Digital Transformation and Organisational Readiness in Freight Transportation: Enhancing Resilience and Sustainability in Global Logistics

This Research Topic focuses on the transformative impact of modern digital technologies on freight transportation within supply chain management and operations. As global logistics networks become more complex and interconnected, freight transportation providers face mounting challenges, including market volatility, sustainability requirements, and heightened expectations for flexibility and visibility. Technological adoption—ranging from Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled fleet management and AI-powered route optimisation to blockchain-based tracking systems—has become central to achieving competitive differentiation in the contemporary freight landscape.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed acute vulnerabilities in supply chain management systems, with bottlenecks at ports, container shortages, and regulatory uncertainties disrupting global flows. During these crises, logistics firms and freight carriers with advanced digital platforms and real-time tracking technologies were able to maintain service levels, reroute shipments proactively, and communicate more transparently with partners—outperforming competitors dependent on legacy processes.

While advanced technologies offer considerable promise for the freight sector, their integration is not solely a technical challenge. The successful digitalisation of freight transportation and supply chain management requires:

o Strategic alignment and leadership commitment to navigate complex decision-making processes

o Cultural adaptation among operational and management staff, recognising that technological transformation is fundamentally an organisational process change

o Systematic change management for process redesign, to ensure organisational readiness

o Collaboration with freight and logistics operators and regulators.

The fragmented nature of the freight industry, with its diverse range of actors—including trucking companies, rail operators, freight forwarders, and port operators—amplifies the complexity of supply change management and technology adoption. Failure to adapt organisational processes and foster inter-organisational collaboration often negates the expected benefits of high-tech solutions such as blockchain in freight tracking or AI-driven transport management systems.

This Research Topic seeks to bridge the gap between technological capability and organisational readiness. It encourages empirical and conceptual studies addressing questions such as:

o How can supply chain management align with freight companies choosing and prioritising digital initiatives as strategic goals?

o What are the organisational barriers to effective technology implementation?

o How do leadership and workforce skills influence the digital transformation journey in supply chain management and freight logistics?

o In what ways can integrated digital platforms foster cross-stakeholder collaboration within global these ecosystems?

o How does digitalisation impact sustainability, resilience, and service reliability in supply chain management and freight networks?

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: supply chain management; freight and logistics; technology adoption

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.