The Year that was... and a quick look forward

As 2025 takes hold, we wanted to reflect on a few milestones from the last 12 months at Cario, and share a little of what the next year holds.

Expanding horizons

We launched in New Zealand with 10 local carriers and it’s continuing to grow every month. Many of our customers now have simplified operations across both Australia and New Zealand with one unified system. With over 350 total carriers, our customers have the flexibility to choose the best-priced and most suitable freight option every time.

However, we’re not stopping there. Cario is committed to continuously expanding our reach to support our clients’ logistics needs. With a strong presence in A/NZ, we are actively exploring opportunities to bring our industry-leading transportation management system (TMS) to new markets, such as Asia.

This expansion is not driven by our own ambitions, but rather by the demands of our customers - many of whom have operations spanning multiple regions. They've expressed a clear need for a unified logistics platform that can provide end-to-end visibility and consistency across their global supply chains. By leveraging Cario's TMS (Transport Management System), these customers can enjoy the benefits of a single system that seamlessly manages their freight, whether it's moving goods within Australia, across the Tasman to New Zealand, or into these emerging markets. This level of integration allows them to compare data and KPIs on an apples-to-apples basis across different regions, streamlining operations and decision-making.

Introducing Cario Fleet – next-gen transport management

We introduced Cario Fleet, our Transport Management System (TMS), which allows businesses to manage their own fleet, contracted fleet, and third-party carriers in one place. Many of our customers, particularly those in the retail and e-commerce sectors, rely on a mix of owned and contracted drivers to fulfil their logistics requirements.

Cario Fleet enables them to seamlessly integrate these contracted drivers into their operations, allowing them to quickly ramp up capacity during peak periods without compromising the customer experience. By providing a centralised platform for managing these temporary drivers, Cario Fleet ensures that chain of responsibility requirements are met, and company policies are enforced - all while maintaining a consistent brand experience for end customers.

Featuring route optimisation, live Uber-style tracking, and Chain of Responsibility compliance for drivers and vehicles, this is a game-changer for freight management.

Enhancing visibility with Dealer Portal

Many of our customers have now implemented the Cario Dealer Portal, enabling key receivers and stores to see inbound freight in real-time.

This self-service platform allows our customers' stores, suppliers, and other key stakeholders to gain unprecedented visibility into the logistics network. For example, a major retailer could provide their individual store managers with access to the Dealer Portal. This would enable them to track inbound shipments, monitor delivery status, and even anticipate unloading requirements - all without having to constantly reach out to the retailer’s customer service team.

Similarly, a large infrastructure supplier could grant their project managers access to the Dealer Portal. This would allow these key stakeholders to see exactly what materials are in transit to their job sites, empowering them to coordinate labour and equipment resources better. By extending this level of transparency and self-service to our customers and their partners, Cario is helping to reduce the burden on customer service teams while also enhancing the overall logistics experience.

AI that works for you

With the rollout of Cario AI, we’ve been able to help customers achieve a 32% average reduction in Customer Service staffing needs while proactively resolving support inquiries.

As Cario continues to expand our network and deepen our integration with customers' logistics operations, we’ll continue to invest heavily in the development of our data and AI capabilities. Our vision is to create a comprehensive, AI-powered platform that can provide real-time insights and decision support to our clients.

At the core of this initiative is our commitment to giving you better access to the data from across your network via your own private, central repository. This data can then be queried and analysed to uncover hidden patterns, optimise workflows, and anticipate potential disruptions – it’s hugely powerful.

Imagine being able to ask your TMS, "What's the weather in Queensland doing, and how will that impact my freight deliveries?" or, "How do my New Zealand operations compare to Victoria in terms of on-time performance?"

This is the future we're working towards - empowering our customers to become freight experts within their organisations, armed with the data and insights they need to make informed, strategic decisions. To see more on how AI is helping our customers today, read how Freight People are leveraging this innovation to boost efficiency.

Investing in innovation

It’s also been a big year for development within the platform. New features include:

• Business Rules: Enhanced service selection based on specific criteria like receiver names or locations.
• Integrations: More native integrations with the ERP, accounting, and eCommerce systems that you use.
• International carriers: Improved support for international freight with settings for export addresses, customs declarations, and commercial invoice information.
• Enhanced Single Sign-On: Expanded capabilities for seamless access management.
• Temperature Control: Service selection now includes temperature options, supporting chilled and frozen consignments.
• Cario Help: A new in-platform help feature with context-sensitive guidance tailored to the screen you’re on.
• ETA Management: ETAs now account for public holidays and temporary external factors, such as delays due to extreme weather events.

Over the next 12 months, we’re doubling down on innovation, enhancing automation, expanding integrations, and bringing even more AI-driven solutions to the freight and transport industry.

Thank you for your trust and partnership – we’re excited to continue growing together.