Executive Commentary |
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Solvo. ai
Gaurav Bajaj
Founder & CEO www. solvo. ai
Over the last decade,“ visibility” has become the buzzword of global logistics. Knowing where a shipment is, when it will arrive and whether it’ s delayed has gone from being a differentiator to a baseline expectation. In fact, visibility itself has become a commodity— every major player now seems to offer it in one form or another.
The real question is: once you see everything, what do you do with it?
The next frontier is not visibility but intelligence— how technology translates that visibility into better decisions. The industry has access to an abundance of real-time data: vessel positions, booking patterns, congestion alerts, rate movements and behavioral signals from shippers and freight forwarders. Yet much of this information remains descriptive rather than prescriptive.
That’ s where machine learning and AI can add transformational value. For example, carriers still make key commercial decisions
Those willing to adapt and change can lower freight costs by 10 %– 12 %. Meanwhile, shippers tethered to the status quo, ignoring what is happening in the freight markets, will see their freight costs go up by 5 %– 8 %. The question to consider in 2026: Will savings of 15 %– 20 % motivate your company to make changes?
Organizations choosing the savings route will leverage technology that enables automation and provides access to robust data, helping them understand the operational changes they need to make.
In 2026, we expect more supply chain disruptions. Technology that frees up time and uses AI to limit the impact of disruptions will be important. Data that facilitates collaborating with carriers will result in lower freight costs.
Going into 2026, two industry specific trends that could call for adjustments.
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— such as how much capacity to allocate to long-term contracts versus the spot market— based largely on static, historical heuristics. These choices often fail to reflect live demand shifts, regional volatility, geopolitics, tariffs or evolving customer behavior. By combining visibility data with market indicators and booking trends, technology can help carriers dynamically adjust their capacity mix daily. This not only optimizes utilization and yield but also allows trade teams to respond proactively. Similarly, for freight forwarders, visibility data enriched with pricing, customer behavior and reliability metrics can drive smarter quoting and procurement strategies rather than reactive decisions.
Ultimately, the value of visibility and the data it surfaces depends on how intelligently it’ s used. Technology’ s true role in logistics is no longer to show what happened, but to continuously learn and guide what should happen next— creating self-optimizing supply chains that adapt as fast as the markets they serve.
Bob Costello, Chief Economist for the American Trucking Associations, recently noted that the truckload market will continue to be soft unless there is a contraction in supply. The English Language Proficiency Act and the use of commercial driver’ s licenses by non-residents could
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“ The next frontier is not visibility but intelligence.”
Gaurav Bajaj
“ Visibility alone gives companies a surfacelevel look into supply chains; technology turns that information into the power to act decisively.”
Val Marchevsky
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have a major impact on the driver pool and actually reduce supply.
Less-than-truckload carriers will continue to defend their turf with competitive rates on important high-density lanes. Shippers who understand this dynamic can negotiate lower rates.
My advice for shippers in a bifurcated year: You have a choice. Be aggressive and creative in finding ways to lower costs or remain status quo and see freight costs rise. Your call. Based on experience, we know that realizing savings of 10 % or more is attainable for shippers who are willing and committed to making positive changes in their organization.
Uber Freight
Val Marchevsky
CTO www. uberfreight. com
Technological innovation continues to reshape logistics, with artificial intelligence transforming supply chains from reactive systems into proactive, intelligent networks. As supply chain volatility grows, solutions that unlock network visibility are table stakes, giving companies the edge they need to stay competitive.
AI is central to this transformation. By operationalizing real-time insights into network performance, marketplace conditions, emerging trends and more, these tools automate processes and give logisticians actionable recommendations they can use to proactively manage supply chains. Supply chain solutions leverage AI to empower teams to navigate delays, optimize routes and respond dynamically to changing conditions— turning visibility into foresight and operational control.
Ultimately, visibility alone gives companies a surface-level look into supply chains; technology turns that information into the power to act decisively, anticipate disruptions and gain a competitive edge. With AI unlocking greater visibility, companies can move faster, respond smarter and build supply chains that don’ t just endure volatility— they thrive in it.
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