In a survey of 616 shippers and logistics service providers (LSPs) in North America and Europe, 96% of respondents said that they were using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for transportation management. The survey was conducted in July 2025 by software provider Descartes Systems Group and SAPIO Research as part of the “Ninth Annual Global Transportation Benchmark Survey.”
FIGURE 1: Is your company leveraging generative AI in any of these areas? (select all that apply)
Descartes 9th Annual Global Transportation Management Benchmark Survey, 2025
The survey found that the four top use cases were data entry (41%), route/load optimization (39%), freight forecasting (35%), and automated load matching/capacity sourcing (35%). (See figure above.)
The 4% of respondents who are not using generative AI in transportation were much more likely to view transportation management as “a necessary evil” as opposed to as a “competitive weapon” or as a “customer service differentiator,” according to survey results. The survey found that they were also more likely to expect limited to no growth over the next two years.
FIGURE 2: How mature is your company’s transportation technology adoption?
Descartes 9th Annual Global Transportation Management Benchmark Survey, 2025
Although the survey indicated that almost all respondents were at least experimenting with generative AI, it did find a wide disparity in the level of automation and digital maturity among respondents. Forty-six percent of respondent said that their transportation management was mostly automated with some manual processes, while 37% said they had partial or minimal automation. (See figure above.) Only 17% said that they were fully automated.
This digital gap is especially pronounced between companies with industry-leading financial performance (51% of which say they have fully automated processes) and those with below average financial performance (5% of which say they have fully automated processes).
Other key findings from the survey include:
- Investment in transportation management systems is growing, with 80% of respondents planning to increase their TMS spending. Respondents say that their top priorities for their TMS spend are performance management, visibility, and fleet routing.
- TMS users are increasing their focus on fraud and theft prevention. Respondents indicated that they consider “carrier monitoring” (that is, for insurance, safety, and fraud) as one of the top three capabilities that they want from their TMS. North American respondents prioritized the capability 7% higher than European counterparts.
- Respondents were anticipating strong growth in the future. The survey found that 72% of shippers and LSPs expect at least 5% annual revenue growth in the next two years.
