The 2026 State of Logistics report—titled 'Forged in Disruption' and now in its 37th edition—declares persistent volatility the new normal for global supply chains. U.S. business logistics costs totaled $2.4 trillion, or 7.8% of GDP, down from $2.6 trillion and 8.7% in 2025. Five structural forces—including asymmetrical global growth, tightening financial conditions, trade realignment, labor constraints, and energy volatility—are identified as enduring. AI adoption remains uneven, with value creation occurring through interpreting, predicting, recommending, and executing functions. Experts emphasize designing for resilience over efficiency and accelerating ROI on digital and automation investments.
Persistent adaptation is in and five-year plans are out. That’s one of the central themes of an authoritative new report on the logistics industry.
37th Annual Report Defines New Paradigm
The 2026 State of Logistics (SoL) report finds persistent disruptions on everything, from wars to energy sources to worker shortages are forming a new supply chain paradigm of persistent disruption that has emerged for shippers and logistics providers.
Entitled “Forged in Disruption,” the 37th annual SoL report concluded that only the most successful individuals and companies are adapting to this challenging business environment.
The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) released its findings today during a press briefing at the Empire State Building. The publication is authored annually by global consulting firm Kearney and presented by Penske Logistics, a leading supply chain solutions provider.
Economic Snapshot and Structural Forces
The latest SoL report provides a snapshot of the American economy through the prism of the supply chain sector. Notable facts from this year’s report include:
- U.S. business logistics costs came in at $2.4 trillion, amounting to 7.8% of the national GDP. In 2025, those numbers were $2.6 trillion and 8.7% of GDP;
- There are five structural forces that define the macro environment and show no signs of resolution: Asymmetrical global growth; tightening financial conditions due to persistent inflation and rising public debt; accelerating trade flow and geoeconomic realignment; labor market and productivity constraints; and energy price volatility;
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made the crossover from a technology to try, to one that delivers measurable commercial returns in specific, well-defined applications.
AI Adoption Remains Uneven
The report observed that AI use in the supply chain creates value via four capabilities: Interpreting, predicting, recommending and executing. Adoption of AI remains “uneven” by shippers and logistics providers across the supply chain, with a large gap between companies that have placed AI into core workflows vs. those still restricted to isolated point solutions, with many having none at all.
It also noted that companies are responding to labor constraints with accelerated use of automation and digital investments in AI.
Strategic Implications for Resilience
The new SoL report provides some strategic implications that can be applied to the current environment including: Design for resilience, not just efficiency; prioritizing asset productivity over footprint expansion; intelligence, and the competitive capabilities that accompany end-to-end visibility; accelerating digital and automation return on investment (ROI); and reassessing capital structure and investment pacing.
“This year’s report arrives at a moment when the forces reshaping global supply chains are no longer temporary disruptions, but enduring features of the operating environment.” — Korhan Acar, Kearney partner and lead author for the State of Logistics Report
Rising costs driven by energy volatility, inflation, and geopolitical instability are placing pressure on margins and “forcing leaders to rethink traditional operating models,” Acar said.
“At the same time, we’ve reached a genuine turning point in the autonomous era. AI, robotics and autonomous trucking are moving rapidly from pilots to scaled deployment,” Acar added.
Against this backdrop, profitable growth has become the defining priority. The companies that will lead are those combining resilience, intelligent logistics, and disciplined execution to protect margins and outperform in an increasingly volatile world, Acar concluded.
“The report captures the essence of how we are helping our customers meet the realities of rising cost pressures and ongoing supply chain turbulence with the technology and solutions they need to accelerate performance.” — Stacy Schlachter, senior vice president of sales for Penske Logistics
“The supply chain of right now is incredibly complex and requires a series of constant adjustments. This year’s State of Logistics Report, expertly crafted by Kearney and presented by Penske Logistics, paints an accurate picture of the myriad dynamics of managing a logistics network constructed to navigate the current business and geopolitical landscape. Last year’s supply chain looks different than today’s supply chain. I surmise that next year’s logistics network will be hardly recognizable.” — Mark Baxa, CSCMP president and CEO
Source: Logistics Management
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
