AI Is On The Way!

A suggestion that I'd make is to offer users a choice such as "would you like to use the assistant to help phrase your question?" And likewise, "would you like to use the assistant to help with your reply/results?"

That may be in the works, to be fair, I just got done driving for the day, I haven't put any time into this yet.

I think a lot of us post things that aren't questions, more like stories, anecdotes, and general communications that could really be problematic to have ai rewrite.

Davy A.,

Great point! It might allow for members like me who are not computer savy or crazy about the modern "tools" that are available to feel comfortable in participating in the forums.

I appreciate the feedback everyone!

First, let me clarify that at this time AI is not being implemented in the forum or anywhere else on this website automatically or without people's knowledge. We currently have it set up on its own page, completely separate from the rest of the website. When I said AI will enhance your question, I was only referring to chatting with AI directly. Nothing is being altered here in the forum.

I'm also not sure if I'll attempt to answer questions in the forum with AI or not. I may attempt it at some point, but right now, I have other plans. So, the forum has not changed at all.

I absolutely see the need for something like this from a business perspective and staying relevant in this ever changing world BUT I worry it will limit the amount of new members participating in the forum

Unfortunately, AI systems like ChatGPT have already limited the use of this forum, and all forums, for that matter. It's dramatically reduced Google searches, as well. Tons of people are going straight to AI for answers now. I'm implementing it hoping to increase the forum's usage. If people can get some great answers from AI directly, they'll be more likely to keep using it and will soon find themselves in need of some direct human interaction. So, I'm hoping to drive more people here to the forum.

Brett, It may just be a mobile issue (Samsung) but on the chat box initially it isn't very clear what you need to do after typing your question. I was looking for some type of submit button, couldn't find one so I used "go" from my keypad. With the speed issue you mentioned I was unsure if it had submitted or not.

My bad. I forgot to style the page to work with phones. I've updated it now, and you'll see the submit button below the box you type into on phones.

I have played with the Chat GPT a few times before, just to see how it works.. It produces better answers, the more detailed a question asked is, than 1 basic liners.

Yes, it does. Asking questions as if you're talking to a human is something we get to do now. Google searches always puked on longer phrases or advanced questions. Once you went past about 5 or 6 words, your results became very unpredictable. With AI, you carry on a conversation just like with a person, and it understands every nuance.

My hope for any new development like AI is that it makes INFORMATION easier and more specific. For instance, my main source of information about trucking comes from TT. Sometimes it’s in the form of opinions and viewpoints, but sometimes just in the form of cut and dried facts. What I’m seeing is that this AI thing could be a very useful information tool to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

For example, the first thing I would do with it would be to ask about how to better understand HOS rules, sleeper berth , and 14 hour clock start and stop rules. I think there is a lot of information about that scattered throughout the forum, but am I correct in thinking AI could bring it all together in a concise and understandable fashion?

You nailed it. One powerful feature of this system is its ability to assemble pieces of information into a coherent answer.

I break down all of our information into small chunks about the size of one or two paragraphs, and I store them in a database. Then, I search all the chunks for the most relevant ones. I take all of those relevant chunks and send them to AI, and AI assembles them into a proper answer. This means I can find the answer using a paragraph from one article, a couple of paragraphs from another article, and a paragraph or two from three or four different forum comments.

So, the information doesn't need to be laid out perfectly in one place. I can give AI a list of various sources with bits and pieces of the answer in each one, and AI will assemble a coherent response.

Think about how many times we've talked about ways to make more money in trucking. Everyone has several ideas to offer. When you ask AI how to make more money in trucking, it will assemble a complete answer from a variety of sources. So you don't need Old School to nail the entire list of ways to make money in one forum comment or article. Bits and pieces of advice get assembled from all different sources and returned in one fantastic answer.

I received another request from a very long-time member to delete their account. I want to make some things clear:

1. Nothing has changed in the forum. It's exactly the same as it has always been. Nothing is being altered, and AI is not participating. If this changes in the future, I will announce it ahead of time.

2. AI is doing nothing beyond assembling our own information into coherent answers. If you want the best collective advice that Trucking Truth's members have offered over the years, AI is giving it to you. It's simply a tool to help us collect information from all over the website and assemble it all in one place. It's like getting all the best advice and all the most important facts every time you ask a question.

3. AI is just a tool, and its use here is optional. Even if I knew where everyone lived, I would not show up at your door, requiring you to use AI immediately, or else. If you want to give it a shot, you can. If not, you don't have to. There's no need to delete your account or stop coming to Trucking Truth simply because we've created a new tool for people to use.

4. AI is just a tool, and you guys are using it all the time, whether you realize it or not. For those who do not want to use AI, do not do any Google searches. Do not do a search on any websites. Do not drive your car. Do not use a cell phone. Do not call any corporations for customer service help. Do not use any online chat services. Do not log into your bank account or make any banking transactions. In fact, do not use any bank or any credit card at all. Do not do any shopping online or in person. Do you see where I'm going with this?

AI is everywhere, and you're all using it every day. Most of the time, you're simply unaware of it. I'm transparent about how I run this website, and I wanted everyone to know exactly what I'm doing, how I'm doing it, and why.

