Parcel carriers post strong early holiday delivery performance, consultancy says

The major parcel-delivery carriers reported high on-time performance rates through November, which included Black Friday and Cyber Monday when holiday shopping spikes, consultancy ShipMatrix said Thursday.

In its survey, ShipMatrix said the three major carriers — FedEx Corp., (NYSE: FDX), UPS Inc. (NYSE: UPS) and the U.S. Postal Service — performed better this early holiday period than in 2021, when online demand was higher, capacity was tighter and FedEx’s ground delivery unit, FedEx Ground,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/parcel-carriers-post-strong-early-holiday-delivery-performance-consultancy-says

Peak season is upon us — what’s different this year?

Peak season isn’t what it used to be.

For decades, retailers had an idea of what to expect around the holidays: a short but massive plateau in volume and supply chains that (for the most part) were expected to run smoothly.

When COVID-19 hit, it changed everything. Peak season got even longer, demand got even stronger and supply chains were thrown completely out of whack.

But even in the new normal of peak season, there will always be some nuances from year to year, and 2022 is no different.

One...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/peak-season-is-upon-us-whats-different-this-year

Peak Shipping Season For Freight Carriers Is Crashing

  • The peak shipping season is fizzling as overstocked retailers cancel overseas orders and freight companies scale back expectations for heavy freight volumes heading into the holidays.
  • Typically in the last quarter of the year, cargo carriers from container lines to parcel operators bulk up their profits on strong demand.

A recent news article published in WSJ states that Freight Operators’ Peak Shipping Season Is Crumbling.

Measures of shipping demand across the U.S.

But a range of measures of...

https://mfame.guru/peak-shipping-season-for-freight-carriers-is-crashing/

Postal Service announces holiday delivery preparations

USPS postal service delivery truck

It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year again, at least for consumers. For shippers and carriers, it’s a different story.

If you asked 10 logistics professionals when peak shipping season is, you would likely get 10 different answers. Some will claim it lasts from August to November; others will argue it begins in the spring; still others will contend it’s become a year-round affair. But regardless of which definition they use, shippers can expect a sharp increase in parcel volume to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/postal-service-announces-holiday-delivery-preparations

Cathay Pacific predicts weak peak for cargo as China output slumps

Front end of a large Cathay Pacific Cargo jet in front of the cargo terminal.

Cathay Pacific has fully rebuilt its freighter schedule in time for the peak shipping season, but executives signaled Thursday that demand will be softer this year because of inflation and ongoing supply chain disruptions. 

The prediction came as an unprecedented heat wave and another round of COVID lockdowns in a major city further constrained production at Chinese factories.

The busy period for air shipments traditionally runs from late September until early December as stores bring in orders...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacific-predicts-weak-peak-for-cargo-as-china-output-slumps

FedEx sets earlier start date for peak delivery surcharges

A FedEx plane

FedEx Corp. will begin imposing 2022 peak-season surcharges on Labor Day and will apply certain ones based on weekly calculations that begin around mid-October and run until early December.

In a complex and detailed table published Friday on the company’s website, FedEx (NYSE: FDX) said that surcharges for the “additional handling” of domestic express and ground parcels, as well as for international ground service, will kick in on Sept. 5. The first cycle of surcharges ends Oct. 2.

FedEx will...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fedex-sets-earlier-start-date-for-peak-delivery-surcharges

What made peak shipping season a success?

By all accounts, the 2021 holiday peak season avoided the shipping disasters of previous years. There were likely several reasons for this, including consumers shopping earlier than ever and a push by the delivery firms to hire seasonal personnel.

In fact, according to the founders of last-mile mapping firm Beans.ai, that last part played a significant role.

“The solution was money. The spike in both salaries and bonuses was motivating enough for people to join [as drivers],” Nitin Gupta, CEO of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/what-made-peak-shipping-season-a-success

‘People are gonna be pulling their hair out’: Supply chain execs predict chaotic holiday peak

Shortage of drivers and workers will lead to chaotic holiday peak season, supply chain experts say

In the lead-up to last year’s peak holiday season, panic spread like wildfire. Members of the media predicted daily shortfalls of millions of packages and devastating delays, but as it turned out, there was much ado about nothing. Despite handling record levels of volume, the major U.S. carriers posted similar or slightly better on-time rates than during the 2019 peak.

That’s because there wasn’t really much of a peak in 2020 –– consumers were still adjusting to the new normal of the e-commerce...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/people-are-gonna-be-pulling-their-hair-out-supply-chain-execs-predict-chaotic-holiday-peak

Shippers must be proactive to thrive this peak season

Pandemic-related headwinds led to a frenzied peak season in 2020, delivering sky-high rates, shipping delays and manufacturing shortages. Demand has continued to outpace supply throughout all of 2021, and shippers can expect to face many of the challenges as last year heading into this holiday season.

A recent survey conducted by FreightWaves and Redwood Logistics revealed that over 90% of surveyed shippers have dedicated more funds to transportation throughout 2021 than they did in 2020. The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/shippers-must-be-proactive-to-thrive-this-peak-season

Superhot airfreight market leaves shippers in the cold

A Cargolux 747 cargo plane on the tarmac on a bright day with an empty pallet in the foreground.

Importers and exporters should brace for the pandemonium roiling the ocean freight sector — where container shipping delays and prices are at all-time highs — to wash over the air cargo market this month.

Full planes and skyrocketing freight rates are signs the market has tightened to the point that shippers will be hard-pressed to find air transport for their goods as holiday-season shipping enters the stretch run, according to market analysts and logistics specialists. 

Welcome to the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/superhot-airfreight-market-leaves-shippers-in-the-cold

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