Technological innovations in logistics and transport systems: A systematic literature review of technologies, benefits, and implementation barriers

Technological innovations are transforming logistics and transport systems by improving operational efficiency, visibility, and sustainability. However, the evidence is distributed across individual technologies and application contexts. This study employs a systematic literature review (SLR) following the PRISMA 2020 framework to examine the adoption, benefits, and barriers of technological innovations in logistics and transport systems. A total of 223 empirical studies are analyzed and 15 key technologies are identified. These technologies are grouped into four broad families, and the studies are also classified according to their main operational focus as logistics-oriented or transport-oriented. The findings show that digital and information technologies are concentrated mainly in logistics-oriented contexts, while vehicle and propulsion technologies are studied mainly in transport-oriented contexts. The reviewed studies report several implementation barriers, whose distribution varies across technology families. The Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework is used to interpret these implementation barriers. This review provides a comparison across technology families in terms of implementation barriers and operational contexts and distinguishes the types of evidence used to support reported benefits. Although the literature reports positive performance effects, the supporting evidence varies, with only 20 studies (9%) reporting observed operational outcomes.