How do you decarbonise an industry built on movement? Freight alone is responsible for an estimated 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions: a stark reminder of the sector’s environmental footprint. The cost of inefficiency is simply too big to ignore. As supply chains stretch and demand for fast, flexible delivery keeps rising, the pressure is only mounting. From underserviced fleets to empty mileage and poor routing, the industry suffers from breakdowns in planning and execution that don’t just drive up emissions — it also chips away at profits. But these challenges can be tackled.

Driving sustainable change with AI

AI is already delivering real sustainability gains across two critical areas that one wouldn’t necessarily consider at first sight: fleet maintenance and transport operations. By enabling faster decisions, streamlined processes and smarter systems, it’s allowing logistics to move cleaner, without compromising performance.

The stakes are high. According to Siemens, the world’s 500 biggest companies lose almost $1.4 trillion annually through unplanned downtime. This is equivalent to a staggering 11% of their revenues. Logistics operations, with their tight delivery windows and high asset utilisation, acutely feel this impact.

Fleet maintenance is often overlooked in the sustainability conversation, but it’s a critical area for impact. Vehicles that are overserviced waste resources — not just materials but time. Those underserviced are prone to breakdowns, costly repairs and early replacement. Either way, it’s bad news for both business and the environment.

Smart AI-enabled maintenance to extend asset life

AI offers a better way forward, starting with standardised maintenance. Predictive and optimised maintenance are gaining traction, particularly in North America, where new industry standards are pushing AI-driven approaches to the forefront. At the heart of this evolution is the need for standardised data. Without it, fleets rely on inconsistent or proprietary codes to track service intervals, making it almost impossible to train AI models at scale or share insights across systems.

Philipp Pfister, Transporeon

New frameworks like the Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS), developed through the American Trucking Association’s Technology and Maintenance Council, are changing that. By creating a universal language for tracking maintenance items, they lay the foundation for adaptive, AI-powered decisions, such as when to change oil based on real-world engine load and usage, not arbitrary intervals.

While VMRS is a strong step forward in North America, there’s still a long way to go globally, where much of today’s maintenance data remains fragmented. To unlock AI’s full potential, the industry needs a shared data foundation: code key standards that act as a common language across fleets, platforms and regions. Some platforms are already building toward that future by developing open, interoperable data models designed for global adoption.

The impact is tangible. AI can identify the ‘sweet spot’ for servicing, reducing waste from premature oil changes while avoiding unnecessary wear and tear. Today, maintenance often relies on a dashboard light, but AI enables a future where the vehicle doesn’t just alert the driver. It books its own appointment, sends performance data to a third party and rolls into the shop at exactly the right moment.

Optimising operations for fewer empty miles

Beyond the vehicle itself, AI is transforming how freight is planned, routed and executed. One of the biggest challenges in logistics today is empty mileage: trucks that travel without cargo, burning fuel and time. While some inefficiencies are structural — rooted in geography or how the freight network is organised — many can be addressed with the right technology. AI-powered systems now analyse real-time and historical data to recommend the most efficient routes, plan multi-stop loads and continuously recalculate in transit to adapt to delays, traffic or weather.

AI in load planning, procurement and visibility

Cloud-based platforms are already putting these capabilities into practice, using AI to dynamically match loads with carriers and minimise waiting times at docks. They’re also reducing the strain of just-in-time logistics, where tight delivery windows leave little room for error. Autonomous procurement tools can now handle transport sourcing with minimal human input, using statistical and symbolic AI to analyse unstructured requests, identify suitable partners and select the best fit across time, cost and environmental criteria. Combined with intelligent load planning tools that maximise truck space and reduce the total number of journeys required, these systems help cut emissions across every kilometre travelled.

The future is collaborative and AI-enabled

When applied across maintenance, execution and operational processes, AI can help drive significant sustainability gains in the logistics sector. While AI does consume considerable energy, particularly in generative AI (GenAI) models, the types of applications used in transportation and logistics are far less compute-intensive. The efficiency gains and emissions reductions they enable usually outweigh their footprint. It’s the net effect that matters. And in this context, AI is already showing transformative potential in building a more sustainable future for the industry.

