State of Fleet Operations 2026: Delivery Visibility and Cargo Security

New Research on Fleet Technology, Delivery Visibility and Cargo Security

How are fleet operators addressing delivery exceptions, cargo loss and the growing need for greater visibility across the delivery lifecycle?

In this 2026 State of Fleet Operations study, Endeavor Business Intelligence explored how fleet and operations professionals use technology to document and verify deliveries, investigate delivery disputes, prevent cargo theft and improve visibility from loading through final delivery.

The research examines the challenges organizations face when GPS and other fleet technologies can identify where a vehicle is, but cannot always show what happened to the cargo. It also explores the technologies fleet operators see as valuable for improving delivery confirmation, theft prevention, investigations and inspections.

What the Research Reveals

The study surveyed 116 professionals involved in telematics and fleet management technology at organizations with fleets of at least 51 assets. Respondents represented industries including construction equipment, retail and wholesale delivery, food, beverage and agriculture, building materials, and other fleet-intensive businesses.

Key findings include:

• 82% of respondents use vehicle GPS for tracking, geofencing and routing across their fleets.
• Fleet operators use an average of three technologies to document and verify deliveries, with GPS tracking, customer signatures, bar-code scanning and driver photographs among the most common methods.
• 47% say they cannot identify how a loss occurred, making root-cause investigation a significant visibility challenge.
• 43% have no visibility into whether items were removed from a pallet before delivery.
• 58% agree that delayed, missing or incomplete shipments are significant problems that undermine profits and customer satisfaction.
• 72% say mobile apps that support delivery confirmation would be valuable to their company.
• 72% consider in-trailer camera footage valuable for deterring theft, while 73% consider it valuable for internal claims investigations and inspections.