Research Report 2026
Gartner named 3PL cost pass throughs as a top driver of rising shipper budgets.
The data your customers are reading — and what it means foryour renewal conversations.
3x
3PL practices intop cost drivers
60%
cutting their
3PL roster
#1 Goal
cut cost,improve efficiency
The cost isn't coming from the market. It's coming from the operating model.
Rates fell. Budgets didn't.
82% of companies saw logistics outsourcing costs rise in 2025 — the same year rates softened. Three structural drivers explain why.
Rate negotiations aren't enough.
Gartner calls it out directly. If your cost strategy stops at the carrier contract, you're missing the bigger opportunity.
60% are cutting 3PLs.
Shippers are consolidating providers. The criteria driving those decisions are specific — and worth knowing before your next renewal
Logistics is losing core status.
Some companies plan to stop owning logistics as a core competency. This research tells you what's driving that shift.
Five things the research tells you.
01
Why budgets rose when rates fell
The three structural drivers behind rising logistics outsourcing costs — and why 86% expect the trend to continue.
02
Where the real cost gap is
Specific areas where logistics leaders leave savings on the table by limiting strategy to rate negotiations.
03
The 3PL consolidation criteria
The two criteria shippers use to decide who stays — and what they mean for how you manage provider relationships.
04
What's exiting core competency status
Which logistics activities companies plan to stop owning — and the three reasons behind the shift.
05
What high performers do next
Which logistics activities companies plan to stop owning — and the three reasons behind the shift.
This cost gap is exactly what Freehand fixes
Freight Audit & Payment
100% invoice coverage. Autonomous audit, exception resolution, and payment — no manual queue.
82%
expect further increases
Freight Sourcing
AI Teams run RFQ, carrier evaluation, and award — replacing the manual sourcing workload.
30–50%
reduction in manual sourcing
Exception Management
The 20% of invoices that need judgment — resolved autonomously, with full audit trail.
60–70%
reduction in manual workload
Spend Intelligence
Real-time freight spend visibility across allmodes, carriers, and ERP systems.
$3M+
billing recovery per deployment