However, sustainability in logistics depends on shared data, interoperable systems and collaboration between carriers, shippers, OEMs and tech providers. Whether it’s maintenance schedules or routing algorithms, AI only works when it can access reliable data and apply it across a broad enough sample to generate meaningful insights. That’s why standardisation is so important. We’re not just building tools. We’re shaping a smarter ecosystem, one where every decision, whether on the road or in the yard, contributes to a more efficient and sustainable whole. AI won’t transform logistics in a single leap. But by focusing on the fundamentals, it’s already reshaping how goods move, how fleets are managed and how sustainability goals are met. Because when the industry moves together, we lay the groundwork for a cleaner, more resilient future.

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76% of respondents to a recent survey said that they either use, or had used, several different programmes to manage their logistics or supply chain fleets. The same respondents were also unequivocal in their opinion: they would prefer to use just one, unified system. The same research found that almost 70% of those questioned agreed with the statement: “Relying on several different systems makes my job more complex than it needs to be”.

One such logistics firm that was using several different platforms to manage their fleet’s complex operations was Europa Worldwide Group. The company has 1,300 employees working from 26+ locations around the globe, with its European operation of 30 HGVs and 500 trailers visits 10,000 delivery locations, resulting in up to 2,400 deliveries per day. In 2024 alone, their drivers travelled almost 1.8m miles.

Each element of Europa’s tracking was hosted on a different platform, some of which were manual and needed to be brought together. Unsafe driving cost the company £238,000 in at-fault accident pay outs in 2023, and idling was revealed to have cost £900 per month in January 2024 with fuel efficiency at 10.77mpg. Around 90% of their drivers were in the ‘High’ or ‘Very High risk’ category of driver performance.

Implementation of a unified system has allowed Europa to analyse route performance and full shipment tracking – including proof of delivery – all within the same interface.

Using their fully integrated telematics platform, Europa have significantly improved driver safety with 99% of their drivers now in the ‘Low’ or ‘Very Low risk’ category. The cost of at-fault accident pay-outs has decreased by more than 65%, as per-truck accident costs went down from £375 to £225 post implementation. Idling now costs £650 per month less than before and fuel consumption is up to 12.05mpg.

“We have faith in a system that is multi-faceted. Our drivers are doing their jobs to far higher standards and the margin for error from manually plotting MOTs and services is eliminated. We can make the daily walkaround checks focus on the elements we choose and filter those that need rectifying. We would highly recommend a unified platform,” said Europa’s General Manager for Transport, Malcolm Castle.

Nadeem Raza, Microlise’s CEO, commented: “Europa’s success shows just how powerful a unified fleet management platform can be. As the logistics industry grows and pressures mount, businesses need smarter tools that can keep up. A single, integrated system doesn’t just streamline operations, it lifts a huge weight off transport managers, helping to improve job satisfaction and reduce burnout. The companies that thrive will be the ones acting now to support their teams and stay ahead of rising demands.”

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“Transportation is the backbone of supply chains, essential to ensuring goods are delivered on time to meet customer expectations,” commented Bryant Smith, director, Transportation Management Systems (TMS) at Manhattan Associates. “Yet, managing transportation is becoming increasingly complex, pressured by demands on shorter fulfilment times, capacity and cost efficiencies, tighter sustainability regulations and the growing necessity for access to end-to-end visibility across all operations,” Smith added.

Fragmented systems: operational visibility and efficiency still challenging

The true value of visibility extends beyond simply accessing operational data: it lies in the ability to address issues highlighted by this information and action operational improvements more quickly and efficiently. Beyond disruptions however, 60% of organisations say that enhancing visibility leads to greater customer satisfaction, through more accurate and timely updates, while 50% cite reductions in transportation costs as a key benefit increased operational visibility.

The AI revolution: excitement but readiness challenges

61% of organisations anticipate fully autonomous Agentic AI, capable of acting independently to achieve specific goals within the next five years, however, only 37% have deeply integrated AI and machine learning in their TMS today.

