Best Freight Forwarders in 2026

DSV is a Danish transport and logistics company led by group chief executive Jens H. Lund. It operates three divisions: Air & Sea, Road and Contract Logistics. Its acquisition of Schenker made it one of the largest forwarders in the world; DSV describes the integration as the largest and most complex in its 50-year history.

For 2025 DSV reported revenue of DKK 247.3 billion, up from DKK 167.1 billion in 2024, and fourth-quarter EBIT before special items of DKK 5.6 billion, 48.5% higher in constant currencies. Air & Sea reported fourth-quarter EBIT before special items of DKK 3.1 billion. Transaction and integration costs of DKK 4.5 billion were booked in 2025, about 30% of the Schenker integration was completed during the year, and DSV expects to finish by the end of 2026 and reach annual synergies of about DKK 9 billion, with full effect in 2027. Its 2026 guidance is EBIT before special items of DKK 23.0–25.5 billion.

DSV is known for an asset-light model and a track record of integrating acquisitions. During integration, customers may experience changes in systems, contacts and branch structures, and DSV said the softer sea freight market weighed on Air & Sea earnings.

Kuehne+Nagel is a logistics group with four business units: Sea Logistics, Air Logistics, Road Logistics and Contract Logistics. In 2025 the group reported net turnover of CHF 24.5 billion, EBIT of CHF 1,242 million and 85,407 employees.

Sea Logistics, the largest unit with net turnover of CHF 8.8 billion, handled 4,325,000 TEU, up 0.3%; specialised reefer, pharma, e-commerce and project business form a significant share of its volume. Air Logistics, with net turnover of CHF 7.3 billion, increased volume by 7.0% to 2,238,000 tons, and the company says it maintained its number one position in the global airfreight market in 2025. Road Logistics had net turnover of CHF 3.5 billion and Contract Logistics CHF 4.8 billion.

Kuehne+Nagel's strengths are its scale in both air and sea, its specialised verticals and its digital booking tools. The company noted that a weak US dollar against the Swiss franc had a significant negative translation effect on 2025 results, and its Road Logistics EBIT fell to CHF 58 million on weak land-transport demand.

DHL Global Forwarding is the air, ocean and road freight forwarding business of DHL Group, the German logistics company. It forms the Global Forwarding, Freight division together with DHL Freight, which runs European road transport, and is separate from DHL Express, DHL Supply Chain and the group's German post and parcel business.

In 2025 the Global Forwarding, Freight division reported revenue of €18,643 million, down 5.1% because of lower freight rates, and EBIT of €756 million, down 29.6%, including €84 million of net restructuring costs. The Global Forwarding unit's revenue was €13,709 million. It transported around 1.8 million metric tons of export air freight, 1.0% less than in 2024, and about 3.3 million TEU of ocean freight, 1.2% less, partly because it withdrew from high-volume, low-yield ocean business. The Freight unit's revenue was €5,043 million.

DHL Global Forwarding offers the reach of the DHL network and close links to DHL Supply Chain warehousing. Its 2025 margin decline and restructuring show it was hit harder by the rate fall than some peers.

CEVA Logistics is the logistics subsidiary of the French shipping group CMA CGM. It provides air and ocean freight management, ground transport, contract logistics, finished-vehicle logistics and project cargo. CMA CGM reported logistics revenue of US$18.3 billion in 2025, broadly stable compared with 2024, with EBITDA of US$1.7 billion and a margin of 9.4%; it cited pressure on freight management from volatile markets and challenges in the automotive sector.

CEVA continued to expand by acquisition in 2025. It finalised the purchase of Borusan Lojistik, which CMA CGM describes as a national logistics leader in Turkey, and in December 2025 signed an agreement to acquire Fagioli Group, a global specialist in project logistics and heavy-lift transport for the energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors. The automotive business operated a fleet of nine dedicated vessels for finished vehicles.

Ownership by a top container line gives CEVA access to ocean capacity and an integrated end-to-end offer, but some shippers prefer carrier-neutral forwarders when tendering ocean freight.

Expeditors International of Washington is a US logistics company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, listed on the NYSE as EXPD and led by president and chief executive Daniel R. Wall. It operates 172 district offices and numerous branch locations on six continents, linked by one integrated information system, and provides air and ocean freight consolidation and forwarding, customs brokerage, vendor consolidation, cargo insurance, time-definite transportation, order management, warehousing and distribution.

In 2025 Expeditors reported revenue of US$11.07 billion, up 4%, with airfreight services of US$3.98 billion, ocean freight and ocean services of US$2.81 billion and customs brokerage and other services of US$4.27 billion. Operating income was US$1.05 billion and net earnings US$812 million. It had 20,359 full-time-equivalent employees at the end of 2025. In the fourth quarter, airfreight tonnage rose 6% while ocean container volume fell 6% and average revenue per container fell 41%.

