Produced annually for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) by global consulting firm Kearney and presented by leading third-party supply chain provider Penske Logistics, the annual report offers a snapshot of the American economy via the lens of the logistics sector and its role in overall supply chains.
The report is a comprehensive compilation of leading logistics intelligence from around the world and shines a spotlight on industry trends and key insights on ever evolving supply chains across a number of sectors.
2026 Report highlights include:
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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.
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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.
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Artificial Intelligence has made the crossover from a technology to try, to one that delivers measurable commercial returns in specific, well-defined applications. AI use in the supply chain crafts 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.
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Companies are responding to labor constraints with accelerated use of automation and digital investments in AI.
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The State of Logistics 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 ROI; and reassessing capital structure and investment pacing.