While many might view five years in the AI space like an eon, the gap between future expectations and current usage is noteworthy given adoption is rarely straightforward: although almost half (48%) said that they already feel very prepared for autonomous agents by 2030, practically every organisation (99%) reported facing, or expecting to face, hurdles, with concerns including skill shortages (49%), integration difficulties (44%) and data quality and availability issues (44%).

With many organisations seemingly well-placed to take advantage of the cost, efficiency and scalability gains afforded by autonomous agents, those organisations on the other side need to rethink their AI strategies otherwise they risk losing significant (and possibly irretrievable) market share to rivals.

Sustainability compliance: a priority and significant pain point

The push for more sustainable transportation is widespread. 69% of organisations say sustainability is either a global mandate or an area of significant pressure, with 62% already implementing Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive reporting. Navigating complex and shifting compliance requirements remains a global challenge, with sustainability compliance most frequently cited as a constraint expected to impact organisational performance over the next five years. A modern TMS can help to deliver the data visibility and functionality needed to measure progress and demonstrate compliance, vital to ensuring sustainability remains at the forefront of organisational thinking.

Smith summarised: “Modern transportation management demands organisations balance a range of competing priorities and the research clearly illustrates many organisations are still unprepared to meet the challenges of evolving sustainability mandates, expectations around AI and the need for more visible, actionable data insights. Looking ahead to 2030, these demands will intensify, increasing the pressure on organisations to operate transportation operations in smarter more intuitive ways.

“87% of respondents anticipate that challenges in areas such as operational visibility, AI adoption and sustainability compliance will intensify, leaving their current Transportation Management Systems struggling to keep pace. Failure to act now will expose organisations to rising costs, questions over long-term efficacy and the risk of falling short of customer promises,” Smith finished.

Additional stats:
• 48% of organisations spend more than 10% of their transportation logistics budget on errors and disruptions
• 78% view transportation management as a strategic imperative for success and this figure rises to 86% by 2030
• 61% are anticipating fully autonomous Agentic AI, capable of acting independently to achieve specific goals, or minimal human oversight within the next five years for TMS
• 50% report challenges in proactively rerouting shipments, while 49% struggle with optimising dock and warehouse labour scheduling
• 82% express strong confidence that advances in planning, forecasting and modelling will reduce freight costs by at least 5% within the next five years.
• Organisations are still struggling to operationalise sustainability: only 34% say they’ve factored sustainability into operational planning, 30% into procurement decisions and just 31% offer carbon-friendly fuel solutions.
• While a majority have integrated their TMS with Sales and Operations Planning systems (60%) and are utilising predictive analytics or AI (56%), far fewer are capitalising on key enablers such as historical trend analysis (38%), automated booking and tendering (36%), or real-time demand sensing (35%).

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Synopsis:

In this webinar Steven Timberlake of Infios discusses how you can measure your organisation’s level of supply chain maturity and the steps involved in developing greater efficiency and resilience in today’s challenging environment. Together with Peter MacLeod, Steven will explore topics including artificial intelligence, automation and system modernisation and outline how they form part of the practical steps that any organisation can implement today to relentlessly improve supply chain performance tomorrow.

Steven Timberlake, Infios

Steven Timberlake provides thought leadership and strategic challenge around supply chain execution as the Vice President of Sales Northern Europe at Infios. In his role, Steven plays a pivotal role in consulting businesses on transforming their supply chain execution, leveraging his extensive experience to drive strategic initiatives and foster growth opportunities. With over two decades of experience in technology and supply chain, Steven has established himself as a strategic leader adept at driving growth for his customers. His innovative approach to enterprise engagement has enabled organisations to navigate complex challenges and achieve sustainable success in today’s dynamic supply chain environment.

