Coming Up in the Portal

In every issue of the Portal, we invite our authors to share their experiences, success stories, learning experiences, and vision with others in the moving and forwarding industry. In addition to our regular columns, feature articles for each issue are united by a central theme. This page contains the theme, guidelines, and deadlines for the upcoming issue of the magazine and will change regularly. Our editorial calendar will give you a glance further into future issues, and the Submit Your Story page details regular columns to which you may submit articles and news, as well as our submission guidelines and instructions.

May/June 2026

The Algorithm and the Apprentice

Stories from the Front Lines of Human-AI Collaboration

Lead Editor: Will Kohudic
Content Strategy Lead: Julia O’Connor

What This Issue Is About

Artificial intelligence is being adopted across the moving industry, from pricing and forecasting to claims review and customer communication. But the tools don’t run the business; experienced professionals still decide when the data makes sense, when it doesn’t, and when judgment matters more than automation.

For the May/June issue of the Portal, IAM is inviting members to share how they use or test AI in their businesses.

What tools have you tried? What surprised you? And where does your hard-won experience still outperform the algorithm?

Contributions may come from operations managers, claims specialists, company leaders, sales and marketing teams, or technology teams who are experimenting with AI tools in their work.

Possible angles to explore
Your article may address topics including (but not limited to):

Has AI helped improve the efficiency or quality of your operations?
What did you learn about balancing automation with experienced decision-making?
A situation where human experience overruled an AI recommendation.
Lessons learned from introducing AI into pricing, forecasting, operations, or claims.
Did it surface patterns in your data that changed how you plan moves or manage risk?
Ethical or operational considerations when AI influences business decisions.

Submission Guidelines

~750 words.
First-person perspectives encouraged.
Case studies, lessons learned, and honest failures welcome.

Authors are welcome to use AI tools to assist with drafting; however, we encourage contributors to carefully revise the final text so the article reflects their own experience and voice.

Our goal is to build a realistic picture of AI in the moving industry: where it works, where it struggles, and how professionals are adapting.

Please familiarize yourself with our Submission Guidelines to ensure your contribution meets standards for content and length.

Address your questions and submissions to Portal Editor, Will Kohudic, at william.kohudic@iamovers.org.

Write a complete, concise (750 word maximum) article on the posted topic. 8 to 10 high-quality submissions will be accepted for each feature story.
NEW Policy Regarding Use of AI: While AI-powered tools like ChatGPT can be useful in researching and outlining your contribution, we ask that you do the writing yourself; our readers want to hear your ideas in your own voice.
High-resolution digital photos (as separate image files, not embedded in your Word document) are welcome and will be used with your story as space permits.
The word limit for feature story contributions is 750 words. Remember that all submissions are subject to editing.
You may provide your text in an email message or as an attached Word document (no PDF files, please).
Be sure to include the author's name, job title and company with your submission.
Send your contribution and any questions to william.kohudic@iamovers.org.
Photos must be high-resolution for print; a mobile phone photo at actual/original size is usually acceptable.