Expeditors is distinctive for its network of district offices linked by a single information system and for the size of its customs business, which earned more revenue in 2025 than airfreight. Its road and contract logistics operations are smaller than those of the European groups.

Nippon Express is the logistics group held by NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC., a Tokyo-headquartered company incorporated on 4 January 2022 as the group's holding company. Satoshi Horikiri is president and chief executive, and the group had 77,925 employees at the end of 2025.

The group's international airfreight forwarding volume in calendar 2025 was 933,201 chargeable tons, of which 263,897 tons were handled in Japan and 669,304 tons overseas. The overseas figure includes 182,022 tons reported separately for CP Company. Alongside international air and ocean forwarding, the group runs domestic transport and warehousing in Japan.

Nippon Express is the natural choice for supply chains anchored in Japan and strong across Asia. Its airfreight volume is well below those published by Kuehne+Nagel and DHL, and the source pages used here do not give group revenue or ocean volumes.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide is a US logistics company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, listed on Nasdaq as CHRW and led by president and chief executive Dave Bozeman. Its largest segment is North American Surface Transportation (NAST), a truckload and less-than-truckload brokerage business with 2025 revenue of US$11.56 billion; its Global Forwarding segment provides international air and ocean forwarding and customs brokerage.

Global Forwarding revenue fell 18.8% in 2025 to US$3.09 billion as ocean rates declined, while adjusted gross profits fell 7.6% to US$742 million and income from operations was US$184 million. The company said it expanded Global Forwarding gross margins by 120 basis points in the fourth quarter and was moving the business to a more centralised model with standardised, AI-enabled processes, which it calls Lean AI.

C.H. Robinson suits US shippers that want international forwarding combined with domestic truckload capacity and one technology platform. Its forwarding network is smaller than those of the European leaders, and the segment's revenue fell more sharply than peers' in 2025.

Dachser is a family-owned logistics company founded in 1930 that describes itself as a global market leader in system logistics. For 2025 it reports net consolidated revenue of 8.3 billion, 37,452 employees, 427 locations and 42 country organisations, with 86.2 million shipments and 46.7 million tonnes handled.

Dachser's business combines European road logistics with Air & Sea Logistics, its international forwarding network, and contract logistics. Its system-logistics approach relies on standardised processes across its network of 427 locations.

Dachser is a strong choice for shippers whose supply chains combine international air and ocean freight with European distribution. As a family company it publishes less financial detail than listed peers, and its air and sea network is smaller than those of the top four global forwarders.

GEODIS is a logistics company belonging to SNCF Group, alongside Rail Logistics Europe. Its services include air freight, ocean freight, road transport, multimodal transport and customs and trade compliance, as well as contract logistics and distribution.

GEODIS combines international forwarding with road and multimodal transport, which lets shippers buy door-to-door services from one provider. Its customs and trade compliance services help shippers manage duties, classifications and regulatory checks for cross-border flows.

GEODIS suits European shippers wanting a single provider for forwarding, road and warehousing, and those for whom multimodal options including rail matter. Its main website does not publish revenue, employee or volume figures, which makes comparison with listed forwarders harder.

Rhenus is a logistics group with more than 100 years of experience, about 39,000 employees, operations in more than 70 countries and over 1,300 sites, including more than 180 warehousing locations. Its business spans international air and ocean freight forwarding, road freight and contract logistics, supported by its warehousing network.

The combination of forwarding with a large site and warehouse network lets Rhenus offer end-to-end services for industrial and retail customers that need storage and distribution as well as international transport.

Rhenus suits industrial shippers in Europe that need forwarding together with port, barge and contract logistics. It does not publish revenue on its main site, and its international forwarding network is smaller than those of the largest global forwarders.

KLN Logistics Group Limited, formerly Kerry Logistics Network Limited, is a logistics group that is a member of S.F. Holding and an associate member of the Kuok Group. It has more than 18,000 employees in 59 countries and territories, 59 million square feet of land and facilities and more than 2,000 self-owned operating vehicles.

KLN is an IATA agent offering a full suite of air freight services and provides ocean freight through a network of connections with ocean carriers, together with road and rail freight, customs, warehousing and e-commerce logistics.

KLN is well suited to shippers with flows in and out of Greater China and Asia. Its European and American networks are smaller than those of global leaders, and its main site does not publish revenue.

Flexport is a technology-led freight forwarder that built its service around a software platform for booking, tracking, documentation and supply chain data. It says 13,000 brands use Flexport, that it operates in 135 countries and has 60 locations, including offices and warehouses in cities such as Amsterdam, Atlanta, Shanghai and Tokyo, and that customers have moved more than US$175 billion of goods since its inception.

Flexport's software gives shippers online booking and visibility of shipments in one interface, alongside freight and warehousing services delivered through its offices and warehouses. Its positioning appeals to brands that value digital tools and data.

Flexport is a good option for growing brands that want a modern interface and analytics. It is privately held and publishes no audited financial results, and its physical network and volumes are far smaller than those of the global leaders, which can matter during capacity shortages.