Register to watch it here now

The name Infios draws inspiration from the concept of infinity, representing the vast, interconnected global marketplace and the limitless opportunities to help businesses create their future. Infios is built on the belief that supply chains should be agile, intelligent, and constantly evolving to meet the demands of a changing world. By leveraging advanced technologies, data-driven insights, and a deep understanding of customer needs, Infios delivers innovative solutions that drive efficiency, lower costs, and empower businesses to succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

“Supply chains are the backbone of modern business and global progress. And when they work better — simpler, faster, smarter — businesses thrive, people benefit, and communities become stronger. We believe that the future is better when supply chains work better,” said Ed Auriemma, CEO of Infios. “Our goal at Infios is to work alongside our customers to provide solutions that meet today’s challenges while thinking ahead to solve tomorrow’s problems.”

Infios integrates order management, warehousing and fulfillment and transportation management into a comprehensive suite of solutions, equipping businesses with the tools they need to navigate today’s complex supply chain landscape. Infios is dedicated to its customers, evolving with them to provide scalable, adaptable solutions that meet their changing needs. This flexibility enables customers to optimize every aspect of their operations with versatile, scalable, and future-ready capabilities. With a thoughtful approach to innovation, the company integrates data, predictive analytics, and AI-driven insights to help businesses stay ahead, anticipating challenges and opportunities before they arise.

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Designed to address the complexity and fragmentation of today’s fast-paced logistics environment, the system provides a unified, scalable solution that supports all transport modalities, including full truckloads (FTL), less-than-truckloads (LTL), groupage, and parcels.

Companies like Ingram Micro, PON, and VDL rely on CtrlChain’s technology to support their logistics operations; and the system continues to scale with them as they expand into new markets.

A Unified System for Full Shipment Lifecycle Management

CtrlChain TMS consolidates all core transport management functions: carrier setup, rate management, order execution, shipment tracking, documentation, and compliance into one centralized system. This integrated approach eliminates the operational silos and software fragmentation that often slow down logistics teams and create data inconsistencies.

At its core is high-quality, actionable data that goes beyond simple shipment tracking. By analyzing key data points across the transport flow, the system helps businesses optimize routes, reduce delays, and address disruptions before they scale, without constant manual intervention.

“Shippers don’t need another rigid platform,” said Giovanni Gubbels, CEO at CtrlChain. “They need visibility that goes beyond surface-level tracking. They need insights that help them act fast, stay reliable, and deliver a better experience to their own customers.”

Shippers can onboard and manage their own carrier networks or work with CtrlChain’s vetted partners, all while retaining full control over workflows and data.

Addressing Fragmented Logistics Markets

Both U.S. and European markets remain highly fragmented. Over 90% of road freight companies are small businesses operating with fewer than 10 trucks. CtrlChain TMS is designed to operate reliably in these environments.

As a cloud-based solution, it requires no heavy IT infrastructure. Businesses can go live in days through a fast, intuitive onboarding process, minimizing the delays typically associated with traditional logistics software. Shippers are free to configure their own network and operate independently, without being locked into a predefined one.

Scalable Architecture to Support Growth

CtrlChain TMS is engineered to grow with the business, from small regional operations to enterprise-level global logistics.

“Scalability is not a layer we added later, it’s part of the core architecture,” said Rik Van Elk, VP of Technology at CtrlChain. “Whether a customer is moving 50 shipments a week or 50,000, the system handles it without requiring costly integrations or performance tradeoffs.”

This ensures that growing teams maintain consistent control, speed, and traceability across their operations.

Key Functional Capabilities

CtrlChain’s approach to TMS is defined by six core capabilities:

1. Real-Time Visibility
Live status updates via telematics, geofencing, and mobile app integration enable timely response and proactive decision-making.
2. Carrier Management
Shippers can onboard and manage their own carriers or use CtrlChain’s vetted network while maintaining full control of relationships and data.
3. Procurement Automation
Centralized management of rates, contracts, and order workflows reduces administrative load and ensures consistency.
4. Multimodal Transport Support
Supports FTL, LTL, groupage, and parcel shipments, adapting to a wide range of logistics models and geographies.
5. Infrastructure Ownership
All operational data and processes remain with the shipper, avoiding vendor lock-in and preserving long-term control.
6. Scalability
Handles increasing shipment volumes, teams, and regions without compromising performance or visibility.

