Transportation management has evolved over the past decade from an operational function into a strategic driver of business growth, customer experience and competitive differentiation, according to the results of the 10th Annual Global Transportation Management Benchmark Survey from Descartes Systems Group.
It also reveals that the next phase of transformation will depend on organizations’ ability to scale automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
Over the 10 years of the study, the percentage of surveyed North American organizations planning to increase transportation management (TM) technology investment has risen from 53% in 2017 to 78% in 2026.
At the same time, 85% of organizations now view transportation as either a competitive weapon or customer service differentiator, compared with 65% in 2017.
Evolution of Technology
Business growth is also the leading driver of transportation management system (TMS) adoption for both shippers (53%) and logistics service providers (LSPs) (48%), maintaining its top position for the second year in a row.
Despite transportation’s growing strategic role and sustained technology investment, the study identifies significant opportunities to advance operational maturity. In addition, only 19% of shippers and 15% of LSPs report using AI at scale, with most organizations still exploring, piloting or partially deploying it.
Data quality is the leading barrier to scaling AI, cited by 45% of LSPs and 33% of shippers, followed closely by integration complexity at 38% and 39%, respectively.
The findings suggest the next stage of transportation AI adoption will depend increasingly on the digital infrastructure that enables AI to operate effectively across transportation networks.
Source: www.mhlnews.com
