Resilience Restructuring and Digital Drive: The 37th Logistics Status Report Reveals the New Normal of Global Supply Chains

Resilience Reconstruction and Digital Drive: The 37th Annual State of Logistics Report Reveals the New Normal of Global Supply Chains

On July 1, 2026, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and Kearney jointly released the 37th Annual State of Logistics Report. Titled "Forged in Turmoil," this annual industry benchmark report presents a core judgment: the global logistics industry has moved beyond temporary crisis response and entered a new era where continuous adaptation is the core competency. Against the backdrop of trade policies being adjusted on average every 1.5 weeks, and geopolitical conflicts and energy volatility becoming the norm, corporate supply chain strategies are shifting from "five-year plans" to "dynamic adjustments."

Logistics Costs and Structural Forces

The report shows that total U.S. business logistics costs in 2025 were $2.4 trillion, accounting for 7.8% of GDP, down from $2.6 trillion (8.7% of GDP) in 2024. This decline is not due to a significant improvement in logistics efficiency, but rather to slowing demand and falling freight rates. Notably, before the deregulation of trucking in 1979, logistics costs accounted for 19% of GDP, indicating that long-term structural improvements remain significant.

The five structural forces currently shaping the global logistics landscape include: asymmetric global economic growth, tightening financial conditions due to persistent inflation and rising public debt, accelerated trade flows and geopolitical restructuring, labor and productivity constraints, and ongoing energy price volatility. These factors will not disappear in the short term, and companies must incorporate them into their long-term strategies.

Artificial Intelligence: From Experiment to Value

Artificial intelligence has moved from pilot projects to the stage of measurable business value. The report points out that AI creates value through four capabilities: explanation, prediction, recommendation, and execution, but adoption rates remain uneven. Leading companies have embedded AI into core processes, while others are still stuck with isolated pilots or have not used it at all. Against the background of labor shortages, investment in AI and automation has become a key means to improve productivity and operational resilience.

Status of Various Transport Modes

Trucking remains the engine of the U.S. freight economy. After a supply-side shakeout since 2022 in which approximately 89,000 carriers exited, the market is recovering from supply-driven rather than demand-driven conditions. Pricing is beginning to firm up, but the market behaves more like a series of lane-level markets rather than a unified national market. Leading shippers are shifting to dynamic procurement, and technology-driven new entrants continue to pressure traditional carriers.

Rail - The proposed merger between Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific has drawn industry attention. Supporters believe the merger would create the first single-line rail network spanning the East and West coasts of the U.S., improving transit time competitiveness; opponents worry about competition and rates. In 2025, Class I railroad revenues were flat, truckload volume grew only slightly, and intermodal revenue declined.Air cargo set a historic record in 2025, with global demand growing 3.4%, but regional divergence was significant: Asia-Europe routes increased by 10.3%, while Asia-North America routes declined by 0.8%. Factors such as tariff-driven pre-stocking, rising fuel costs, sustainable aviation fuel requirements, and restrictions on Persian Gulf routes continued to cause volatility. The report noted that air cargo is shifting toward high-value-density goods, prioritizing speed and reliability over cost.

Parcel and last-mile delivery underwent a structural reset. The cancellation of the *de minimis* duty exemption for China’s small parcels caused a daily reduction of approximately 85% in air cargo volume, pushing shippers toward domestic fulfillment. Carriers raised rates by an average of 5.9%, while the $1.23 trillion e-commerce market sustained demand. Service models are splitting into ultra-low-cost regional delivery and premium time-definite services.

Maritime shipping continues to face overcapacity, but global bottlenecks—such as the Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Panama Canal—provide short-term support for freight rates. In 2025, fleet growth outpaced demand, with new vessel deliveries exacerbating the supply-demand imbalance.

Warehousing has stabilized from the shocks of recent years, with employment maintained between 1.8 million and 1.9 million, but a shortage of high-skilled technology and regulatory positions persists, with an annual turnover rate exceeding 40%.

Third-party logistics (3PL) is at a strategic inflection point, as customer expectations shift from transactional execution to end-to-end supply chain integration. Leading 3PLs are adapting by scaling operations, increasing node density, and embedding real-time visibility and AI tools.

Strategic Priorities for Enterprises

The report recommends five key strategies for companies: designing supply chains for resilience rather than pure efficiency; prioritizing asset productivity over network expansion; strengthening end-to-end visibility and decision intelligence; accelerating ROI in digitalization and automation; and reassessing capital allocation and investment cadence.

Korhan Acar, Kearney partner and lead author of the report, stated: “This year’s report is released at a critical moment when global supply chains are undergoing transformation. AI, robotics, and autonomous trucks are moving from pilots to large-scale deployment. The amount of information generated by modern supply chains far exceeds an organization’s capacity to process it, and AI is helping practitioners focus on key decisions.”

Long-term Trends Outlook

The “network debt” of global supply chains is evolving into “network drift”—a systemic weakening caused by fragmented reactive adjustments. Companies must embed adaptability into their organizational DNA rather than treating it as a temporary tool. Against the backdrop of simultaneous deglobalization and regionalization, the reconstruction of trade routes, manufacturing relocation, and the impact of regional trade agreements (e.g., RCEP, USMCA) will further reshape logistics networks.

The 37th Annual State of Logistics Report provides a clear roadmap for the industry: sustained resilience building, deep digitalization, and dynamic strategy will serve as the competitive foundation for the next decade.