosters connection and learning by celebrating stories of innovation, strategy, leadership, and change. Experience the power of collective wisdom: sign up for our next webinar.