Forwarders leaving 3–5% gross profit unclaimed

While the industry grapples with vessel oversupply, shifting US–China trade dynamics and softening demand, new OntegosCloud research shows freight forwarders are leaving three to five percent of gross profit unclaimed through unbilled fees, underpriced lanes and capacity routing inefficiencies.

As forwarders set their 2026 priorities, this matters: too many container ships, uneven demand and geopolitics will dominate the backdrop, but the one lever they can fully control is how quickly they turn data into daily commercial decisions.

"Usually freight rate collapses have a positive short-term impact on forwarding profitability because lower buy rates are not passed on to customers immediately," said Oliver Gritz, Founder & CEO, OntegosCloud. "However, over the medium to long term they tend to compress margins.

“Rate volatility has to be managed, but at OntegosCloud we believe it is overemphasised as a profitability driver. Our analysis shows the bigger opportunity lies in fixing internal leakages: typical forwarders leave 3–5% of gross profit on the table through unbilled fees, underpriced lanes and mis-routed capacity."

According to OntegosCloud research, the most impactful margin gains come from factors forwarders can directly influence:

Full capture of all billable fees – eliminating leakage from incomplete invoicing

Prioritising the most profitable lanes rather than chasing volume on low-yield trades

Growing value-added services (customs, storage, insurance, trade finance, specialised cargo)

Improving capacity utilisation across networks and partners

Creative and optimised routing to reduce systematic routing inefficiencies

Together, these steps tackle the root causes of underpriced lanes and capacity mis-routing, rather than just reacting to rate swings.

"Freight forwarding is not simply the buying and selling of freight capacity, but the intelligent design of supply chains," added Gritz. "There is significant untapped potential here, and digitalisation can unlock it. While macro forces like trade policy and capacity cycles remain outside forwarder control, digital infrastructure and AI decisioning are not. Firms that standardise their systems and operationalise AI this winter will enter 2026 with measurable advantages: clearer lane profitability, fewer unbilled fees and faster cash."

Outlook 2026

Understanding why internal optimization matters starts with looking at the external pressures coming down the track. OntegosCloud’s 2026 outlook highlights three forces set to define the year ahead.

One, excess container shipping capacity will persist as new vessels outpace cargo demand, a gap that could widen if carriers shift back to the Suez Canal. Two, trade flows will stay uneven, with Asia–US and Asia–Europe cooling while Asia–Africa, LATAM and the Middle East hold up better. And three, geopolitics will remain the alpha variable, as route risk, tariffs and policy shifts keep rewriting the economics of global logistics.

The research also highlights that although leading forwarders are reporting volume and revenue growth in 2025, margin pressure is increasing, underscoring the need to monetise value-added services and plug revenue leakage.

According to OntegosCloud, the most powerful lever within a forwarder’s control is investment in clean data, billing discipline and AI-driven scenario modelling, which can recover significant margin leakage, accelerate cash conversion and strengthen pricing outcomes.

With 2026 planning already underway, the company notes that this is the right moment to move pilot projects into production and secure measurable ROI.

"The winners in 2026 will be the companies that operationalise AI, eliminate leakage and turn complexity into predictable profit," concluded Gritz. "That is the discipline OntegosCloud enables."