APRIL 2026 
AIR CARGO QUARTERLY
AIR CARGO QUARTERLY 
28
Integration
For years, fleets have 
managed safety and compli-
ance, toll costs, and weigh 
station bypass as separate 
problems with separate ven-
dors and systems — the data 
rarely connected, says Mike 
Precia, President and CSO, 
Fleetworthy. “That is starting 
to change in a meaningful way. 
The technology trend to watch 
in 2026 is integration. As 
these systems come together, 
fleets can finally connect data 
that has been scattered across 
their business.”
With connected technol-
ogy and data in place, AI is 
starting to play a bigger role 
by identifying patterns, flag-
ging issues, and automating 
decisions that used to require 
manual effort, Precia con-
tinues. That includes things 
like validating toll charges, 
predicting costs, and helping 
fleets stay prepared for DOT 
audits. The result is less time 
spent reacting to problems and 
more control over cost, risk, 
and day-to-day operations.
Nick Piette, Senior Director, 
Product Management. TrueC-
ommerce, adds that a key 
trend for 2026 is the growing 
expectation that APIs — the 
interfaces that allow applica-
tions to communicate — must 
seamlessly fit into increas-
ingly complex, multi-appli-
cation environments. Users 
expect APIs to be flexible, 
interoperable, and easy to 
integrate across a wide range 
of tools and workflows.
Zubin Appoo, CEO of 
WiseTech Global, envisions 
that disparate point systems 
will actually be replaced by 
integrated intelligence plat-
forms that bring all facts of 
logistics and trade, across the 
entire supply chain, together 
for powerful decision making.
“The 
companies 
that 
will outperform are the ones 
using connected insights to 
remove cost, improve agility, 
anticipate market changes, 
and make smarter decisions 
across every layer of the 
transportation network,” con-
cludes Bob Daymon, Head of 
Client Services, Uber Freight.
AI-Enabled Data Extraction
In 2026, the transportation 
industry is demanding unified 
intelligence and AI-enabled 
data extraction to streamline 
complex workflows, according 
to Akhauri from DDC. Car-
riers are deploying machine 
learning to instantly transform 
fragmented, unstructured doc-
uments into highly accurate, 
actionable data. This tech-
nology serves as a critical 
bridge, seamlessly integrat-
ing data across networks to 
eliminate manual work and 
costly operational blind spots. 
By empowering faster deci-
sions and reducing waste, 
this approach allows modern 
fleets to adapt to market shifts, 
lower costs, and drive excep-
tional business outcomes.
AI-Driven Fleet Operations
“Fleet operations are where 
planning meets reality, and 
that’s where small inefficien-
cies add up quickly,” advises 
James Wee, GM, Fleet Man-
agement, Descartes. “AI is 
starting to close that gap by 
learning from how routes 
perform in the field — fac-
toring in real service times, 
variability and conditions that 
static plans miss. Over time, 
that leads to increased route 
density and more reliable exe-
cution, delivering meaning-
ful efficiency gains without 
adding vehicles, drivers or 
operational layers.”
AI-Powered Carrier Selection
“For a long time, if you 
wanted intelligent carrier selec-
tion and rate optimization, you 
had to buy a full TMS and 
spend months implementing 
it,” says Jimmy Sebastian, VP 
of AI Products, FourKites. “AI 
can now pull real-time rates, 
factor in historical carrier per-
formance across millions of 
shipments, and recommend 
the best option for a specific 
lane and service requirement 
on the fly.” 
Driegert from DAT adds 
that AI agents can monitor 
accepted/rejected 
tenders, 
reroute loads to backup car-
riers, and update tracking, all 
without manual intervention 
by the shipper’s TMS team.
Direct Carrier Connectivity
Brian Thompson, Chief 
Commercial Officer, SMC3 
explains that AI agents must 
operate on reliable, high-fi-
delity data. Direct carrier 
connectivity that supports 
continuous data exchange 
is preferable to web crawl-
ing and static file transfers 
because it enables AI to scale 
with higher performance and 
lower maintenance costs.
Ship-To-Shelf Cargo 
Orchestration
Supply chain operations are 
being transformed by inno-
vations that bridge the gap 
between terminal, yard and 
last-mile delivery, according 
to Brian Taylor, VP of Trans-
portation Solutions, Kaleris. 
Ship-to-shelf or port-to-door 
orchestration platforms enable 
real-time operational visibil-
ity and data synchronization 
across every cargo hand-
off from port arrival to rail 
ramp to yard operations to 
store or home delivery. This 
integrated approach elimi-
nates operational blind spots, 
streamlines asset tracking, 
and empowers teams with 
precise, actionable insights 
for dispatch and dwell-time 
management.
AI-Enabled DPS
“AI-enabled denied party 
screening is changing how 
(TRENDS – continued on 
page 34)
(TRENDS – continued from 
page 25)
Congestion problem at air cargo facilities 
The infrastructure supporting air freight handling at airports has long been 
neglected. There are answers but funding is an issue.
(CONGESTION – continued on page 38)
By E.C. Lauriat, AJOT
An airport is a well-oiled machine that 
exists to efficiently move passengers and 
cargo. Or at least, it should be. Congestion 
problems have long been a concern for anyone 
attempting to move cargo in or out of an air-
port, but COVID particularly exacerbated 
these issues and since then, 
these issues have become 
more prominent. Brandon 
Fried, of the Airforwarder’s 
Association, says, “It’s not 
about going back but about 
moving forward smarter. 