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Jonah challenges the misconception that AI must be fed a company’s proprietary data to be useful. Instead, he explains that modern generative AI systems can thrive even in messy, incomplete environments, learning patterns and improving performance with limited structure. These AI systems function less like traditional software and more like digital colleagues—adaptive, communicative, and capable of learning from real-world complexity.

This transport management podcast conversation, delves into Trimble’s Transport platform, a multi-party ecosystem connecting shippers, carriers, and retailers. AI plays a pivotal role in helping these parties work together more efficiently, solving shared problems like real-time ETA prediction, theft detection, and enhanced visibility. Jonah offers a compelling example: onboarding new users to the platform, a process that previously required a large team, is now being handled autonomously by AI agents, speeding up operations and freeing up human talent for strategic tasks.

Jonah also outlines a future where logistics professionals evolve into managers of AI teams—overseeing intelligent agents that handle tactical execution while humans guide direction and decision-making. Rather than replacing workers, AI is augmenting their capabilities, enabling smarter decision-making and greater resilience across the supply chain.

This transport management podcast episode offers a realistic and optimistic view of AI’s role in logistics, showing how it’s not only improving business performance but also redefining how people work within the industry. A must-listen for logistics professionals looking to understand how to harness AI for smarter, faster, and more collaborative operations.

Click here to listen

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Fuelled by Samsara’s open platform, these first-of-their-kind solutions empower organisations to operate smarter and fundamentally alter the industry’s approach to the safety of frontline teams. These new solutions include AI-powered safety tools, a new connected wearable, advanced routing and navigation capabilities and enhanced maintenance tools.

“We’ve entered the age of intelligence, and AI is helping our customers operate smarter,” said Sanjit Biswas, CEO and co-founder of Samsara. “We’re partnering with our customers to build products that help them run safer, more efficient operations and protect frontline workers while saving millions of dollars.”Samsara has invested more than $1bn in research and development to date. By leveraging its more than 14 trillion data points, the company is continuing its innovation leadership with the launch of several new products and enhancements.

Reward drivers, spot risks and prevent incidents in real time

Driving ranks among the top 10 most dangerous jobs. Over the past decade, there has been a 49% increase in fatal crashes, coupled with a 40% increase in associated insurance premiums in the USA. Samsara offers advanced technology to help detect risky driving events, such as phone use or speeding; now, several new AI-fuelled features have been added to improve fleet safety and reward safe driving:

● AI Multi-Cam: Drivers can now add up to four additional HD cameras, providing a 360-degree view to reduce blind spots, all accessible via an in-cab monitor. In addition, the AI Multi-Cam actively notifies drivers in real time of hazards, such as pedestrians and cyclists. Whether using a Samsara camera or a third-party device, administrators can retrieve historic video footage and corresponding audio to help quickly resolve incidents.

● Weather Intelligence: Administrators can now overlay real-time weather data pulled from the National Weather Service onto the existing dashboards to view and alert workers of imminent threats such as fire risks, heavy rain and more.

● Safety Coaching for Lean Teams: A new set of customisable features helps administrators with lean safety teams to scale driver coaching and recognition with AI and automation. AI analyses hundreds of risky driving events – considering factors such as severity, frequency, road conditions and total drive time – and automatically sends low-risk behaviours to drivers for self-coaching and escalates higher-risk events to managers. Furthermore, AI provides insight into big-picture behavioural trends across drivers and trips, so managers can coach based on driving patterns rather than just isolated incidents.

● Revamped Driver App: As the No. 1 driver app in both major app stores, the Samsara app now includes TikTok-style training videos to boost engagement and end-of-day reviews to help with driver coaching. Designed to act as a companion for drivers throughout the day, the app now offers new gamification features and recognition tools to reinforce positive, safe behaviour. For example, administrators can send gift cards that can be redeemed at popular dining, entertainment and shopping locations directly through the app.

“Getting drivers home safe is one of our primary goals at Samsara, a priority we share with every one of our more than 10,000 customers,” said Johan Land, SVP of Product and Engineering at Samsara. “Thanks to rapid advancements in AI technology, we’ve been able to build new products that are now empowering drivers to make better decisions on the road and equipping safety teams with the tools for faster, more effective feedback. AI is increasingly becoming a powerful ally in protecting drivers, and Samsara is at the forefront of this trend.”

