With transportation and logistics operations focused on delivering products and services to specific locations, parts of the industry will always be physical in nature.

But what’s now disrupting the sector more than anything are digital forces, from AI-driven automation to increasingly volatile global trade networks.

Today, transportation networks have become sprawling ecosystems of disconnected systems, where ensuring that data remains consistent has become a tall order. As a result, companies are struggling to unify their data into something actionable, says Jim Endres, director of TMS with Aptean.

“Fragmented data kills decisions,” Endres explains.

Labor shortages across transportation and logistics have also persisted for years, but Endres argues the real transformation is occurring behind the scenes with new technologies that can pick up the slack where humans might be falling short.

For years, Amazon has dominated the e-commerce sector by offering ultra-fast shipping and real-time tracking. That’s conditioned consumers to expect a certain level of speed and communication, and those expectations have spilled over into the broader logistics industry.

Global supply chains are facing a constant stream of disruptions, including tariffs, geopolitical instability and growing climate risks. In response, companies have had to adjust their traditional network planning cycles to meet the growing challenges posed by a shifting trade landscape.

“Disruptions are now happening much faster and more often,” he says.

As sustainability requirements have become more and more ubiquitous, companies have had to come to terms with the fact that they can no longer afford to kick the can down the road.

“When it becomes a government mandate, that’s when things really start to change,” Endres says.

Endres says Aptean is trying to help customers deal with these industry shifts by building more AI and automation into its software.

The company has added AI tools directly into its applications to help users automate decisions and improve planning without needing deep technical expertise. Aptean is also working to bring data from across its systems into a single structure, giving customers a broader view of operations and providing insights from multiple data sources.