ABOUT THE 3PL RESPONDENTS
Revenue
Asset-Based or Non-Asset Based
Geographic Coverage
$ 282 * BILLION
58%
North America Cross-Border
Asset- based 18%
42%
Global
30%
Hybrid 45%
U.S.
*Several participants declined to share their results— so the total is higher.
Non-asset- based 38%
Markets Served
91%
Logistics and supply chain
89%
Retail
volatility—most notably through rising fuel surcharges. Because fuel surcharges apply not only to base transportation but also to accessorial fees, the total cost impact is amplified.” ABOUT THE 3PL SURVEY TAKERS In this year’s 3PL respondents group, 45% are both asset-based and non-asset- based—a notable change from 2025 when 57% of respondents represented that hybrid category. Meanwhile, 38% were non-asset- based and 18% were solely asset-based. In terms of geographic reach, most respondents (58%) have cross-border coverage in North America, while 42% are global and 30% focus on the United States. The top market for our survey’s providers was logistics and supply chain as 91% of respondents serve that category. Retail (89%, up 6 percentage points from 2025) and manufacturing (81%) remain popular areas of business for 3PLs, and ecommerce is entrenched After you read this report, take a look at the list of the Top 100 3PLs for 2026 (see page 90) to learn more about the leading providers in the industry and the variety of ways they guide shippers through the ever-increasing complexity of the modern supply chain.
81%
Manufacturing
72%
Ecommerce
33%
Services (financial, legal, government, engineering, consulting, and similar)
in the fourth spot at 72%. The services market (financial, legal, government, engineering, and consulting) represents a smaller niche for 3PLs, as just 33% of survey respondents report working with companies in this category. COVERING A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES The logistics services and capabilities offered by the 3PLs surveyed vary widely, but they start with some foundational offerings (see 3PL Offerings charts on page 82 and 84) . In particular, 97% of respondents provide inbound logistics for clients. Inventory management (74%) and just-in-time support (70%) are the other services most frequently cited. Services that are not as widely available include shared services (co-locating, collaborative distribution, etc.) at 44%, cold chain at 43%, and supply chain finance (payment
auditing/processing claims) at 32%, suggesting they currently are more specialized offerings. Among warehousing services and capabilities, the top offering is crossdocking at 81%. At least two-thirds of respondents include fulfillment (77%), value-added services (74%), transloading (73%), ecommerce (70%), and distribution center management (67%) among the services they provide. Truckload (93%) and LTL (89%) are the top transportation services and capabilities of participating 3PLs. Intermodal (74%), expedited (70%), and last mile/final mile (70%) round out the top 5. A much rarer service to find was fleet acquisition, which only 17% of respondents say they provide. Technology services and capabilities are an integral component of 3PLs’ work these days, and their most popular tech offerings are TMS (87%) and visibility
July 2026 • Inbound Logistics 81
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