AI Resilience Report forFreight Forwarders

Freight forwarding is one of the busiest corners of logistics for AI right now, but most of what's being automated is repetitive paperwork — not the strategic decisions humans make. A Descartes benchmark study of 434 forwarders and customs brokers found that 55 per cent planning to prioritize AI investment, with companies using it to automate quoting, streamline pricing and adapt to evolving regulatory demands, according to coverage in Inside Logistics ^[1]. On the air-cargo side, IATA announced in March 2026 ^[2] an AI Subject Matter Expert (AI SME), a mobile and web-based application that helps operational teams quickly find information in IATA cargo and safety publications by asking questions in plain language, plus an Air Cargo AI Excellence Hub bringing together airlines, ground handlers, freight forwarders, technology providers, and regulators.

Newer "agentic" tools are even handling pricing and carrier selection: FreightWaves reports ^[3] Project44's AI Freight Procurement Agent showed a 4.1 percent reduction in freight spend, up to a 75 percent reduction in sourcing cycle times, and a 70 percent reduction in manual coordination effort. Still, real impact is uneven — BCG's January 2026 survey ^[4] found about 40% report deploying AI beyond pilots, yet only one in ten have embedded AI into core operations at scale. Only 13% report measurable value.

Meanwhile, Logistics Management notes ^[5] that tariff changes and the de minimis rollback are actually increasing demand for human compliance experts inside forwarding firms.

Adoption is accelerating because the business case is strong: 25 per cent of companies identified manual workflows as their top barrier to growth, and shippers are starting to expect AI-enabled service. But there are real speed bumps. BCG found that Unclear ROI and internal capability gaps are the primary barriers to AI adoption, not cost or technical complexity.

And Gartner's February 2026 survey ^[6] showed More than half (55%) of supply chain leaders expect that advancements in agentic AI will reduce the need to hire for entry-level positions — but Gartner also warns this could backfire, since 75% of supply chain organizations that paused hiring for entry-level roles in 2026 will pay premiums upward of 15% for early-career professionals by 2030 ^[6]. The encouraging takeaway: relationship-building with shippers, judgment calls on sensitive cargo (livestock, pharmaceuticals, hazardous goods), customs expertise, and crisis response remain hard to automate. Young people entering this field who pair AI fluency with strong communication and trade-compliance knowledge will likely be more valuable, not less.