COVID exposed structural 
weaknesses: labor short-
ages, lack of visibility, 
and brittle supply chains. 
The industry has already 
proven it can adapt quickly 
when forced to. The chal-
lenge now is sustaining that 
urgency without a crisis 
driving it.” Fortunately, discussions of these 
problems have begun. 
Infrastructure Issues Plague Air Freight 
Handling
The clear cause of this unfortunate problem 
is infrastructure issues. This can be broken down 
into the various types of infrastructure, as each 
part forms a larger whole. The overall problem 
cannot be solved by only tackling one section of 
infrastructure. If this isn’t handled at the root, 
the issue will continue to perpetuate itself. 
Many have stories about how their businesses 
have been affected. Brendan Magee of Dachser, 
for instance, states that for him, “the most press-
ing challenge in recent years had / has been the 
excessive wait times for trucks at airline termi-
nals.” His experience with the JFK International 
Airport is that the airport lacks the infrastructure 
for the volume of cargo it transports. 
The Airforwarder’s Association has some 
ideas on what to do about it, which were pre-
sented to Capitol Hill on July 23, 2025. Bran-
don Fried and the Airforwarder’s Association 
hope that these suggestions may lead to poli-
cies being implemented that will mitigate these 
congestion issues. Since air cargo is an integral 
part of the US economy, and it only continues 
to grow, solving this will only be beneficial 
for the future of this country. Without smooth 
and efficient air cargo, transporting cargo, 
especially time sensitive cargo, would quickly 
become a frustrating endeavor.
The Various Causes of Air Freight Congestion
In the GAO report, it is stated that, “Among 
each element of infrastructure we reviewed, 
more than two-thirds of stakeholders reported 
challenges with warehouses, truck areas, and 
roadways.” In addition, there were also issues 
identified with cargo aprons, which ties into 
the issues with other infrastructure. 
Warehouses, for instance, are often old, 
potentially even 40+ years old. This means that 
quite often, there are physical problems which 
need to be repaired, such as a leaking rooves 
or holes in the walls, which can cause damage 
to cargo. Warehouses are often not configured 
in a way that is efficient for transferring cargo, 
with obstructions or low ceilings, and the access 
points for cargo vehicles may be minimal. This 
causes issues loading and unloading cargo.
Similarly, roadways are often not well 
maintained, with potholes and deterioration. 
If a roadway is too small to admit cargo vehi-
cles, the driver must find an alternate route or 
risk an accident. Many roadways are not pre-
pared for a modern cargo vehicle, once again 
increasing the risk of an accident. Truck areas, 
such as parking, queuing, and staging areas, 
suffer from similar issues, with often being too 
few, too small, and quite crowded. 
Cargo aprons, as well, are often old and 
have not been updated. Many cargo aprons are 
too small to accommodate jumbo aircraft and 
the equipment needed to unpack cargo. The 
parking spaces are often 
too far from warehouses for 
efficient movement. 
There are several issues 
that each of these share. 
Age and outdated design 
are common complaints, 
with size being a related 
issue. Often, there is not 
enough space, and what 
space there is can be too 
far away. Warehouses, for 
instance, are located too 
far from infrastructure such 
as airline terminals, mean-
ing that cargo cannot be 
quickly and efficiently transferred from air-
plane to warehouse.
In addition to the physical infrastructure 
limitations, there are often other challenges 
that may arise. Staff availability can be an 
issue. Digital infrastructure, security, and cus-
toms issues were also mentioned frequently. 
Another issue is energy demands. Since, as 
previously mentioned, quite a bit of the physi-
cal infrastructure has not been updated, energy 
demands can be higher than a warehouse can 
handle. The combination of all of these factors 
leads to congestion.
Solutions to Failing Air Cargo Infrastructure 
In his comments to AJOT, Brandon Fried 
also said, “Progress is underway, but the path 
forward is clear: treating air cargo as critical 
infrastructure and advancing coordinated solu-
tions that improve efficiency across the entire 
cargo ecosystem—not just at individual bot-
tlenecks.” As he sees it, the greatest challenge 
to the air cargo industry making the critical 
repairs needed is fragmentation, as, “Airports, 
airlines, forwarders, ground handlers, and 
regulators all operate on different timelines, 
budgets, and priorities. Until someone takes 
ownership of coordination, even well-funded 
solutions stall out in execution.”
The first step to solving these issues is 
the report that was presented to Capitol Hill. 
Informing the DOT of the severity of the air 
cargo congestion problem means that there is 
a motivation to fix this problem. Now that the 
problem has been articulated, solutions can 
begin to be implemented. Both the Airfor-
warder’s Association and Capitol Hill “agreed 
that airport truck congestion is a visible symp-
tom of broader constraints across the air cargo 
system—not the root problem.”
Funding is an obvious necessity. With the 
sheer breadth of repairs and upgrades needed, 
the expense is high. However, providing the 
funding will save everyone involved money 
in the long run. The Airforwarder’s Asso-
ciation suggests making a State or Federal 
“Air Cargo Support Fund.” This fund would 
provide the money needed for upgrading and 
developing infrastructure.
Using this funding, airports must be over-
hauled. When asked what the most crucial piece 
of infrastructure to focus on was, Fried said, “Air 
transport. To remain competitive with European 
standards, we must overhaul cargo operations.” 
As it is currently, the land around airports is not 
being utilized properly, and the aging infrastruc-
ture must be updated. Once this has been han-
dled, congestion can be eliminated.  
Roadways obviously need to be updated, 
Brandon Fried, Airforwarder’s Association

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