Freight Tips for Seasonal Shipping During Summer

Shipping during the summer can pose numerous challenges that need to be effectively navigated to avoid delays and disruptions to your cargo. For instance, summer is peak shipping season for many industries, and, of course, being the hottest time of the year, the weather can cause complications. 

Staying organised and being proactive is key to maintaining efficient and streamlined logistics during these busy months. In this guide, we offer six freight tips for seasonal shipping during summer, so you can ensure your goods are delivered on time and in perfect condition.

Common Challenges With Summer Shipping

Understanding some of the common challenges associated with shipping during the summer is essential so you can ensure you are prepared and keep your operations running smoothly. These include:

Capacity constraints and premium costs

Summer is an incredibly busy time of year for shipping. For some industries, such as agriculture and tourism, it is the busiest. Furthermore, consumer spending tends to increase during the warmer months, so overall demand is higher. This can put a strain on carrier availability, leading to steeper freight rates, longer lead times, and premium charges for refrigerated or expedited transportation.

Weather disruptions

Seasonal threats, such as thunderstorms, hurricanes, and wildfires, can all cause complications and delays to shipments. Routes may be diverted due to bad weather, and in extreme cases, ports and key transport routes may be temporarily shut down. Additionally, high temperatures can affect the quality of certain goods, including food, cosmetics, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. This can lead to product damage, such as spoilage and melting.

Road construction

Road repairs are often more prevalent during the summer, and this can consequently cause traffic delays, risking deliveries not getting completed on time.

Staffing shortages

Many people take annual leave during the summer to enjoy the warm weather, go on holiday, or spend time with their children during the school break. This can result in staff shortages, such as at warehouses, customs agencies, and ports, delaying shipments.

Cold chain complications

Managing cold chains is more complicated in the summer, due to issues such as extreme heat and potential disruptions. This increases the likelihood of equipment failure and product damage, which can prove extremely costly.

Port congestion and customs delays

Port capacity is often strained during the summer months, and customs processing can also take longer, resulting in longer lead times.

6 Freight Tips for Summer Shipping

Now that we have established some of the typical complications faced when shipping during the summer months, let’s consider some top freight tips to help keep your shipments running smoothly.

1. Plan Ahead of Time

As mentioned, summer is an extremely busy time of year for shipping, and it is a popular time for employees to take annual leave, resulting in possible congestion. Therefore, ensuring you have planned ahead for summer is absolutely critical. Failure to do so will significantly increase the chances of delayed shipments, increased costs, and will limit your options. By forecasting your shipping needs early, you can circumvent availability issues and premium charges. 

This is especially important for goods that require cold chain management or are sensitive to high temperatures, as equipment availability is more limited and can be more susceptible to malfunction.

Careful planning also allows you to account for more flexibility in schedules, and by accommodating additional lead time, you will be less impacted should delays occur due to factors such as inclement weather, strains on customs, or road construction.

2. Consider Off-Peak Shipping

With increased demand causing congestion and delays, it is wise to consider scheduling your shipments for off-peak times or days to avoid these obstacles. There are numerous advantages to this, as off-peak shipping will likely help you secure better rates, and your transit times will also be faster. 

If your cargo is perishable and vulnerable to heat while in transport, there is a further benefit to off-peak shipping. By electing to pack and ship products in the evening and overnight when it is cooler, you can prevent goods from getting damaged and spoiled.

On this note, it is also sensible to think about what days of the week are best for you to ship. With products at risk of spoilage, it is recommended that you avoid cargo transportation later in the week, on Thursdays or Fridays, as there is an increased likelihood that products may sit idly over the weekend without proper temperature regulation. 

3. Review Packaging

Using packaging that is resistant to heat and humidity is strongly advised. To prevent condensation and moisture damage to goods, think about assessing and upgrading your packaging. Consider incorporating moisture-resistant materials, insulation, and shrink wrapping into your packaging solutions. These can help to maintain product quality and prevent damage during transportation. 

Also, if you use coolants, such as frozen gel packs and blocks of ice, ensure your packaging minimises internal air spaces and has a robust seal. This will minimise the risk of heat compromising your products and optimise temperature retention. This tip is especially important if your shipments are multi-modal or long-haul.

Another possible option outside of packaging is to use refrigerated containers, or reefers. This solution effectively regulates temperatures within and is a viable option for perishable and fresh goods. 

4. Use Priority Shipping When Needed

In some cases, the best option to ensure perishable goods reach their intended destination is to pay for expedited shipping. This could mean selecting a priority service from a delivery provider or perhaps even electing to choose air freight over slower and more economical transportation, such as ocean or road freight. 

Air freight is the fastest way to transport goods, significantly reducing transit times, but it is also the most expensive. Therefore, it is a good idea to weigh up the increased cost against the risks of not choosing this option, such as spoilage, customer dissatisfaction due to delays, and lost sales. 

5. Track Weather Conditions

As mentioned, summer is prone to numerous adverse weather conditions, such as storms, wildfires, and heat waves. By keeping apprised of weather conditions along your chosen transportation routes, adjustments can be made to stop inclement weather from affecting your operations. By accounting for possible weather disruptions and creating contingency plans, your operations can continue to run without substantial delays, if any. Communicate with your logistics provider to discuss alternative routes to ensure all eventualities are considered and accounted for.

Aside from monitoring the weather, you should also track and trace all your shipments. That way, you can see any upcoming potential issues and proactively address them before they turn into real problems. Furthermore, by monitoring shipments, not only can you make certain your products are delivered to their destinations on time, but you can also provide your customers with regular and accurate updates, increasing customer satisfaction.

6. Establish Clear Communication With Carriers

Maintaining clear and regular communication with your chosen carriers is absolutely critical. This helps to strengthen relationships and trust, keep you informed about your shipment status, efficiently address any concerns, and, most importantly, enjoy a streamlined shipping process.

Sharing information such as delivery deadlines, schedules, and special handling requirements means that carriers can better cater to your needs by gaining a full understanding. You should also request that they notify you should any unforeseen issues arise, such as delays or capacity constraints, so that you can find a resolution before it affects your supply chain.

Ultimately, the more informed both sides are, the better and more effectively challenges can be overcome, keeping your operations on time and in optimal condition.

Trust KG Logistics for Reliable Seasonal Shipping

KG Logistics is a leading and trusted independent logistics company and freight forwarders in the UK. We consistently and proudly provide dependable sea, rail, road, and air freight to our customers and take measures to ensure all our solutions are both efficient and cost-effective. Our offerings include imports, exports, oil and gas logistics, and international removal services.

We tailor our solutions according to our customers’ requirements and expertly manage global shipments. The KG Logistics team is highly experienced in freight forwarding, including summer shipments, and ensures your cargo reaches its intended destination without problem. 

Interested in learning more? Contact us today to get a quote and discover how smoothly your business can run with the help of our outstanding logistics services.