I can assure everyone that no harm will come to you. Give it a chance if you like, or opt out if you'd rather not.

BK, I'm sending you a link to try it out. I'll be giving the link to quite a few more people over the next day or two, and a public release is coming very soon.

Please keep the questions and feedback coming! I'll be adding our wiki, career guide, and more to the system very soon, possibly today.

Hey BK,

Your email address with Trucking Truth doesn't work anymore. I tried emailing you the link. Email me at brett@truckingtruth.com and I'll send you the link.

Hey Brett I’m interested too if you wouldn’t mind also sending me a link to it. I’m also hopeful it will lead to more forum involvement. Things have really slowed down on the forum since I joined like 8 years ago and it’s sad to me because I believe this site played a huge role in my development and success as a driver. I actually got more active on the forum again a couple years ago when I noticed I had been developing some bad habits and getting too relaxed about safety and I again noticed an improvement in my mindset. We have a great core group of drivers on this forum and we push each other to be better and do better. That’s what makes this forum special. I’m hopeful AI will help give the forum the bump it needs and I’m certain it will help people new to the forum sift through all the great info on here to find the answers they’re looking for

Things have really slowed down on the forum since I joined like 8 years ago and it’s sad to me because I believe this site played a huge role in my development and success as a driver

Yeah, it's sad to me too. I love this place. I want to see things pick up again. Traffic to the website is still strong, but people just aren't using forums like they used to. But I'm hoping I can spur more activity in here real soon.

I sent the chat link to ya. Enjoy!

I sent the chat link to ya. Enjoy!

Thanks! I can already tell I’m gonna have a fun time playing with this thing. Initial thoughts: unfortunately it does what all AI chatbots I’ve used so far does and gives pretty generalized answers BUT it does a fantastic job of pulling lots of information from various sources together and compiling it into one cohesive answer. I think my favorite thing is that you set it up to cite every source it gets its answer from so if I want more info or want to read the forum posts or articles myself I can just click or tap on them.

To those worried about it, I completely understand your concerns but I wouldn’t knock it until you try it. You ever seen those customer service chat boxes on your bank website or cell phone provider’s site or app? Those use AI to try to answer your question and if it can’t it’ll connect you to an actual agent. That’s very similar to what this is. Idk where Brett will put it on his site but it’ll be just like those customer service chats where you type in a question and it spits out an answer. He’s not using fake accounts and having chat bots asking and answering questions in the forum or anything like that.

Correct me if I’m wrong Brett but that’s my understanding of how you’re planning on using it. And again nice job, this thing is awesome

Correct me if I’m wrong Brett but that’s my understanding of how you’re planning on using it. And again nice job, this thing is awesome

Thank you!

Yes, you're correct. The way you're using it now is the primary intention, which is to just ask questions and get a response from the materials on our website. Right now I'm not using it any other way, but I do have more plans in the works.

It really does an amazing job of assembling information from our various sources. That's what is so exciting about it; it digs up great materials from all over the website. It even goes back several years in the forum to dig up some great stuff.

I think my favorite thing is that you set it up to cite every source it gets its answer from so if I want more info or want to read the forum posts or articles myself I can just click or tap on them.

Exactly! It tells you exactly where it pulled the information from on our website and gives a description and a link to each of them for further study.

You'll notice it also recommends two tools from our website at the end. Those are the tools most closely related to your question and answer. I've only just started adding tool options to it. I'll add more very soon, and make sure its recommendations are spot on.

So not only do you get the sources, but you get links to tools on our website related to your query. For instance, if you ask about paid CDL training, it will list our section on companies that offer paid CDL training and our paid CDL training application.

Mr Pianoman said:

“ I’m also hopeful it will lead to more forum involvement. Things have really slowed down on the forum since I joined like 8 years ago and it’s sad to me because I believe this site played a huge role in my development and success…”

I think Pianoman brings up a great related issue. If an AI feature on the website increases participants and participation, that would be excellent.

It’s so true about leading horses to water but not being able to influence their drinking habits. I’ve told more people than I can remember about TT, but sadly I don’t know of even one who has become a member. They are missing out on so much that would benefit them in their careers.

I think all the regular commenters have “the heart of a teacher”. I’ve grown up as a driver right here on TT and it gives me great satisfaction when I can pass on things I’ve learned here to someone new. I’m sure I speak for all the others when I say that.

I don’t know how it could be done, but it would be great if there was a one on one mentorship feature on TT. That is, if a new driver wants to be connected to an experienced driver, that could be arranged so that the new driver always had someone to call for help and advice. I know, for example, that Kearsey trains a lot of people and I think after they go out on their own they still keep in touch with her as they learn to navigate the solo driving life. My company doesn’t do training so I miss out on that opportunity. But I don’t need to have somebody with me on my truck for weeks in order to help them along. That’s one of the things cell phones are good for.

Personally, I would enjoy that opportunity to help train someone as somewhat of a mentor.

Hopefully all of us can find opportunities to introduce new members to TT. It’s really a resource that more schools and companies should inform their students and drivers about. It would actually improve the industry as drivers become better informed and knowledgeable.