Humans have been working on automating communication tools for at least a hundred years. In 1927, Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. introduced Herbert Televox, aka The Mechanical Man, a robot that could answer a telephone call and then complete a few simple processes by operating some switches.
The Mechanical Man’s skills were of course quite limited. Mr. Televox “could utter a few primordial buzzes and grunts and could wave his arms a bit.”
Thankfully, we’ve progressed far beyond buzzes and grunts, because in 2025, it’s difficult for any business to thrive without technology-enabled communication tools.
Communication Tools Have Gotten Much Smarter
Inventor R.J. Wensley explained Televox’s purpose to The Harvard Crimson in December 1928.
“The use for which the machine was developed, and which is as yet its only practical application, is in automatic switching equipment. For instance, the central office desires to turn on a light or perform some similar operation in a distant power station where Televox has been installed and no human beings are present. The dispatcher at headquarters telephones the substation. Televox answers, the signal is given. Televox carries out the command, and reports that it has been done.”
Today, automated tools, powered by artificial intelligence, are carrying out far more commands than Wensley could have imagined. For busy brokers handling LTL freight, the most advanced automated communication tools are enabling them to work smarter — no missed messages, no missed loads, no missed opportunities.
Freight Broker Software Takes LTL Shipping to the Next Level
Communication tools within Drumkit’s freight broker software help facilitate nearly every aspect of LTL shipping.
Scheduling pickup and delivery appointments, for example, through emails and portals can be time-consuming and error-prone. Drumkit handles LTL shipment scheduling for freight brokers, automatically coordinating appointments via email and customer portals, eliminating manual tasks and reducing mistakes.
With Drumkit, freight brokers spend less time on administrative tasks, minimize appointment errors, and manage their operations more efficiently overall.
Drumkit founder and CEO Dhruv Gupta explained that our freight broker software was developed “to take on those parts of the load life cycle that feel small but steal your team’s time.”
That includes automated communication tools that:
- Read carrier capacity emails and log truck availability.
- Quote shipments instantly using Greenscreens, DAT, or internal systems.
- Schedule appointments through web portals or email threads.
- Handle routine tracking check-ins with carriers and customers.
Drumkit Is Driving Freight Brokerages Forward
Without advanced communication tools, juggling multiple LTL shipments is time-consuming. Manually weeding through emails and voicemails is inefficient. And searching through disparate systems in an attempt to telephone the shipper with the whereabouts of a load is no way to achieve customer loyalty.
Drumkit takes routine LTL shipping tasks off freight brokers’ tasks. We do that through our automation tools, which include:
- AI-Powered Smart Autoreplies that drastically reduce response time.
- Automated Load Building, which eliminates manual data entry errors.
- Load Matching to enable quick and accurate carrier selection.
- Intelligent Sidebar to empower brokers to see all load information across platforms in one place.
- Automatic Status Updates that keep all parties informed from the time an LTL shipment is scheduled until it is delivered.
The Future Is Bright for LTL Freight Brokers
Think about what was considered a technological achievement in 1928.
“‘Click, click, click, buzz,’ answered a Televox upon the signal of its inventor, R.J. Wensley, over an ordinary telephone last evening, and proceeded to turn on electric lights, start electric fans and trains and do other almost human things in the presence of a Crimson reporter. The Televox, which was exhibited at the training school of the Boston Elevated Company, is the nearest approach to the long-sought ‘mechanical man.’ It consists of an imaginative cardboard figure of a man surrounding a complex electric outfit which forms the man’s ‘heart.’”
Who knows where technology and the hearts and minds of humankind will take us in a hundred years. The Mechanical Man of 2125 most certainly won’t resemble Mr. Televox at all. But in 2025, we continue to learn from the technological achievements of the past century to further develop automated communication tools powered by AI.
At Drumkit, we will continue to work tirelessly to help make freight brokers’ jobs easier with automation and AI. Join us on the automation journey. Book an introductory call.
