Vehicle Logistics at a Crossroads: Complexity Now Outpaces Growth

AACHEN, Germany – April 09, 2026 – The global vehicle logistics industry is navigating a treacherous new landscape where the greatest challenge is no longer just accommodating growth, but taming an unprecedented surge in operational complexity. A landmark new study reveals that while transport volumes are expected to climb, they are being overshadowed by intensifying cost pressures, systemic inefficiencies, and a technology gap that leaves many companies reacting to problems rather than preventing them.

This is the central finding of the INFORM Trend Report 2026: IT in Vehicle Logistics, a comprehensive survey of 111 global industry professionals. The report paints a picture of an industry at a critical inflection point. While a confident 79% of respondents expect vehicle transport volumes to increase over the next five years, that optimism is tempered by a stark reality: an overwhelming 84% identify rising costs as their dominant operational challenge, a figure that has intensified in recent years. This is compounded by demands for greater efficiency (68%) and the difficulty of managing fluctuating volumes (52%).

The Widening Gap Between Growth and Control

The industry's predicament is a paradox of its own success and evolution. As automotive supply chains have become more globalized and interconnected, the web of manufacturers, carriers, ports, and dealers has grown exponentially more intricate. The report highlights that this complexity is now increasing faster than volume, creating a high-stakes decision-making challenge under severe cost and coordination constraints.

Market data provides a broader context for these pressures. While forecasts from firms like S&P Global Mobility project continued growth in vehicle sales into 2025, the automotive sector is simultaneously grappling with significant headwinds. The costly and complex transition to electric vehicles (EVs), coupled with rising labor, energy, and material costs, has placed immense financial strain on automotive OEMs. This pressure invariably cascades down to their logistics partners, who are tasked with optimizing networks and cutting costs in an already volatile environment.

This structural shift means that simply moving more units is no longer a viable metric for success. Instead, profitability hinges on the ability to navigate a labyrinth of variables with precision, a task for which many organizations find themselves ill-equipped.

Blind Spots in a Fragmented Network

A primary source of this struggle is a profound lack of transparency across the supply chain. The INFORM report exposes critical visibility gaps that hamstring effective planning and execution. A staggering 76% of industry professionals report insufficient visibility into delivery times and estimated times of arrival (ETA). Furthermore, 68% cite gaps in capacity transparency, and 66% highlight a missing view of real-time transport status.

These are not minor inconveniences; they are systemic failures that foster reactive, inefficient decision-making. In a network involving dozens of independent actors—each with their own systems and priorities—fragmented information leads to delays, underutilized assets, and an inability to respond effectively to disruptions. This creates a stark disconnect between what the industry needs and what its current tools can provide. While 95% of respondents believe their IT systems should be driving operational efficiency, many admit to struggling with siloed data, poor system integration, and a lack of genuine decision support.

From Visibility to Decision Intelligence: The AI Imperative

Recognizing the limitations of current systems, industry leaders are signaling a fundamental shift in priorities. The goal is no longer just to see the data; it's to use it to make better, faster, and more profitable decisions. "Transparency alone is not the final objective," stated Dennis Feddern, Senior Vice President of Vehicle Logistics at INFORM, in the report's release. "The real challenge is turning operational data into better decisions across the logistics network."

To bridge this gap, the industry is looking toward Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). An almost unanimous 94% of survey respondents believe these technologies will significantly impact vehicle logistics. The role of AI is not seen as a replacement for human expertise but as a powerful tool to augment it, helping planners evaluate complex scenarios and optimize outcomes in ways that are impossible with traditional methods.

This sentiment is strongly reflected in the broader logistics technology market. The global market for AI in logistics was valued at over $18 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow exponentially. Major software providers like SAP, Blue Yonder, and Descartes are heavily investing in AI-driven platforms that promise to do everything from optimizing delivery routes in real-time to predicting demand with greater accuracy. This industry-wide pivot validates the report's findings, suggesting that adopting "decision intelligence" is rapidly becoming a prerequisite for competition, not just an advantage.

A Long-Term Structural Shift

The challenges highlighted in the 2026 report are not a fleeting trend but the culmination of a decade-long structural transformation. INFORM's series of studies, stretching back to 2013, has consistently chronicled an environment of growing complexity and volatility, even as transport volumes have been expected to grow.

"While many companies still expect growth, what we currently observe in the market is a more differentiated picture across regions," added Hartmut Haubrich, also a Senior Vice President at INFORM. "Regardless of short-term developments, the need to improve planning capabilities and decision-making remains unchanged."

This evolution has profound implications that extend beyond logistics providers to the entire automotive ecosystem. The efficiency of the finished vehicle supply chain directly impacts everything from an OEM's inventory carrying costs to a dealership's ability to deliver a customer's car on time. As the industry continues to evolve with new vehicle types, ownership models, and global market dynamics, untangling these logistical knots will be fundamental to the future of mobility. For companies operating in this new era, mastering complexity is no longer just an operational detail—it is the new bottom line.