Current Shipping Considerations for the Holiday Season

The holiday season is going to be challenging enough when you think about crowds and sourcing.  The shipping world is also gearing up to have a crisis when the holiday season hits.  To help each client be properly prepared, here are some important considerations to keep in mind, all designed for the current state of the world!

Important consideration points for holiday season shipping

There are all sorts of things to keep in mind to help keep the holiday season running as smoothly as possible from the point of view of a logistics professional.  Here are the current shipping considerations that you need to really focus on to help you make the most out of it with as minimal stress or nasty surprises as possible.

• Driver shortages are common: From one company to another and from one week to another, drivers aren’t quite as common as you’d think. This means that you’re going to have to focus on details like being flexible on deliveries and even the timeline.  The logistics company will always be as helpful as possible, but you need to remember details like driver shortages.
• Factor in container shortage delays: Just as drivers are short at the last minute, and few and far between, so are containers! They’ll be hard to find and often will be not quite what you’re looking for.  Again, be flexible and remember the goal.  Your logistics company will help you work out the details as easily as possible.
• Terminals are already at full capacity: Since everyone is shipping now, especially for the holiday season, you need to remember that there is only so much space. Trucks will need to be rerouted with little notice, and that means that you’ll find several last-minute calls explaining that they’ve been rerouted and will be late.  This is not the case of bad planning.  It’s simply too many trucks in too little space!
• Consider more than one option for shipping type: Trucks are always going to be your best choice for shipping. However, consider more than one option when it comes to something long-distance.  Instead of just LTL, consider sea travel.  Seems silly, but you have to focus on making sure that you get your supplies where they need to go, when they need to go.
• Book early and prepare to overpay: Neither of those are especially convenient, but they are very important to think about because you have to make sure that our holiday shipping needs are met. Book as early as you can and be prepared to have to budget for more than you’re used to in order to get guaranteed service.

The holidays are coming faster than you think

All of these details come back to remembering that the holiday season starts early, especially in the world of logistics.  Make sure that you are ready for it by focusing on the important consideration points for the holiday season.  Planning for logistics should be as much of a priority as finding the right discounts and deals.

It’s exciting to think about getting containers back up and moving again, but what 2020 taught us, and is continuing to teach us, is that anything can change dramatically in the blink of an eye.  Make sure that you are able to pivot as much as possible by having a plan in place with all of these considerations in mind!