The company’s Navigating UK Transport and Logistics in 2026 and Beyond report found that 86% of respondents were either integrating AI into their operations or already using AI-powered tools to support fleet management. Only 4% said they had not experimented with the technology.
Safety technology was one of the clearest areas of adoption. Some 83% of respondents said their fleets used in-cab cameras, and 83% of that group believed the systems had helped prevent a road traffic accident.
Almost two-thirds said AI-powered driver-facing cameras saved their businesses as much as £100,000 during 2025 through accident prevention, reduced disruption and improved operational performance. More than half reported an improvement of between 21% and 50% in driver performance after introducing AI-enabled monitoring.
Manual processes are becoming more expensive
Despite the investment in advanced systems, proof-of-delivery administration remains heavily dependent on manual work. Operators reported spending an average of 2.3 hours a day processing POD documents manually, up from 1.7 hours in the previous year. The estimated daily cost rose from £141.40 to £172.40.
For a business operating seven days a week, Microlise calculated that this could amount to more than £62,000 a year for a single administrative process. Transport-management systems were nevertheless reported to be delivering substantial savings. Fifty-nine per cent of respondents said their systems had saved their businesses more than £50,000 during the previous 12 months, while only 1% said the technology had produced no financial saving.
Operators were also becoming more confident in their digital tools. Seventy-six per cent said they had the systems needed to perform their roles efficiently, compared with 67% in 2025.
However, dissatisfaction with technology suppliers remains widespread. Nearly two-thirds, 64%, said there were important areas of fleet management that technology providers did not fully understand, while 45% said products marketed as intuitive failed to meet operational expectations.
The wider operational pressures remain significant. Forty-four per cent said accurately tracking costs was still difficult, 41% felt overwhelmed by regulatory requirements, and 24% did not know how their fleets would achieve net-zero targets.
The research was conducted by 3Gem between 6 and 16 March 2026 among 250 transport and logistics professionals. All respondents worked for businesses with at least 250 employees, meaning the findings predominantly reflect large organisations rather than smaller hauliers. Only 29 respondents worked directly in transport and storage, while the largest group, 71, worked in technology.
