As a pillar industry for national economic development and a key industry for carbon emission reduction in China, the logistics industry occupies a special place in the low carbon economy. In order to understand the spatial and temporal evolutionary characteristics and driving mechanisms of the efficiency of China’s logistics industry, and to decipher the development path of the traditional logistics industry, this study selects the efficiency of China’s provincial logistics industry as the research object. The study finds that the efficiency of China’s logistics industry is at a low level of development and tends to fluctuate upwards, with the provinces with higher efficiency values concentrated in the eastern region; the level of economic development, the level of information technology, government logistics regulation and environmental regulations can significantly improve the efficiency of the logistics industry in the region, but energy intensity will have a negative impact on the efficiency of the logistics industry. In addition, the level of economic development of a region has a significant ‘siphoning effect’ on other regions, inhibiting the development of the logistics industry in other regions. Finally, based on the findings of the study, recommendations are made to promote the green development of logistics.