Key findings:
- 100% of respondents expect cyberattacks on transport and logistics networks to increase, including attacks linked to geopolitical tensions.
- Cybersecurity has fallen to fourth place among strategic priorities, two positions lower than a year earlier.
- 94% of executives expect continued margin pressure, making better cost structures and financial performance the top priority.
- 80% believe the industry is adopting artificial intelligence too slowly, even though digitalisation is its second-highest priority.
- 84% say the traditional growth model based on increasing volumes is largely reaching its limits.
- 90% report that customers increasingly value reliable, on-time delivery over maximum service speed.
Horváth’s latest study highlights a clear gap between how transport and logistics companies assess digital threats and where they are directing investment.
All 46 board members and senior executives surveyed in the transport, travel and logistics sectors agreed that cyberattacks on transport and logistics networks will intensify as digital supply chains become more attractive targets for geopolitically motivated attacks. Nearly half, or 48%, strongly agreed with that assessment, while the remaining 52% also agreed.
Despite this consensus, cybersecurity ranks only fourth among the industry’s most important strategic issues — down two places from the previous year.
A cyberattack can bring an entire transport operation to a standstill
Transport and logistics companies are becoming more dependent on digital infrastructure, making cybersecurity increasingly critical.
Transport management, route planning, dispatch, shipment tracking and customer communications are becoming tightly interconnected. That integration improves efficiency, but it also means that a failure in one key IT component can disrupt several processes at once.
For a carrier or logistics operator, the consequences can go far beyond losing access to email or documents. An incident may affect transport planning, the allocation of jobs to drivers, vehicle tracking, warehouse operations and the exchange of information with business partners.
Christian Schnöbel, a partner at Horváth, notes that the failure of critical systems is not simply an IT problem. It can bring core business operations to a halt.
In his view, cybersecurity should be treated not only as protection against threats, but also as part of operational resilience — the ability to complete deliveries and protect revenue.
From that perspective, investment in IT protection is part of broader business risk management. A cyberattack on a carrier, freight forwarder or logistics operator can also affect customers and other participants across the supply chain.
Thin margins push cybersecurity behind cost control
Why is cybersecurity losing ground among strategic priorities when every respondent expects the threat to grow? According to the study’s authors, the main explanation is economic pressure. Companies are being forced to focus on restoring profitability.
Some 94% of respondents expect strong margin pressure to continue. That makes improving cost structures and financial performance the top priority for executives. Artificial intelligence and digital transformation rank second, up from fourth place a year earlier. Restructuring organisations and processes ranks third, up from sixth place.
Respondents expect revenue to grow by as much as 7.4% in 2026, depending on the market segment. That increase, however, is not expected to translate into a proportional improvement in profits.
The average EBIT margin is forecast to rise from 5.6% to 6.2%. It will nevertheless remain well below the 13.3% average reported for the wider services sector. At the same time, companies expect employment to fall by 0.6%, particularly in roles indirectly connected with their core operations.
In other words, businesses plan to generate more revenue while reducing some personnel costs.
Pressure on financial results can make it harder to fund IT infrastructure upgrades and cybersecurity measures. Companies have to divide limited resources between day-to-day operations, technology development and the protection of existing systems.
AI is moving up the agenda, but implementation is lagging
Artificial intelligence is expected to be one of the sector’s main development priorities, particularly as companies seek to improve operational efficiency. Some 84% of executives believe AI and other technologies could become a major source of competitive advantage. At the same time, 80% say the industry is not adopting these solutions quickly enough or at sufficient scale.
The greatest potential for automation is seen in transport planning, dispatch and customer service. According to the study, the most advanced AI applications are currently found in customer communications and service operations.
About half of companies have at least a structured approach to introducing AI in operational and administrative processes, with the aim of generating measurable business value. Progress is much slower in performance management and executive decision support, where almost 90% of companies remain at a very early stage of AI adoption.
Existing IT infrastructure is the main obstacle. The study points to poor data quality and organisation, fragmented systems, incomplete integration between applications, information security challenges and a shortage of relevant skills.
In practice, companies may have tools capable of automating specific processes without having the technological foundation needed to use them to their full potential.
In addition, 87% of the companies surveyed expect digital infrastructure and core IT modernisation to have a moderate or significant impact on business growth. For the development of digital contact channels and improvements to the customer experience, the figure is 83%.
This suggests that digital transformation is becoming more than a way to reduce costs. It is also emerging as a requirement for continued business growth.
More shipments are not enough. Customers want reliability
The Horváth study also points to a shift in how transport and logistics companies view growth. In the past, many businesses focused primarily on increasing freight volumes, shipment numbers or the overall scale of operations.
Today, 84% of executives believe traditional growth strategies based mainly on increasing volumes have largely reached their limits.
Respondents expect the quality of revenue, pricing discipline, additional services and closer alignment between offerings and customer needs to become more important. Customer expectations are changing too.
Some 90% of respondents say customers are placing greater emphasis on reliable, on-time delivery than on maximum service speed.
For carriers and logistics operators, that means focusing not only on the number of jobs completed, but also on the predictability and quality of service.
Cybersecurity takes on added importance in this environment. A company competing on punctuality and reliability must also ensure that the systems underpinning those services can withstand disruption.
Even a brief loss of access to critical IT tools can interrupt order handling and make it harder to meet customer commitments.
Bureaucracy and regulation add to the burden on businesses
Cost pressure and technology challenges are not the only concerns raised by executives. Regulatory burdens are also growing. Some 95% of respondents see increasing bureaucracy and less predictable political requirements as threats to business efficiency and profitability.
Another 68% point to unfavourable international competitive conditions for companies in the DACH region — Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In their view, regulatory requirements consume too much management capacity that could otherwise be directed towards innovation and the development of new business models.
The industry’s outlook is also being shaped by changes in international trade flows, the relocation of industrial activity and rising energy costs.
As a result, respondents expect growth in 2027 to be slower than in 2026.
Cybersecurity is becoming part of business continuity
The findings show that transport and logistics companies are being asked to cut costs while increasing technology investment. Digitalisation and AI are expected to improve productivity, automate processes and support profitability. At the same time, deeper IT integration makes day-to-day operations more dependent on those systems remaining available.
For carriers, the key issue is that cyber risk can directly affect their ability to carry out transport operations. Losing access to dispatch systems, cargo information or driver communication tools can disrupt deliveries even when vehicles and employees are still available.
At the same time, pressure to lower costs and improve profitability means that investment in protecting digital infrastructure must compete with other business needs.
The most important conclusion from the study is not simply that the industry expects more cyberattacks. More significant is the fact that cybersecurity is losing ground in executive priorities despite widespread awareness of the threat.
As transport becomes increasingly digital, resilient IT systems are no longer just about protecting data. They are also essential to business continuity, on-time delivery and revenue protection.
