Transport Management Blog. Thoughts, stories and ideas.

The European Shipper's Dual-Track Transport Procurement Strategy: How to Balance Contract Optimization with Capacity Contingency Planning Before 2026's Tight Market Eliminates Your Flexibility

European transport procurement strategies built around simple rate optimization face extinction in 2026. Without action to make the driver profession more accessible and attractive, Europe could lack over two million drivers by 2026, impacting half of all freight movements, while analysts predict a 3% year-on-year increase in contracted prices across

The European SME Manufacturer's AI-Powered TMS Selection Framework: How to Choose the Right Transportation Management System Without Joining the 76% Implementation Failure Rate

A staggering 76% of logistics transformations never meet their budget, timeline, or performance targets, yet European SME manufacturers continue racing toward TMS implementations without adequate selection frameworks. A German automotive parts manufacturer discovered this the expensive way after their €800,000 TMS implementation couldn't handle their complex carrier

The Productivity Revolution: How European Shippers Can Leverage TMS Automation to Gain Competitive Advantage When Transport Competition Shifts From Rates to Efficiency in 2026's Capacity Crisis

European logistics managers watching the Transport Management Systems market in 2026 are seeing something unprecedented: unfilled driver positions for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in Europe have surged to 426,000 in 2024, marking the beginning of what industry experts call the productivity revolution. While competitors still focus on squeezing carrier

The European Shipper's Agentic AI TMS Implementation Guide: How to Deploy Autonomous Transport Management Systems That Actually Execute Decisions Without Joining the 76% Failure Rate

The transport management system landscape stands at a critical inflection point where predictive AI gives way to agentic AI TMS platforms that don't just recommend actions but autonomously execute them. Next-generation platforms are expected to adopt AI agents that independently make key decisions like scheduling appointments, choosing routes,

The 76% Logistics Transformation Crisis: How European Shippers Can Beat the Odds When Most Digital Projects End in Failure

The numbers paint a bleak picture: seventy-six percent of logistics transformations never fully succeed, failing to meet critical budget, timeline or key performance indicator (KPI) metrics, with more than 80% of respondents attempting four transformations in fewer than five years. Yet European manufacturers and retailers keep betting their operations on

The European Shipper's 2026 Regulatory Compliance Advantage: How to Turn 8 Critical Transport Deadlines Into Strategic TMS Procurement Power Before Vendor Options Disappear

The most significant regulatory convergence in European transport history is happening right now. The year 2026 promises to be exceptionally challenging for the transport industry in Europe. Stricter regulations regarding the transport of dangerous goods will come into effect, as well as new vehicle safety requirements, the obligation of tachographs

The TMS Scenario Modeling Revolution: How European Shippers Can Test Transport Strategies Before Implementation to Avoid the €2.8M Mistakes Hitting 67% of Network Changes

The spreadsheet-based route planning you've been using for five years just broke. Your weekly tender process that "worked fine" last quarter is now missing 30% of capacity bids. That manual carrier selection system your transport manager swears by? A mid-sized German automotive parts manufacturer thought their

The European Shipper's TMS Vendor Consolidation Survival Guide: How to Build Acquisition-Resistant Procurement Strategies Before Market Reshuffling Eliminates Your Best Options

The most significant TMS vendor consolidation wave in over a decade is reshaping European procurement decisions right now. WiseTech's acquisition of E2open in 2025, Descartes' purchase of 3GTMS for $115 million in March 2025, and Körber's transformation of MercuryGate into Infios following their 2024 acquisition

The European Shipper's Capacity Crisis Procurement Guide: How to Build TMS Selection Frameworks That Survive Vendor Consolidation and Freight Shortages Before 2026's Perfect Storm Eliminates Your Options

European shippers watching the Transport Management Systems market in 2026 face an unprecedented convergence of challenges. Europe's driver shortage projected to triple by 2026, impacting half of all freight movements while unfilled driver positions for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in Europe have surged to 426,000 in 2024.

The €200K TMS Implementation Reality Check: How European Shippers Can Build Bulletproof Procurement Frameworks to Avoid the Budget Disasters Hitting 75% of Projects

A German automotive parts manufacturer discovered their €800,000 TMS implementation mistake the hard way. Six months into deployment, they realized their new system couldn't handle their complex carrier network across 12 European countries. Sound familiar? You're not alone. Budget overruns hit 75% of European TMS

The 2026 Carbon Intelligence Window: How European Shippers Can Turn CSRD Compliance Into Strategic TMS Advantage Before Reporting Deadlines Transform the Competitive Landscape

The wave of European companies entering CSRD scope in 2026 - those meeting two out of three criteria (250+ employees, €25M+ balance sheet, or €50M+ turnover) who must report on their 2025 fiscal year - represents the largest-ever corporate sustainability reporting expansion. But here's what most supply chain

The European Shipper's Acquisition-Resistant TMS Procurement Strategy: How to Navigate 2026's Vendor Consolidation Wave While Meeting Compliance Deadlines Before Integration Risks Eliminate Your Options

European shippers find themselves navigating a particularly volatile moment in transportation management system procurement. As of January 2026, eFTI platforms and service providers can start preparing for operations while Member States authorities may start accepting data stored on certified eFTI platforms for inspection, creating urgent compliance deadlines that coincide with