The Peak Season Playbook for Shippers

Peak is the highest-stakes stretch of the shipping year, and the one shippers under-prepare for the most. This is the playbook I wish every shipper had, in four parts, from the cost you cannot escape to the checklist you run before it starts.

1

The One Surcharge Your Contract Can't Touch

Why the peak surcharge is the one increase your contract was never built to stop, and what to do about the thing you cannot negotiate away.

June 29, 2026 · Read the piece →
2

Your Contract Can't Touch Peak. Your Operation Can.

If the surcharge is fixed, the leverage moves to your operation. The levers that actually move your peak cost.

July 6, 2026 · Read the piece →
3

Operating Days by Year: The 2026 Peak Calendar

Peak is shorter than it feels. The calendar reality of how many shipping days you really have between Black Friday and Christmas Eve.

July 7, 2026 · Read the piece →
4

Peak Is Closer Than You Think. Are You Ready?

The operational readiness checklist to run now, in August, while there is still time to fix what you find.

July 22, 2026 · Read the piece →

Four angles on the same season: the cost, the response, the calendar, and the execution. Peak comes every year, and so does this list.

Modeling your peak exposure this year?

Book a 30-minute call to walk through your surcharge exposure and your operational readiness before the season starts.

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