Freight Forwarding Trends Heading into 2025: What You Need to Know

Almost every single aspect of the logistics industry has undergone huge changes over the past decade. Whether that’s the use of RFID tags or AI-powered route planning tools, those innovations have resulted in monumental changes in a wide range of areas.

Today, however, we’re not looking to the past – we’re looking to the future. Focusing on freight forwarding in particular, let’s take a look at what you need to know about as we head into 2025.

Even more real-time updates

As a freight forwarding professional, one of your main responsibilities is to have an eye on every single part of the picture at any one time. Whether that’s knowing how far through the customs process a delivery is or how a lorry breakdown is coming along, it’s vital that you’re able to access this kind of information as seamlessly as possible.

In 2025, we can expect to have access to even more real-time updates. Whether that’s through smart, automated loading systems from providers like Joloda Hydraroll or the use of even more tags in individual pallets, these updates will likely make the role much easier to fulfil.

Sustainability targets

As we get closer and closer to 2025, it’s important to note that values such as environmental and social sustainability will become increasingly important, for consumers and business partners alike. As a freight forwarder, it will be important to remain aware of these values, which can at times conflict with other values common in the logistics niche.

It’s important to remain in dialogue over these matters with all relevant stakeholders, in case you have to make a decision that would be informed by these kinds of issues. Sometimes it will require a sensitive touch, while at other times, you will be able to take a much blunter approach.

Increasing resilience

Over the past few years, we’ve seen unprecedented levels of disruption to supply chains on an international scale. From wars and changes in trade agreements, to tariff flip-ups and droughts, these issues don’t seem to be going anywhere in the near future.

As a freight forwarder, one of your responsibilities as we head into 2025 is to increase the resilience of various aspects of the supply chain you’re managing.

You need to look out for strategies and innovative technologies that make the impacts of these otherwise highly disruptive events far less severe than they would be otherwise. This is a dynamic process that requires looking at new threats as well as new solutions, and it’s never a job that will be totally finished.

These predictions may not come to light exactly as we expect them to, but they will almost doubtless play some kind of important role in how we tackle questions of logistics in 2025.

It’s more important than ever to keep an eye on multiple different sources of information for the latest updates, from government websites to logistics industry magazines. Making the most of these insights is what defines a competent freight forwarder, and it’s absolutely worth the effort.