Inaugural survey of 313 industry executives finds 90% report returns on AI investment at or above expectations and 87% plan bigger tech budgets next year, while demand forecasting tops the list of challenges they feel least prepared for
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESS Newswire / October 27, 2026 / Sparq, the AI-native digital engineering partner built to re-engineer the systems businesses run on, today released its inaugural "2027 Transportation & Logistics Insights Report: How Enterprise Leaders are Sequencing Investment in Connected Data & AI." The report reveals a growing focus on the business results of technology investments as large transportation and logistics companies prepare for the holiday shipping season and plan for 2027.
The survey of 313 senior decision-makers at freight, trucking, parcel and courier companies with annual revenues of $500 million or more found widespread adoption of advanced technologies, alongside persistent operational challenges. While 92% of respondents say their organizations are fully or mostly prepared for the 2026 holiday peak shipping season, 53% identify demand forecasting accuracy as one of the three areas where they feel least prepared - despite 61% reporting that their organizations have already implemented demand forecasting technology.
The findings underscore a persistent challenge for transportation and logistics companies. Even as they invest in new technologies, operational problems remain, adding to the pressures on an industry already facing tight margins.
"Transportation and logistics companies aren't backing away from technology investment, but the expectations are changing," said Ingrid Curtis, CEO of Sparq. "In 2027, it won't be enough to say you've deployed AI or saved employees a few hours a week. Leaders will want to know whether those investments actually improved margins, increased capacity or made operations more resilient. That's the next test for the industry."
Despite high overall confidence heading into peak holiday shipping season, respondents identified several areas of concern. Demand forecasting accuracy topped the list at 53%, followed by cybersecurity and data breaches (43%), labor and driver shortages (43%), and extreme weather disruptions (41%). Many organizations have implemented technologies intended to improve these operational pain points, including load and route optimization (70%), real-time visibility and tracking (67%), and demand forecasting (61%), but they remain areas of primary concern.
Looking ahead, 87% of respondents expect their organizations' technology and AI budgets to increase in the next fiscal year, even as they face continued pressure on margins. At the same time, 62% say their organizations are requiring faster ROI timelines from vendors on technology investments, while 49% are consolidating vendor relationships.
Despite this increased scrutiny, 90% report that their existing technology and AI investments have met or exceeded ROI expectations. This suggests executives remain confident in the value of technology while becoming more demanding about future investments.
Legacy technology also remains an obstacle to AI adoption. When asked about the biggest barrier to accelerating AI or advanced data investments, respondents most frequently cited legacy systems and integration challenges (24%), followed by data quality concerns (19%), unclear ROI (17%) and budget constraints (16%).
"The next phase of AI adoption will be less about adding more tools and more about making the technology companies already have work together effectively," Curtis added. "For transportation and logistics businesses, that means connecting data, modernizing critical systems and making sure technology investments translate into measurable operational improvements."
Sparq's "2027 Transportation & Logistics Insights Report" is the first in a planned annual research series examining the technology priorities, challenges and outlook of transportation and logistics decision-makers. For more information on Sparq's work in the sector, visit Sparq Transportation & Logistics.
Methodology
The 2027 Transportation & Logistics Outlook is based on a survey of 313 U.S. transportation and logistics professionals, conducted by InnovateMR for Sparq from August to September, 2026. Respondents work at freight brokerage and forwarding, trucking, parcel, and courier and last-mile companies with at least $500 million in annual revenue (78% at $1 billion or more). Ninety percent hold Director-level titles or above, and all are involved in technology and AI investment decisions, including 49% who are final decision-makers. The margin of error is ±5.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
About Sparq:
Sparq is an AI-native digital engineering services firm that helps businesses modernize critical technology, connect fragmented data and intelligence, and put AI into production. We work alongside operators, architects, engineering leaders, and business leaders to improve the systems and workflows businesses depend on, with measurable impact on margin, throughput, capacity, and decision speed. Sparq combines senior engineering expertise, AI-enabled delivery, and production-tested accelerators to move complex initiatives from problem to production faster and with less risk. Sparq serves Fortune 1000 and enterprise clients across transportation & logistics, real estate & construction, retail, and financial services & insurance, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and delivery teams across the U.S. and Latin America. For more information, visit our website.
Media contact:
Songue PR for Sparq
sparq@songuepr.com
SOURCE: Sparq
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/transportation-and-logistics-leaders-continuing-ai-and-technolog-1241713
