Emerging technologies like AI-driven intelligence, real-time payments, and predictive analytics are shaping the future of supply chain logistics.
In 2025, emerging technologies are poised to bring significant changes to supply chains and logistics. From AI-driven predictive routing to real-time payments and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, companies are leveraging innovation to improve efficiency and resilience in their operations.
AI-driven predictive routing
The future of supply chain technology is moving well beyond basic route optimization. According to Maneesh Mahlawat, CTO of MapUp, “AI and ML will evolve beyond basic route optimization to enable predictive operational intelligence.”
MapUp’s systems already process complex variables like tolls, route restrictions, low emission zone regulations, and vehicle-specific access limitations in real-time. However, the company is advancing toward predictive models that can forecast toll rates, congestion levels, and fuel prices hours or days in advance – allowing fleets to optimize routes and schedules before vehicles even depart.
“Our AI engine can identify patterns and correlations that would be impossible to spot manually,” explains Mahlawat. “By analyzing historical toll transactions alongside GPS tracks, we can automatically identify toll leakage, misclassifications, and billing anomalies that traditionally required extensive manual auditing.”
This approach is yielding tangible benefits. MapUp’s fuel prescription capabilities can save fleets up to $150-250 per truck monthly by optimizing refueling locations and timing – operational savings traditional systems cannot deliver.
Real-time payments: streamlining logistics
The logistics industry has long struggled with fragmented payment systems, particularly for infrastructure like tolls, parking, and usage fees. Real-time payment systems integrated directly with transportation services are becoming essential.
“The future of logistics demands seamless, automated payments for tolls, parking, and other usage fees – eliminating the current inefficient system of delayed billing and manual reconciliation that costs the industry billions annually,” Mahlawat notes.
This shift is already happening through products like MapUp’s TollPay, which proactively prevents toll violations by managing payments in real-time. For fleet operators managing hundreds of vehicles across multiple states, this technology eliminates the administrative nightmare of handling toll bills, violation notices, and manual reconciliation processes.
The impact is substantial – MapUp’s customers typically see up to and over 80% reduction in toll management administration time, allowing them to reassign staff to higher-value activities while simultaneously increasing the accuracy of their toll expense tracking.
Building resilient and sustainable supply chains
Beyond efficiency gains, these technologies are helping organizations build more sustainable supply chains and mitigate risks from disruptions.
“Our intelligent routing algorithms help reduce unnecessary mileage and optimize fleet movements, directly reducing fuel consumption and emissions,” says Mahlawat. “By considering multiple factors like traffic patterns, weather conditions, and toll rates, we help vehicles take the most efficient routes possible.”
Real-time data processing capabilities also help organizations quickly adapt to disruptions. Whether it’s a sudden road closure, weather event, or toll rate change, modern systems immediately update routing recommendations and cost calculations – critical agility in today’s volatile environment.
In one striking example, a major nationwide carrier used MapUp’s TollMatch system to discover significant inefficiencies in their toll management. “They uncovered some stolen trailers (for which they were still paying tolls) and discovered that they were paying tolls for two dozen trailers that did not belong to them. This helped reduced their toll expenses by roughly 5 percent,” Mahlawat explains.
A personal journey from frustration to innovation
For Mahlawat, the journey to founding MapUp began with a personal experience that highlighted the disconnect between modern payment technologies and transportation infrastructure.
“My wife and I were sitting in our car on an Oklahoma toll road, staring anxiously at an old-fashioned coin-operated toll basket,” he recalls. “The irony was almost comical – I’m a transportation engineer who designs sophisticated express lane toll systems where prices change every few minutes, and my wife is a finance executive who works on digital payment technologies. Yet there we were, frantically searching for quarters while frustrated drivers built up behind us.”
“The contrast was stark: just hours earlier, we had seamlessly paid for coffee using our phones at Starbucks. In one context, payment technology had evolved to be invisible and effortless; in another, we were literally counting coins like it was 1950.”
This frustrating experience led to the creation of an app that would eventually evolve into MapUp’s suite of products, including TollGuru, TollTally, TollMatch, and TollPay. What began as a solution for individual drivers expanded when several of the world’s largest rideshare companies reached out needing accurate toll information for their upfront pricing.
The future of Transportation-as-a-Service (TaaS)
Looking ahead, MapUp’s vision extends beyond just improving toll payments and route optimization. As the world transitions into autonomous and on-demand TaaS, the company is building a unified routing intelligence and payment platform that will become the backbone of future mobility.
While already serving 800+ cities, MapUp’s goal is to provide seamless infrastructure intelligence across every major transportation corridor worldwide. The company is also evolving its AI from predictive to prescriptive – enabling transportation systems to automatically adapt to changing conditions in real-time.
“Our ultimate aspiration is to become the enabling technology behind the Transportation-as-a-Service revolution, creating a future where transportation is fundamentally more efficient, sustainable, and responsive,” Mahlawat concludes. “We’ve just started our journey, and there’s still a long road ahead.”
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