As transportation policy continues to evolve, 2026 is shaping up to be less about sweeping new mandates and more about refinement, verification, and credibility. That’s the reality many shippers are already seeing on the ground.
Rather than waiting for clarity from policymakers, many organizations are focusing on what they can control: data readiness, defensible methodologies, and decarbonization strategies that actually work in day-to-day operations.
What to Watch in 2026
Expect increased attention on the quality and consistency of transportation emissions data. What’s changing is the line of questioning. Regulators, investors, and customers are asking fewer questions about whether emissions are being measured and more about how those numbers are calculated, verified, and maintained over time. This mirrors broader ESG trends highlighted by ESG Dive, which notes that 2025 brought regulatory pullbacks alongside heightened litigation risk and scrutiny of corporate disclosures
Transportation Policy Landscape
The transportation policy environment remains fluid. At the federal level, climate-related disclosure initiatives have slowed amid legal and political challenges, including the SEC’s decision to halt defense of its climate-risk disclosure rule in court.
Still, this pause shouldn’t be mistaken for a reversal. Transparency expectations continue to rise, particularly from investors, customers, and global partners. Policy momentum is shifting toward ensuring reported data is accurate, auditable, and decision-useful rather than immediately punitive.
SB 253 and SB 261: Still Directionally Important
California’s SB 253 (Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act) and SB 261 (Climate-Related Financial Risk Act) have experienced implementation delays and legal uncertainty. The California Air Resources Board has confirmed that enforcement timelines may be pushed out, but the direction and intent remains intact.
For companies with exposure to doing business in California, these laws are best viewed as a preview of what future disclosure regimes are likely to demand: comprehensive Scope 3 visibility, verifiable methodologies, and consistent reporting across years.
Sustainability Reporting Trends
Sustainability reporting is shifting from bold commitments to practical execution. That’s something many sustainability and logistics teams are feeling firsthand. Insights from Trellis show that companies continuing to make progress amid budget pressure and regulatory uncertainty are focusing less on public declarations and more on integrating sustainability into core business systems.
Leading organizations are embedding climate considerations into budgeting, procurement, and risk management, supported by better supplier data and stronger lifecycle assessment frameworks. Reporting is becoming more standardized, audit-ready, and data-driven, with an emphasis on information that supports real operational decisions rather than static disclosures.
For transportation and logistics teams, this means emissions data must be accurate, traceable, and usable across the organization. Credible data is increasingly the foundation for both sustainability reporting and day-to-day supply chain decision-making.
Latest SBTi Guidance
The Science Based Targets initiative has reinforced its emphasis on value-chain emissions, particularly Scope 3, which often represents the majority of a shipper’s carbon footprint. Updated guidance stresses realistic targets backed by verifiable data and credible reduction plans rather than aspirational commitments
Transportation teams now sit at the center of these targets, whether organizations planned for it or not.
How Companies Can Prepare
Preparation starts with assessing data readiness. Where are emissions estimates coming from? Are they activity-based? Can they be traced back to shipments, lanes, and carriers? Closing visibility gaps and aligning sustainability goals with operational realities is essential to avoiding future compliance and credibility risk.
The Role of Transportation Teams
Logistics data is no longer operational-only. It increasingly informs ESG reporting, financial risk assessments, and board-level conversations. Transportation teams that can supply accurate, timely emissions data become strategic partners across the organization.
Greenabl’s Perspective
Greenabl helps companies navigate this uncertainty with credible transportation data and pragmatic sustainability frameworks. By combining a GLEC-aligned measurement methodology, real-time analytics, and collaborative decarbonization tools, Greenabl enables shippers and carriers to move from uncertainty to action without disrupting their networks.
The path to logistics decarbonization does not require perfection in 2026, but it does require trust in the data behind the decisions.