Worker Safety Beyond the Vehicle: New wearable joins the fleet

The need to keep frontline teams safe extends beyond the vehicle to both local jobsites and remote locations. To help protect frontline workers outside of the vehicle, Samsara is introducing the Samsara Wearable. The new connected device is powered by the Samsara network of millions of devices and enables quick response and protection in any environment. With the addition of the wearable, organisations now have access to a holistic safety offering that can help predict risk, reduce accidents and alert administrators to urgent needs of their frontline workers. The new Samsara Wearable offers several benefits, including:

● More than one year of battery life: The Samsara network replaces the need for cellular connectivity, equipping the Samsara Wearable with a battery life of more than one year. This charge life far surpasses the industry standard of 24 hours, providing reliable access to everywhere customers operate.
● One-click protection: With one click, workers can connect to emergency services, who can immediately pinpoint their precise location and access a real-time audio recording of the situation. The small, lightweight device is easy to use and gives workers an added layer of protection in the field.
● Fall detection: The Samsara Wearable can automatically detect and respond to falls in situations such as slips on icy pavements and falls from heights such as scaffolding, cranes or trailers.
● Proactive threat alerts: In the case of severe weather or wildfires, fleet managers can proactively check in on workers and alert them of the unsafe conditions via push notifications to the device.
● One platform: Samsara connects driver and worker safety in one system, allowing for faster response times and visibility across the entire fleet.

Smarter, Easier Routing

Historically, commercial fleets have relied on a patchwork of incomplete maps and manual processes to plan routes and guide drivers. These legacy maps are updated as infrequently as every one to five years, leading to inefficient routes, missed delivery windows and increased driver stress. Samsara’s new Route Planning and Commercial Navigation products offer a modern, integrated alternative that helps fleets cut costs, stay compliant and deliver more reliably.

● Route Planning: Building on existing routing capabilities, Samsara now integrates directly with fleet operators’ sales systems to pinpoint the most efficient routes and delivery schedules for customers’ fleets. These advanced routing capabilities consider variables such as vehicle limitations, compliance requirements for drivers, customer delivery windows, as well as traffic and weather patterns, to stay within promised delivery windows and avoid unnecessary fuel usage. Early Samsara data suggests a 15% reduction in the number of vehicles required for deliveries and a reduction of manual back-office routing time, turning routing into a competitive advantage.

● Commercial Navigation: Samsara can now overlay fleet-specific restrictions such as weight, height and hazmat directly onto standard digital maps to provide more accurate turn-by-turn directions. By combining this insight with information such as hours of service within the Samsara Driver App, drivers can access everything they need in a single location to remain compliant and on time.

“Samsara has made a significant impact on our operations, saving $7.75 million annually across our three fleets by helping us optimise planned versus actuals route improvements,“ said Andy Yearout, VP of Transportation & Logistics at Mohawk Industries. “With the new Route Planning capability, we expect to see a reduction in daily route planning time from hours to minutes.”

Asset Maintenance and Visibility

Vehicle maintenance violations comprise 60% of all US Department of Transportation offences, resulting in substantial financial penalties and costly vehicle downtime. To help minimise these disruptions, Samsara has introduced several new preventative maintenance features, including Vehicle Inspection, Fault Code Intelligence, Automated Work Orders and Level Monitoring.

● Vehicle Inspection: Now, drivers can simplify the vehicle inspection process by automatically converting inspection notes from voice to text. In turn, managers can ensure that reports are properly completed by viewing drivers’ walkaround paths, the duration of the inspection and quality of the report photos. To help maintain compliance, the platform triggers real-time alerts for missing vehicle inspections, monitors FMCSA data, reviews inspection result and violations and audits driver behaviour. This AI-powered functionality works in low-connectivity and loud environments and results in faster inspections and streamlined repairs and maintenance.
● Fault Code Intelligence and Automated Work Orders: This optimisation extends to the back office, where fleet administrators can view the Vehicle Inspections in a unified dashboard. Fault code intelligence automatically deciphers the codes and uses AI to create maintenance work orders. In addition, Samsara now offers AI invoice scanning to help quickly upload external vendor invoices into the platform, reducing administrative time and errors associated with manual entries.
● Level Monitoring: With level monitoring, organisations have near real-time visibility into levels across a wide range of tank types. This insight enables improved tank utilisation and the ability to optimise inventory.

