Transport companies, power lies in data

Interoperability and sharing as a lever for efficiency
European logistics is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by digitalization, automation, and the growing availability of data along the entire transport chain.
Physical infrastructure, digital services, intermodal hubs, and coordination platforms produce an unprecedented amount of information every day, involving public and private operators, large international players, and smaller local entities.
Sensors, tracking systems, fleet management tools, and advanced analytics solutions promise greater efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
However, this wealth of information often lacks a concrete automatic translation that can work towards improving the functioning of the logistics system as a whole.

Lots of data, few operational decisions
The paradox is clear to many operators and public decision-makers: the data exists, but its impact on decisions often remains limited.
In many contexts, information is used primarily for reporting or ex-post monitoring, while it struggles to become an operational tool for guiding daily choices and strategic planning.

The main problem is not technological, but structural.
Data is fragmented, distributed across closed platforms, organized according to proprietary logic, and difficult to interoperate.
Each actor tends to optimize their own segment of the supply chain, while the overall system continues to function in a misaligned manner.

This approach generates inefficiencies that are amplified along the chain and manifest themselves in the form of congestion, delays, suboptimal use of infrastructure, and poor responsiveness to unforeseen events.
The crises of recent years have clearly shown that the most fragile logistics chains were not necessarily the least digitized, but those unable to share information in a timely and reliable manner.

Transforming information into coordinated choices
In this context, a need shared by operators, administrations, and policy makers emerges: shifting the focus from simply collecting data to its ability to generate concrete actions.
The value goes beyond the data itself, but lies in the possibility of transforming it into operational decisions, strategic planning, and coordination on a territorial scale.
To do this, it is necessary to rethink the way in which digital logistics systems are designed and governed.
Vertical solutions may work well within individual organizations, but they quickly show their limitations when they have to interact with other systems, other modes of transport, and other levels of government.

In this scenario, common standards and interoperability become an operational necessity.
The ability to integrate information from multiple sources makes it possible to identify bottlenecks, anticipate congestion, optimize the use of existing assets, and improve the overall resilience of the system.

However, this transformation must also take into account the skills acquired, institutional capacities, and appropriate governance models. Without the ability to interpret data and translate it into coherent decisions, there is a risk of accumulating information without producing structural benefits for the territories.
The European challenge must therefore go beyond simple data collection. It must create the conditions for ideas and innovations to circulate, be understood, and become coordinated and measurable choices through concrete actions.