How to Prepare Your Freight Network for Peak Season

Peak season is upon us. For many CPG companies, the time between “back-to-school” and the holiday shopping rush are some of the busiest and most demanding times of the year. If your freight network is still lagging and you’re looking for ways to level-up output without sacrificing quality, here are a few things to consider as you prepare.

Limited Capacity Continues to Plague Shippers

As we continue to navigate the impacts of the pandemic, capacity issues are still plaguing many shippers, and the coming peak season will only pile on to an already heavy load. In the current climate, carriers have less capacity to allot to last-minute load requests and emergency shipping needs. 

One of the biggest things supply chain managers can do to optimize their freight networks is to be prepared. Plan ahead, order early, pad your delivery times, and coordinate lanes and loads early and often. 

Communication is Key

When it comes to planning for and fulfilling demand throughout peak season, communication is key. It’s important to communicate your capacity needs ahead of time, as well as schedule demands. In addition, your carriers need to be kept up to date on any changes in deliverability up the supply chain. If there are delays from your manufacturers or suppliers that impact capacity needs and delivery timelines, your freight partners need to know. 

Use Logistics Data to Improve

Data is one of the most critical components of managing your supply chain throughout the year, but especially during peak season. Take time to pick out the key metrics that you can use to identify issues before they spiral out of control. 

Keep an Eye on the Market

Keep an eye on market analytics to ensure you’re able to anticipate potential roadblocks or issues that might be coming down the supply chain. The sooner you can get ahead of potential issues the better, especially as capacity tightens throughout peak season. 

In addition to logistics, freight and transportation trends, make sure to keep an eye on the bigger picture. Freight market demand is often tied to economic trends and a great deal of fluctuation can cause shifts across your network. 

A Trusted 3PL Can Make a Difference

You don’t have to navigate this competitive market alone. A trusted 3PL partner is an amazing asset to logistics planning and supply chain management. At Paystar, we’re able to connect our clients with carriers across our network that are best suited for the loads and routes that will alleviate the biggest logistics headaches. We hand select our carrier partners to ensure they match a strict set of criteria we’ve developed through years of experience. 

We’re proud to say that our system is based on creating long-term solutions, across supply chains, with some of our carriers partnering with us for over 15 years. If you’re looking for a trusted 3PL to help you improve consistency across your shipping lanes, we’re here to help. Get in touch today.