Aquatio Software Expands Platform to Digital Chain of Custody

ATLANTA, October 12, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Aquatio Software, an AI-powered freight execution platform, has expanded its services beyond electronic bills of lading (eBoL) to include a full digital chain of custody. This move comes as cargo crime becomes more targeted, with criminal networks shifting their focus across the entire shipment lifecycle.

According to Verisk CargoNet, 158 fictitious pickup incidents were recorded in the second quarter of 2026, nearly flat from 165 incidents in the same period the previous year. Despite a decrease in overall theft events, estimated losses more than doubled to $304.6 million, with the average reported loss reaching $564,009. CargoNet anticipates that criminal networks will continue to target every leg of the shipment, as controls at the point of tender improve.

The expansion of Aquatio Software’s platform aims to address these challenges by providing a comprehensive digital chain of custody. Shippers, third-party logistics providers, brokers, and carriers can now record who takes custody of a load, when, and at which handoff, producing a trusted custody execution record from dispatch to proof-of-delivery (PoD).

The expanded platform offers several key features: - Blind Pickups: Brokers can now dispatch drivers for blind pickups without an initiating transaction, enabling the driver to digitize the paper BoL on the spot and trigger the chain of custody workflow. - Signature without an App: Authenticated drivers, shippers, and consignees can execute shared workflows and sign for pickups and deliveries from their own phones, without downloading any mobile apps. - Custody through Delivery: The record follows the load to the far end rather than stopping at the pickup dock. Built-in workflow orchestration facilitates interoperable, multi-party field operations engagement, ensuring exceptions are handled at the handoff. - One Trusted Custody Execution Record: Documents, signatures, receipts, images, handoffs, and exceptions come together in a single auditable record for disputes, claims, and compliance. The custody record continues to evolve as freight is executed and made available to authenticated stakeholders. - Coverage Across Modes: The platform supports truckload, point-to-point, and less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments, connecting seamlessly with the WMS/TMS/ERP systems customers already run. - Custody Across Every Leg: Loads often change hands more than once before they arrive. Aquatio relays carry custody across multi-leg moves, recording each handoff between drivers, carriers, and facilities to ensure the chain stays unbroken from origin to destination. - Authenticated Drivers: A signature alone does not prove who took the load. Aquatio requires the driver to authenticate against the specific load before custody transfers, using one-time passcodes, QR handshakes, and geofenced location checks. The handoff is enforced as a step in the workflow, not left to a clipboard, so every transfer in the record shows who took custody, where, and when.

The expanded platform also supports food shippers preparing for the FDA Food Traceability Rule under FSMA Section 204, which requires records of shipping and receiving events for listed foods. The compliance date for this rule is July 20, 2028.

Aquatio Software’s technology works without requiring field operations to install mobile apps, providing a seamless and secure solution for the entire freight execution process.