“Physical operations organisations are at the forefront of adopting AI because it saves lives. It also drives a more efficient use of labour, fuel and energy savings, and higher utilisation of capital assets,” said Kiren Sekar, Chief Product Officer, Samsara. “With the rollout of Samsara’s new AI-powered solutions, we are giving physical operations leaders a real partner on both safety and efficiency.”

HappyRobot Integration

Continuing its commitment to bring cutting-edge AI to its customers, Samsara today announced a new partnership with HappyRobot, a pioneer in AI-powered voice solutions for the logistics sector. Samsara Ventures also announced an investment in HappyRobot to reflect our belief in its vision and the transformative potential of agentic AI.

HappyRobot offers truly human-like agentic AI to automate communications via phone, email and text to boost efficiency and improve customer satisfaction. Organisations can use agents to automatically call drivers or customers to notify them of shift details or order status, to navigate phone trees, negotiate contracts with freight brokers and even for screening, hiring and onboarding.

HappyRobot users are automating more than 20 million conversations annually, reducing call times by half and cutting operational costs by a third. Existing Samsara customers like Werner are seeing tremendous value from HappyRobot’s technology.

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Through the API integration, freight forwarders using CocoonOPS can now obtain real-time, all-risk cargo insurance quotes powered by Breeze without leaving their workflow. Shipment data is passed seamlessly to Breeze, which returns a live quote and enables one-click policy confirmation, significantly reducing the time and operational burden of securing cover.

“We built CocoonOPS to simplify freight management,” said James Blackman, Co-Founder of CocoonFMS®. “Partnering with Breeze supports that mission by eliminating one of the most persistent inefficiencies in the process: manual, delayed insurance quoting. It’s a practical solution that helps forwarders save time and reduce admin.”

The integration reflects a shared focus on reducing operational friction across the freight lifecycle. Traditional cargo insurance workflows (often reliant on broker emails, paper-based documentation, and delayed quotes) are increasingly misaligned with the pace of modern logistics. Breeze’s API-based platform delivers embedded, instant insurance at the point of booking, allowing for faster quoting, clearer coverage, and improved claims outcomes.

“Cargo insurance shouldn’t slow down the shipment process, it should keep pace with it,” said Matthew Phillips, Co-Founder of Breeze. “CocoonFMS is aligned with our vision for a more connected and responsive freight ecosystem, and we’re proud to bring real-time protection directly into their TMS.”

The partnership aims to deliver measurable efficiency gains for forwarders, particularly in a volatile shipping environment where risk exposure is rising and margin pressure remains high. By streamlining how insurance is quoted and confirmed, the integration enables teams to spend less time on manual coordination and more time focused on core operations.

The Breeze integration is now live and available to all CocoonOPS users.

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For over three years, Denkavit has partnered with Zencargo to manage its outbound ocean freight. Known for its young animal nutrition feed, Denkavit exports from the Netherlands to customers across the globe. The renewed two-year partnership reflects the value Zencargo delivers in enabling supply chain visibility and control.

As Denkavit’s control tower partner, Zencargo oversees all ocean freight bookings and coordinates with carriers and logistics providers to ensure timely, efficient global shipments. The Zencargo platform offers centralised booking management, milestone tracking, and performance insights.

Beyond execution, Zencargo supports Denkavit in optimising carrier performance. This includes providing detailed operational feedback, performance data, and managing escalations. These efforts strengthen partner collaboration and reduce risk across trade lanes.

“Zencargo has become an extension of our team,” said Gerard Van Beek, Logistics Sourcing Manager at Denkavit. “We work together closely on a daily basis to manage bookings, solve issues, and improve carrier performance. Their platform gives us the visibility we need, but it’s the ongoing collaboration and strategic input that drive better outcomes across our operations.”

