What Descartes' 2026 Transportation Benchmark Means for Delivery Operations

Visibility is still the biggest gap

Shippers name real-time visibility as their top operational gap (27%), while LSPs point to automation (26%) and carrier connectivity (25%). GPS and ELD tracking is common, used by 52% of shippers and 59% of LSPs. Even so, 35% of shippers and 41% of LSPs still depend on spreadsheets or post-delivery emails.

AI is stuck at the data layer

Most organisations are exploring, piloting or partially deploying AI. Data quality is the leading barrier, followed by integration complexity (39% of shippers, 38% of LSPs) and unclear ROI (31% and 35%). Skills and change management rank lower, which suggests teams are ready but the digital infrastructure behind AI is not. Where AI is live, LSPs use it for real-time visibility (67%) and route or load optimisation (63%). Shippers lead with data entry and customer service (both 58%).

Automation has further to go

Only 16% of shippers and 13% of LSPs describe their operations as fully automated with AI. Among those using AI, shippers report the biggest gains in lower administrative and labour costs (55%), while LSPs cite better service (53%).

What this means for fuel, propane and bulk-liquid delivery

The survey covers freight transportation rather than bulk fuel delivery, but the pattern carries over. Route planning decides where trucks go, and results before and after the route depend on the quality of the data. Edge is built to work alongside your routing platform, including Descartes, and adds the layers around it:

• Before the route: Edge Orders generates and enriches orders from consumption, telemetry and ERP data, so planners start with accurate orders instead of manual entry.
• At the delivery: Edge Capture reads volume, temperature and totaliser from meters scales or sensors, giving clean, auditable data at source rather than re-keyed paper.
• After the delivery: Edge Insights compares planned against actual in real time, so dispatch can act before customers call.

Source: Descartes, 2026 Global Transportation Management Benchmark Survey.

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