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.