“Denkavit has a clear vision for quality and reliability across their supply chain,” said Kyle Ingerman, VP Customer Success. “We’re proud to help them deliver on that vision by combining real-time visibility, agile execution, and strategic insights that improve performance year after year.”

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For years, the transport sector has relied on the use of paper documents. However, with sustainability now at the forefront of people’s minds, it’s time to replace certain ‘traditional’ practices with a more digital approach. The need for digitalisation has somewhat been hurried along in recent times too, with regulations – particularly the upcoming eFTI regulation and mandatory eCMR regulations – leaving businesses with no choice but to adapt. However, some businesses have been slow to respond, but greater awareness of the tangible benefits of paperless transport could ensure that legislation serves merely as an additional incentive, rather than the primary driver.

The current state of play

Each transport operation requires more than a dozen different paper documents, whether that is making agreements and organising processes to assigning responsibilities or collecting evidence. According to Trans.eu’s transport market 2024/2025 report, about 99% of the documents used in the sector are still paper.

A survey by ODeX highlights several reasons for the sector’s slow uptake of digital tools. The main reason is that 25% of respondents to the survey stated they were concerned about data security when using these tools. On top of this, more than 20% of shippers stated that they were unaware of the existence of digital solutions and what they offer. Also, 15% indicate insufficient adaptability and/or experience in using digital tools, followed by implementation costs.

“We see large differences in e-document adoption by sector and modes of transport. While aviation and maritime are leading the way, led by standardisation efforts and the complexity of global trade, road transport is digitising significantly slower due to its localised nature and varying regulations,” said Gerry Daalhuisen, Senior Director of Dock & Yard / Fleet Products at Transporeon. “Also, large companies often deploy advanced technologies faster than smaller ones and that the B2C sector is adopting the change faster than the B2B sector. Some logistics companies are choosing to reduce investment in yet non-essential digital tools due to reduced freight volumes and revenues, but on the other hand, many companies are also increasingly investing in their business to be more resilient with regard to the current geopolitical and economic environment.”

eCMR:a first step towards a paperless sector

The digital consignment note, or eCMR, represents a crucial first step in the shift to a paperless industry. Its use is expected to become mandatory in July 2027. By then, the eFTI Regulation should also be fully in force, encouraging authorities in EU Member States to accept electronically shared information via certified eFTI platforms.

Regardless of whether e-documentation is mandatory or not, adopting paperless processes can provide significant benefits to transportation businesses. One example of this can be found in the switch from a paper bill of lading to eCMR. The entire process, which includes document preparation, freight inspection, confirmation of delivery and other administrative tasks, takes about 23 minutes in the current paper-based process. If the freight order is processed digitally, this is reduced to 9 minutes, according to research by SIRA Consulting Research for the Danish Ministry of Transport.

This time saving of nearly a quarter of an hour translates into significant financial savings. In total, the European transport logistics sector could save as much as €1 billion a year, the organisation eFTI4EU expects. And this does not even include the reduction in waiting times at borders due to increased efficiency.

Increased transparency, fewer (human) errors

Moving to a digital approach also significantly improves communication, collaboration and efficiency within the supply chain. For example, it provides data on shipments and enables real-time visibility, ensuring that all stakeholders are constantly aware of the latest shipment status. This transparency means that missing products and delays can be identified early, allowing timely intervention. At the same time, human error is eliminated, ensuring greater accuracy and an additional improvement in internal operations such as inventory management.

A sustainable competitive advantage

Finally, e-documentation is a more sustainable approach, helping transportation companies make significant strides in their sustainability ambitions. For example, by reducing paper waste and the carbon footprint associated with paper-based processes. “The benefits of e-documentation far outweigh the implementation efforts,” indicates Daalhuisen. “It delivers clear operational and financial benefits, such as reduced costs and increased productivity, while working toward a sustainable future. In addition, documentation challenges, such as errors and delays that result, are seen by half of transportation logistics players as the biggest bottleneck in operations. To this, too, e-documentation is the answer.”

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