Make this peak season count: Prepare now, plan smarter for next year

Peak season can turn small weaknesses into bigger problems. An occasional tender rejection becomes a consistent service failure. A mode that performed well under more stable conditions is now too expensive or unreliable. And when capacity tightens, addressing those issues becomes harder and more costly. 

After a volatile first half of the year, truckload conditions eased somewhat in Q3, creating a window to make changes. With fewer immediate disruptions to manage, teams have had a chance to evaluate where service or capacity is failing, where another mode could provide a better option, and where additional coverage may be needed before peak-season pressure intensifies. 

But that window is closing. Diesel prices continue to rise, having reached an all-time high of almost $6 per gallon the first week of September. Capacity constraints are also likely to continue into Q4—with 48,000 non-compliant drivers having already left the market over the past year—creating the potential for higher rates, increased tender rejections, and more service disruptions. 

Logistics teams have weeks left to make targeted changes before peak-season pressure intensifies. Once it’s fully underway, focus should shift from preparation to evaluation: watching how fixes perform through peak and using the results to plan for 2027.

Find the weaknesses worth fixing now

Early in Q4, there is still room to test alternatives and put backup options in place before capacity tightens further. Rather than attempt to overhaul the entire network, now is the time for focused adjustments. Recent tender rejections, routing guide failures, service disruptions, and elevated spot usage can reveal where existing transportation strategies are under pressure. The goal should be to identify persistent issues that could create meaningful cost or service risk now. 

To start, review the lanes that are creating the greatest operational or financial risk. Repeated failures on a critical lane, increased reliance on the spot market, or a recurring service issue are indications that action needs to be taken sooner than later. Once teams understand why a lane is failing, they can make adjustments to the rate, carrier, mode, or operating process that’s impacting performance. 

The right response depends on what’s driving the failure—and whether it calls for stronger carrier coverage, a different mode, or a clear trigger for using a backup.

If contracted capacity is falling through, repair the lane

When the mode is still the right fit but contracted capacity is unreliable, targeted changes to the lane may be enough to improve performance without redesigning the entire network. 

This can look like repricing an underperforming lane or running a targeted mini-bid rather than launching an annual RFP. In other cases, shippers may need to adjust the routing guide or add backup capacity to keep critical lanes moving. 

But a longer carrier list isn’t necessarily a more resilient one. Critical lanes need reliable primary and backup options with confirmed capacity that can meet service requirements when tender acceptance begins to fall. 

If the carrier isn’t the whole problem, reconsider the mode

Not every capacity problem can be solved by finding another carrier. Sometimes, the better question is whether the freight should continue moving the same way. 

Service requirements, shipment characteristics, transit time, capacity availability, and total transportation cost can all influence the best fit. For some lanes, alternatives like intermodal, rail, LTL, partial truckload, or consolidation may offer a better option depending on current market conditions. For example, a lane that has historically moved via truckload but has consistent volume or more flexible transit times may be a good candidate for intermodal. 

Supply chains need flexibility built in, and shippers should continue comparing modes when cost, capacity, or service conditions shift. This is where a transportation management partner can be especially useful. As a supply chain orchestrator, Uber Freight has both the scale and expertise to unlock strategic multimodal shifts that keep freight moving, regardless of where the market lands. 

Decide when to use the backup plan

Alternative carriers and modes are most valuable when teams know when and how to use them. 

Set clear triggers based on the problems already being tracked on each lane. For example, tender failures beyond an agreed-upon threshold could prompt a shipper to activate backup capacity. Service performance that consistently falls below an established target may need a carrier change, while sustained cost increases may indicate it's time to consider an alternative mode. 

The exact threshold for these decisions will depend on the lane and the shipper’s service requirements, so it’s important to establish these before conditions and performance deteriorate. It’s also important to determine who has the authority to make those changes. Clear decision ownership allows teams to make decisions quickly instead of starting from scratch each time. 

Use peak to test the changes—and inform 2027

Once peak season is underway, track whether the changes made are holding up under pressure—and what the results suggest for 2027.

On lanes where changes were made, compare tender acceptance, service performance, spot exposure, accessorial costs, and total transportation cost with performance before the adjustment. Did new carrier coverage improve reliability and reduce spot usage? Did a mode change deliver savings while meeting service requirements?

Interpret those results alongside broader market conditions. Aggregated data from a multi-shipper network can show whether a change in rejection rates reflects a lane-specific issue or a wider capacity shift. That context helps teams judge whether an adjustment worked or whether the market simply became easier.

Also review problems on lanes where no changes were made. Issues that ease as demand stabilizes may warrant continued monitoring, while repeated failures or persistent spot reliance may point to structural problems.

Use those findings to decide which fixes to retain, which temporary measures to unwind, and which recurring issues require changes to carrier contracts, mode strategy, or network design in 2027.

For carriers that will remain part of a shipper’s network, post-peak discussions can also help turn those learnings into stronger partnerships. Shippers and carriers can review service performance, address recurring issues, and align on expectations and opportunities for improvement for the year ahead.  

Fewer known weaknesses, better evidence for what comes next

Peak-season preparation doesn’t have to mean a complete network redesign. Shippers can start with what recent performance is already telling them: where capacity has failed, where modes may no longer be the best fit, and where additional options are needed. 

Targeted repairs to routing guides, carrier mixes, modes, and decision processes can give teams more ways to respond as conditions change and peak season progresses. From there, shippers can see which adjustments hold under pressure and which problems continue to impact operations. This creates a solid foundation for deciding what may need to change in 2027. 

As a supply chain orchestrator and managed transportation partner, Uber Freight combines network-scale capacity, multimodal capabilities, technology, and logistics expertise to help shippers identify where changes need to happen and put them into action. 

With the right data, operating model, and transportation strategy, shippers can turn today’s weaknesses into a stronger strategy for 2027. 

Looking for a trusted partner that unifies managed transportation and multi-modal capacity? Connect with an Uber Freight expert today.