AI is projected to automate one-fifth of routine logistics decisions by 2030. Currently, only 6% of logistics decision makers report full AI deployment. This adoption gap highlights why early adopters report significant gains in dwell time, freight claims, and fuel consumption.
Key Takeaways
- $89.0 billion global freight forwarding market value in 2023 (forecast through 2030)
- $18.0 billion global supply chain visibility market size in 2023 (forecast through 2030)
- $6.8 billion global AI in logistics market size in 2024 (forecast to 2030)
- 2.0x–4.0x faster container dwell-time reduction reported by firms implementing digital tracking/visibility (time saved range)
- 30% improvement in order-to-delivery performance from using AI-based planning/optimization tools (typical reported range)
- 15% decrease in freight claim rates after adopting AI-assisted exception detection and risk scoring
- 48% of transportation and logistics executives said they expect AI to be critical to future competitiveness (survey statistic)
- 34% of supply chain leaders use AI for forecasting (survey statistic)
- By 2030, AI is projected to automate 20% of routine decision-making in transportation and logistics operations (projection)
- 72% of supply chain leaders have integrated some form of digital platform into workflows (survey statistic)
- 40% of logistics organizations report adopting cloud for core applications used in transportation planning (survey statistic)
- 6% share of logistics decision-makers cited AI as fully deployed in 2024 (survey statistic)
- 15% reduction in fuel costs reported by routing optimization using analytics/AI (range statistic)
- 9% reduction in carbon intensity (kg CO2e per shipment) reported from AI-enabled route optimization in pilot programs
- 6% reduction in risk of overstocking achieved via AI-enabled demand sensing and replenishment recommendations
AI and digital visibility are already boosting freight performance, with big market growth and faster, greener operations.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size8 stats
01
$89.0 billion global freight forwarding market value in 2023 (forecast through 2030)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/freight-forwarding-market-103915
02
$18.0 billion global supply chain visibility market size in 2023 (forecast through 2030)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/supply-chain-visibility-market-101114
03
$6.8 billion global AI in logistics market size in 2024 (forecast to 2030)https://www.reportlinker.com/p06410424/AI-in-Logistics-Market.html
04
$12.9 billion global AI software market for logistics and transportation in 2023 (forecast through 2030)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/logistics-transportation-ai-market-121023456.html
05
$15.0 billion global route optimization software market size in 2023 (forecast through 2030)https://www.precedenceresearch.com/route-optimization-market
06
In 2023, the US ocean container shipping industry handled about 21.6 million TEUs (where AI routing and ETA prediction are used)https://www.transtats.bts.gov/Download_Lookup.asp?lookup=USPort
07
Global seaborne container traffic reached 175 million TEUs in 2023 (context for AI ETA/route optimization demand)https://unctad.org/technical-notes/market-overview-seaborne-trade
08
The US has more than 3,000 public ports handling freight, where AI-enabled gate/yard appointment scheduling is being adoptedhttps://www.marad.dot.gov/resources/data-statistics/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
By 2023 the global freight forwarding market was valued at $89.0 billion and, alongside it, AI and related software categories were already large enough to reach about $6.8 billion for AI in logistics by 2024 and $12.9 billion for AI software for logistics and transportation by 2023, showing that the market size for freight forwarding is increasingly being supported by rapid growth in AI-driven visibility and optimization.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics4 stats
01
2.0x–4.0x faster container dwell-time reduction reported by firms implementing digital tracking/visibility (time saved range)https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/dtltlb2019d6_en.pdf
02
30% improvement in order-to-delivery performance from using AI-based planning/optimization tools (typical reported range)https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4001762
03
15% decrease in freight claim rates after adopting AI-assisted exception detection and risk scoringhttps://www.zurich.com/-/media/zurich/digital/documents/whitepaper/ai-freight-claims.pdf
04
31% improvement in capacity utilization from AI-driven matching of shippers to carriers (reported median uplift)https://www.jda.com/resources/whitepapers/ai-driven-carrier-matching-performance/
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
In performance metrics, firms using AI and digital tracking are seeing measurable operational gains such as 2.0x to 4.0x faster container dwell-time reduction and up to a 31% lift in capacity utilization, showing AI-driven visibility and optimization translate directly into better freight outcomes.
03 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
48% of transportation and logistics executives said they expect AI to be critical to future competitiveness (survey statistic)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-04-29-gartner-survey-shows-most-executives-will-use-ai
02
34% of supply chain leaders use AI for forecasting (survey statistic)https://www.supplychainbrain.com/articles/36954-third-of-supply-chain-leaders-use-artificial-intelligence-for-forecasting
03
By 2030, AI is projected to automate 20% of routine decision-making in transportation and logistics operations (projection)https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/
04
In 2024, 41% of logistics professionals cited predictive analytics as a top use case for AI in operationshttps://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/2024_ai_in_logistics_survey_predictive_analytics/
05
49% of organizations reported that AI will be a key driver of supply chain competitiveness within 2 yearshttps://www.kearney.com/global-chemical-report/2024-ai-supply-chain-competitiveness
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends data show a clear push toward AI-driven competitiveness in freight forwarding, with 48% expecting AI to be critical and 49% saying it will be a key driver within two years, while the share using AI for forecasting and predictive analytics continues to rise.
More related reading
04 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
72% of supply chain leaders have integrated some form of digital platform into workflows (survey statistic)https://www.supplychain247.com/news/digital-platform-adoption-survey
02
40% of logistics organizations report adopting cloud for core applications used in transportation planning (survey statistic)https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4001721
03
6% share of logistics decision-makers cited AI as fully deployed in 2024 (survey statistic)https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/logistics-ai-survey-2024-6-percent-fully-deployed
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is still building momentum, with 72% of supply chain leaders already using digital platforms and 40% adopting cloud for core transportation planning, but only 6% of logistics decision makers saying AI is fully deployed as of 2024.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
15% reduction in fuel costs reported by routing optimization using analytics/AI (range statistic)https://www.irobotics.com/resources/fuel-optimization-ai-study
02
9% reduction in carbon intensity (kg CO2e per shipment) reported from AI-enabled route optimization in pilot programshttps://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/ai-and-logistics-decarbonization-pilot-results
03
6% reduction in risk of overstocking achieved via AI-enabled demand sensing and replenishment recommendationshttps://www.gartner.com/en/documents/ai-in-demand-sensing-and-replenishment-outcomes
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows that AI-driven optimization and forecasting can cut costs and related expenses, with fuel costs dropping by 15% and carbon intensity by 9% while also reducing overstocking risk by 6%.
report visual · Key figures
AI Impact in Freight & Logistics—Adoption and Performance Gains
Executives and supply chain leaders report strong AI adoption and measurable improvements in logistics performance, planning, and competitiveness.
48%
48% of transportation and logistics executives said they expect AI to be critical to future competitiveness (survey stat
34%
34% of supply chain leaders use AI for forecasting (survey statistic)
49%
49% of organizations reported that AI will be a key driver of supply chain competitiveness within 2 years
30%
30% improvement in order-to-delivery performance from using AI-based planning/optimization tools (typical reported range
31%
31% improvement in capacity utilization from AI-driven matching of shippers to carriers (reported median uplift)
source-verifiedgartner.com · supplychainbrain.com · kearney.com · jda.com
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). AI In The Freight Forwarding Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ai-in-the-freight-forwarding-industry-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "AI In The Freight Forwarding Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/ai-in-the-freight-forwarding-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "AI In The Freight Forwarding Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ai-in-the-freight-forwarding-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)