TUE AM News: Renaissant launches new agentic AI logistics technology; State getting $630,854 from Mercedes-Benz settlement over alleged emissions fraud

December 23, 2025

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— Logistics software firm Renaissant has launched a new voice-based AI “clerk” to help coordinate shipments — something the company says will improve efficiency while addressing security concerns.

The Milwaukee company yesterday announced the “breakthrough” technology is being piloted at several large sites, following earlier development at UW-Milwaukee’s Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab.

It’s based on an “agentic” AI system, which builds on the more limited generative artificial intelligence models such as ChatGPT. While these widely used models can create content like text, images and code based on learned patterns when prompted, agentic AI programs are more autonomous, using generated information to accomplish complex tasks.

An overview from IBM notes traditional AI models operate within predefined limits and require human intervention, while agentic AI “exhibits autonomy, goal-driven behavior and adaptability” within changing environments. The tech company notes that agentic systems could “not only tell you the best time to climb Mt. Everest given your work schedule, it can also book you a flight and a hotel.”

In Renaissant’s case, the newly launched AI sytem interacts with drivers, helping them check in at logistics sites, verify shipment details and determine the next step after arrival. Drivers can speak with the AI program from within their vehicle and in their native language. The company says its AI clerk program is the industry’s “first and only” voice-enabled AI technology.

Tom Dean, Renaissant’s president and CEO, says shipping companies and logistics firms are “often in the dark” about who will be showing up to transport products, causing delays as teams sort out these details on the fly.

“Each minute a driver sits and waits, both the warehouse and driver are losing dollars as their shipments sit idly waiting on people to figure out how to handle the driver,” Dean said in a statement. “As an industry, we owe it to them to build tools that give detailed data on every aspect at the gate, and that’s what we’ve built with our new AI-enabled solution.”

The technology also has applications for safety and security, the company says, as cargo theft has been on the rise nationwide. Yesterday’s announcement notes cargo theft jumped by 40% in 2024 alone, and that trend has continued through this year.

Renaissant first launched in 2018, and has expanded its platform since then to include a full-site logistics operating system, including gate and yard automation, scheduling and other features. It has gotten investment funding from Green Bay’s TitletownTech investment firm, which has a focus on supply chain and logistics, among other industries.

See the release and see more on the company here.

— Wisconsin will receive $630,854 as part of a multi-state settlement with Mercedes-Benz over alleged emissions fraud by the German auto manufacturer.

Overall, Mercedez-Benz will pay as much as $150 million to settle claims that it marketed, sold and leased vehicles equipped with illegal devices designed to circumvent emissions testing.

The settlement DOJ announced yesterday also includes up to $200 million in consumer relief, including providing drivers of some 40,000 affected vehicles with an extended warranty and a $2,000 payout.

Attorneys general from 47 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico were party to the suit.

“Deceiving the public about vehicle emissions is unfair to consumers and harmful to the environment,” Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement. “This settlement brings accountability and relief for consumers.”

The settlement makes Mercedes the latest of several automakers to pay out millions and even billions of dollars to state and federal authorities to settle emission fraud claims.

Fiat Chrysler agreed to pay more than $500 million to resolve state and federal lawsuits in 2019, while Volkswagen agreed to spend up to $14.7 billion in 2016 to buy back nearly 500,000 diesel vehicles with emissions cheating software and mitigate pollution from those cars.

— Gov. Tony Evers has extended an official energy emergency declaration in Wisconsin aimed at speeding up delivery of home heating fuel.

The guv yesterday signed an executive order to extend the emergency period from an earlier order he signed Dec. 5. The new order extends an existing waiver of state and federal hours of service restrictions for fuel suppliers, while also waiving state weight limit restrictions.

Yesterday’s release cites ongoing challenges linked to the pipeline disruption system in the Midwest region as well as high demand for home heating fuels such as propane and heating oil.

“The health, welfare, and safety of our neighbors depend on access to fuel for home heating, and as disruptions continue, this emergency declaration will help ensure folks and families across the state have the fuel they need to stay warm and safe,” Evers said in a statement.

Under the latest order, the waiver remains in effect through Jan. 16 or as long as drivers are responding to the emergency conditions, whichever comes first.

See the release.

— Wisconsin would establish a new Autonomous Driving Safety Board under a bill from Republican authors aiming to break down barriers to self-driving vehicles operating here.

Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara of Fox Crossing, Rep. Dave Maxey of New Berlin and Rep. Nate Gustafson of Omro are seeking co-sponsors for the legislation. In a recent memo sent to other lawmakers, they say current restrictions on self-driving vehicles in Wisconsin fail to account for advancements in the technology’s capabilities.

Bill authors argue the latest versions of this technology are “capable of handling all aspects of driving” without human intervention. But current state statute requires human drivers to be physically present and in control of a vehicle, they add, calling it an “outdated” restriction that’s kept the state’s self-driving vehicle forays in the experimental stage while other states have seen broad commercial rollouts.

“The bill aims to remove these barriers, allowing for safe integration of autonomous vehicles while ensuring oversight through public hearings, minimal risk condition certifications, and annual safety reporting,” they wrote.

Under the legislation, the new safety board would operate under the state Department of Transportation, authorizing the use of self-driving vehicles on specific highways in Wisconsin. It would lay out a framework for potential operators to apply for a permit, including various requirements for the permit holders.

These include providing DOT with proof of financial responsibility for any damages, injury or death caused by self-driving vehicles, giving the board information on how emergency services should interact with the autonomous vehicles as well as specific vehicle details.

Authors warn the state could lag behind both its neighbors and leading states without updating its regulations.

“Economically, the bill seeks to position Wisconsin as a competitive player in the growing autonomous vehicle industry, which could attract investments, create jobs in manufacturing, software development, and logistics, and boost related sectors like supply chain automation,” they wrote.

See the memo.

— Circulating legislation from GOP authors would allow Wisconsin health care providers to offer discounts for “prompt” payment of health care fees.

Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara of Fox Crossing and Rep. Clint Moses of Menomonie recently sent out a co-sponsorship memo seeking support for the bill, which has the support of the Wisconsin Hospital Association.

Under current law, providers can’t reduce or offer to reduce coinsurance or a deductible for someone covered by a health insurance policy if it’s required by the policy’s terms, with exceptions for financial hardship, the memo shows. The legislation would exempt certain discounts from that law if they meet various criteria such as being offered to incentivize prompt payment, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Bill authors argue health care providers have been forced to become “debt collectors” due to insurance company plan designs. They note insurers don’t always pay providers the full contracted rate for a billed health care service, and often pay the negotiated rate minus any remaining amount that the insured person needs to pay to meet their deductible or out-of-pocket maximum.

This results in higher administrative costs for providers “who are rightfully owed for the services they’ve already delivered,” authors wrote. They say other states allow providers to offer discounts to encourage timely payments.

“By clarifying the law, this bill gives providers the option (but not the requirement) to offer a modest discount — capped at 15% and reasonably related to avoided collection costs — for prompt payment of the patient’s share of the bill,” authors wrote.

The memo details other requirements for discounts to be allowed under the bill. These include: having the provider notify insurers by posting discount policies online; preventing the discount from being provided before the service is scheduled or outside the provider’s typical billing framework; barring providers from shifting the cost of the discount to other payers, and others.

“This targeted clarification will promote administrative efficiency, reduce collection costs for providers, and deliver direct savings to patients who pay their bills promptly,” authors wrote.

The co-sponsorship deadline is today at noon.

See the bill text.

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