The transport and logistics industry has experienced significant volatility in recent years and that pressure isn’t easing in 2026. Demand swings, rising costs, and capacity constraints continue to make planning harder and margins tighter.
Profitability has always been a priority for transport operators. However, with margins under increasing pressure from rising fuel prices, wages, insurance premiums, and subcontractor costs, every avoidable empty mile, manual task, and late update matters. Operating efficiently has never been more critical.
In response, many businesses are doubling down on operational control and leaning into innovation. Emerging technologies, smarter systems, and better connectivity are helping operators stay competitive, resilient, and profitable without adding headcount.
In this blog, we explore four key transport and logistics trends shaping the industry in 2026 – and the practical steps logistics leaders can take to stay ahead.
Four transport and logistics trends for 2026
Sustainability in transport and logistics
Fewer empty miles, better reporting
Sustainable logistics remains one of the most important logistics trends for 2026. Last-mile delivery continues to be one of the biggest challenges, accounting for a significant chunk of total delivery-related carbon emissions due to congestion and failed deliveries.
To address this, micro-fulfilment centres and green delivery fleets are becoming more common, helping to reduce emissions during the most carbon-intensive stage of the journey.
Beyond the last mile, route optimisation plays a critical role in reducing empty miles across the entire transport network. Optimised routing lowers fuel consumption, cuts emissions, and reduces operational costs – all while improving service levels.
The best wins are usually: fewer empty kilometres, fewer detours, fewer ‘we didn’t know’ moments. With a modern TMS platform like Qargo, this can be achieved quickly, with the data you already have, in just a few clicks.
Having a clear overview of CO₂ and carbon emissions is the first step towards meaningful improvement. Qargo already calculates CO₂ emissions (including groupage runs). Next, we’re working towards a dedicated CO₂ and emissions dashboard for faster, self-serve reporting.
What operators can do now: standardise emissions reporting per lane and customer, measure empty miles weekly, and use exceptions reporting to catch avoidable waste early.
AI in transport and logistics
Less admin, fewer errors, faster flow
AI is not an entirely new concept for the transport and logistics industry, but in 2026 it’s moving from ‘interesting’ to useful in day-to-day operations, and is still in the early stages of discovering what is possible.
Manual data entry, document management, and time-slot booking at ports, terminals, and DCs are all time-consuming tasks that eat into the day of a transport professional. We want to use Qargo Intelligence, our AI solution, to help reduce a lot of these repetitive tasks. This year, we want to move from AI-assisted work to an automate-and-review process which pulls order and invoice data directly from your mailbox.
Qargo can create orders from emails and attachments, and use AI/OCR to match documents like PODs/CMRs and invoices to the right job, reducing manual data entry and cutting the risk of missed or mis-filed documents.
Looking ahead, agentic AI will play a growing role. Booking time slots at container terminals is often complex and frustrating, so we’re exploring AI booking agents within Qargo that can search, secure, and manage bookings on your behalf while keeping the operator in control.
With continued investment in Qargo Intelligence, we’re focused on delivering smarter, more proactive logistics solutions that support faster decision-making and greater efficiency.
What operators can do now: map the top 3 admin bottlenecks (orders, POD/CMR, invoicing), set a target to remove manual re-keying, and measure “time-to-invoice” as a core KPI.
Compliance in transport and logistics
Security expectations are rising (and it’s not optional)
Compliance is another major logistics trend shaping 2026. Customers are increasingly demanding higher standards from carriers and logistics providers, particularly when it comes to security, data protection, and regulatory compliance.
NIS-2 (Network and Information Systems Directive 2) is a European Union cybersecurity law with the aim of strengthening cyber resilience across essential sectors like transport, energy, healthcare and more. It became applicable from October 18, 2024 in EU Member States and requires national laws and enforcement.
Many EU countries have already transposed the directive into national law, but as more and more countries do so, compliance across the entire logistics chain will be integral. This includes the software and systems that you use, not just your internal processes.
Qargo is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified, which supports our security controls and helps customers meet cybersecurity expectations under frameworks like NIS2.
What operators can do now: review supplier access, enforce MFA, define incident response steps, and ask software vendors for evidence (not promises) of their security controls.
Connectivity in transport and logistics
One connected workflow beats ten disconnected tools
In transport, connectivity is key. You’re balancing relationships with customers and subcontractors, whilst trying to navigate fragmented and complicated port booking systems.
Bringing all operational data into one connected environment significantly improves visibility, collaboration, and efficiency because teams stop chasing updates and start managing exceptions.
At Qargo, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to connect to your subcontractors, customers, and systems.
That’s why in 2026, we’ll be adding to our already extensive list of hundreds of integration partners so that your telematics systems, accounting software, pallet networks, container platforms, and custom services are connected to Qargo without constant manual workarounds.
Our portals also make it easier for your customers to get the information they need about their orders – cutting down on the number of update requests and making the process more efficient. Fewer “where is it?” calls means more time to run transport properly.
What operators can do now: map your core systems and partners (customers, subcontractors, telematics, finance), identify where data is still copied or chased manually, prioritise integrations for your top 3 workflows, and use customer and subcontractor portals or automated status updates to reduce inbound “where is it?” queries.
Conclusion: preparing for logistics trends in 2026
The logistics trends shaping 2026 point towards a more connected, automated, compliant, and sustainable industry. For transport operators, success will depend on adopting the right technology to navigate uncertainty while maintaining profitability and service levels.
By embracing innovation and using a modern TMS like Qargo, logistics businesses can stay ahead of change – turning today’s challenges into opportunities for growth and resilience. The goal is simple: run leaner, respond faster, and keep control of your operation.
Do you want to find out more about how Qargo can help future-proof your transport business? Book a demo today.
