AI-Assisted Truck Route Planning for Urban Roads

Logistics · Mobility

What it collects

About a place

Anonymized data

Road network data, route options, and geographic information used to model and evaluate potential truck routes across the urban road network.

Government of Canada AI Register — AI planner for truck routes

Operational data

Anonymized data

Client data from transportation companies, including scheduling, route history, and operational parameters used to inform AI-driven route recommendations.

Government of Canada AI Register — AI planner for truck routes

Run by: National Research Council Canada (NRC)
Where: No fixed location
Kept: Not stated by the Helpful Places.
Shared with: Not stated by the Helpful Places.
Your copy: You cannot see the data it holds about you. What you can do

What it is for

Logistics

Mobility

This system uses artificial intelligence to help city planners and transportation companies choose the most effective truck routes by anticipating traffic patterns, including during extreme weather. It was developed collaboratively by the National Research Council Canada, the University of Calgary, the City of Calgary, and two major Canadian transportation companies. The system is used by planners rather than making autonomous decisions, and the public is not currently informed when AI is used in this planning process.

What it collects and what happens to it

Data taken in

About a place

Anonymized data

Road network data, route options, and geographic information used to model and evaluate potential truck routes across the urban road network.

Government of Canada AI Register — AI planner for truck routes

Operational data

Anonymized data

Client data from transportation companies, including scheduling, route history, and operational parameters used to inform AI-driven route recommendations.

Government of Canada AI Register — AI planner for truck routes

Processing

Optimization

The system searches for optimal truck routes under real-world constraints by anticipating traffic patterns, including in extreme weather conditions, to minimize travel time and maximize route efficiency.

Government of Canada AI Register — AI planner for truck routes

What it does

Deciding (Analytical AI)

Human decides

The AI predicts and scores route options by anticipating traffic patterns; human planners make the final route selection decision.

Government of Canada AI Register — AI planner for truck routes

Outputs

A recommendation or prediction

Anonymized data

The system outputs recommended truck routes and predicted traffic patterns for planners to review and act upon; these are advisory outputs, not binding decisions.

Government of Canada AI Register — AI planner for truck routes

Run by

National Research Council Canada (NRC)

The National Research Council Canada (NRC) is the accountable federal department responsible for this AI system, deployed in collaboration with the University of Calgary, the City of Calgary, and two major Canadian transportation companies.

Government of Canada AI Register — AI planner for truck routes

Built by

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

Kept for

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

Shared with

Not available to me

The register states that AI use is not disclosed to users and no personal information is involved. Members of the public affected by route planning decisions have no direct access to the system's outputs or recommendations.

Government of Canada AI Register — AI planner for truck routes

Stored

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

How to read the colours

Can it identify you?

Anonymized data: Data about people with the link to who is broken. Stripped of identifiers, blurred, aggregated, or noised so this system can’t reasonably tie a record back to an individual.
Pseudonymous data: Each person’s data is tied to a token (hash, ID, template) that lets this system recognise the same person across events, but the token itself doesn’t reveal a name. Reidentification is possible with extra information.
Identifiable data: The data either contains a direct identifier (name, address, account name, recognisable face or voice, plate number) or carries a token this system uses to look up legal identity during processing.

Who completes the loop?

Human decides: This mode suggests; a person decides what to do next. The AI is always advisory — a human is in the loop on every decision. Example: a triage tool ranks cases for a clinician who chooses which to see first.
Human executes: This mode decides; a person carries out the result. Example: an optimizer plans the day’s trash-collection routes, and drivers run them.
Autonomous: This mode decides and acts on its own. No person reviews each decision or carries out the resulting action.

Definitions from the DTPR standard. Amber is about your data, violet about who decides. The fuller the shape and the deeper the colour, the more identifying the data or the less a person is involved.

What you can do

Ask about this system

Questions go to the Helpful Places, not the vendor.

Your rights

Right to Algorithmic TransparencyThe register notes that AI use is not disclosed to users. Members of the public currently have no formal mechanism to learn that AI is being used in truck-route planning decisions that may affect traffic and road use in their communities. Contact the National Research Council Canada for further information.

Risks and safeguards

Societal & cultural harmThe system is used in production without disclosing AI use to the public, limiting community awareness of how AI shapes local road and traffic decisions.Safeguard: The system is advisory only — human planners retain final decision authority. The collaborative development with the City of Calgary and transportation companies provides some stakeholder oversight, but no public disclosure or opt-out mechanism is documented.