Resources & Insights
Key Takeaways:
- October is busier than it looks — holiday freight, tariffs, and consumer demand shifts make it a high-impact shipping month.
- Dry van capacity tightens near ports, while Midwest supply is looser.
- Reefers shift west for harvests and south for cross-border produce.
- Flatbed and oversize freight face weather, daylight, and football-related restrictions; planning ahead is critical.
- Shippers can cut costs by booking early, considering trailer alternatives, providing accurate specs, and staying flexible with timing.
October brings the World Series, Halloween, and the start of the fourth quarter. And while it would be easy to write October off as the last month before the busy holiday season, experienced shippers know that this is actually one of the most action-packed shipping months.
Practically every supply chain uses less-than-truckload (LTL) service in its transportation strategy. In the right situation, LTL shipping presents a convenient solution for shippers across industries.
To say that freight shippers have a lot on their plates would be an understatement. The constant juggle of schedules, carriers, regulations, costs, and timelines can be overwhelming — not to mention a drain on valuable resources that could be better spent on core business priorities.
In some senses, the trucking industry is an information industry. Not an information technology industry (although trucking companies rely on world-class technology). Not a research industry. An industry that relies on complete, accurate information.
Freight shipping is a complex operation with a lot of variables. Basically, you are trusting some of your valuable assets to a carrier to load, transport and unload them at your final destination.
You’ve heard the horror stories: a friend of a friend’s cousin ships a valuable item cross country. The package gets lost for weeks, your friend’s friend’s cousin finally gives up on ever seeing their valuables again, and finally they receive a box of broken pieces.
Shipping less-than-truckload (LTL) freight can be kind of nerve-wracking. There are a lot of variables at play every time your LTL freight is ready to move.
