Miami International Bets on AI Platform to Untangle 1,600 Daily Truck Trips

Miami International Airport handled a record 3.4 million tons of freight in 2025, up 9.4% from 2024, and now it wants the software to match that scale. The airport has signed with Kalé Logistics Systems to build what the partners call the world's first AI-based air cargo community system — a shared platform designed to kill paper transactions, coordinate truck scheduling and cut the landside congestion that comes with more than 1,600 truck trips a day.

Atlanta-based Kalé already runs cargo community and cargo management systems at more than 125 airports and single digital ecosystems at more than 75 maritime ports. At MIA, it will hold community workshops starting in January to gather stakeholder requirements, then implement the system over 18 months, CEO Amar More told FreightWaves.

What does the platform actually do?

The system combines modules for scheduling truck pickup and delivery at terminals, transmitting electronic delivery orders, processing electronic payments and filing customs documents. Airlines, forwarders, motor carriers, customs brokers, warehouse operators and regulators would exchange data on one platform that routes information to the correct party automatically, instead of the fragmented manual processes each operator runs today.

Kalé's system will sit on the front end, with application programming interfaces connecting to every entity moving cargo through MIA. Some airports deploy only a handful of modules, but MIA plans to implement the full system, starting with electronic document sharing and truck traffic management, More said.

"Today, as a freight forwarder or a trucking company in Miami, you're accessing one system at a time," More said in an interview. "A truck that goes and drops off at Worldwide Flight Services can't easily coordinate its next move to pick up cargo at the Swissport ground handling facility."

Where does the AI come in?

Artificial intelligence will guide participants through their workflows. Using traffic pattern prediction and wait-time data, it can tell a trucker how long unloading should take at the first stop and when to book the pickup appointment at the next ground handler. Truckers can also query a generative chatbot, in English or Spanish, to check whether a shipment is ready for collection.

Two further use cases target planning and paperwork. AI will help terminal operators identify trade flows — for example, alerting them in September to expect an influx of electronics because a technology company is launching a new product. A documentation agent will let users upload a PDF and convert its contents into whatever format the receiver's system accepts.

Why is MIA doing this now?

MIA's cargo operation rests on roughly 190 cargo-only flights per day alongside those 1,600 daily truck trips. The airport has overtaken Chicago and Los Angeles as the busiest non-express cargo airport in the continental United States and is the world's largest for international capacity when narrow-body aircraft are excluded. Airport and county officials argue that coordinating truck arrivals — so drivers no longer show up unannounced and queue while sorting out paperwork and payments — will improve both efficiency and carbon emissions.

"This is about making Miami International Airport more future-ready: simplifying and expediting the movement of goods through our global gateway, supporting the businesses and jobs that depend on international trade, and ensuring that our airport remains an industry leader not just in cargo volume, but also in efficiency and sustainability," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in the announcement. She also promoted the project at a press conference on Tuesday at The International Air Cargo Association's biannual convention in Miami Beach.

Will shippers and truckers actually join?

Participation at US airports remains voluntary, unlike Brussels — an early mover whose Nallian-powered system requires companies to connect. Kalé systems currently operate in Atlanta, Boston and at the Worldwide Flight Services facility at New York JFK, with implementations underway in Philadelphia and at Chicago-Rockford. Adoption runs about 90% at the WFS facility in New York, More said, while other locations sit at 60% to 70%.

"The best community systems in the world have 98% to 99% adoption and that's where the airport actually takes leadership and says, 'Look, this is good for the overall community. If you have any concerns, let's address those concerns. But, let's get this done for everybody'," More said. "It's a little bit of pain for 10 or 15 days, but then it falls in place."

The platform will also let MIA connect with other airports to improve planning of international imports and exports — a step that, if adoption climbs toward European levels, could make the 3.4-million-ton gateway a template for digitalized landside cargo operations across the US network.