Peak Season

Total container volume—at 696,847 Twenty-foot Equivalents (TEU)—were up 8.75 percent annually and were below May and April, which hit 731,352 TEU and 707,182 TEU, respectively.

Various factors could tip the scales in assessing how 2012 Peak Season plays out.

There is a growing sense of optimism for the upcoming peak season. This could be viewed with skeptical eyes by many freight industry transportation stakeholders, given that a real peak has truly failed to materialize in a meaningful way for at least four years running, if not more.

While hopes were high for a return to a “traditional” Peak Season earlier this year, things have not gone according to plan based on freight trends, volumes, and insight from industry stakeholders.

A consensus that has been oft-repeated lately is that Peak Season is likely to fall short of previously promising expectations. That was one of the main takeaways from a recent report published by the Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium, entitled Peak Season Trends and Strategies Survey Report.

When it comes to the economy, the term sideways is perfectly appropriate. How else is there to explain the constant state of “sameness” on a month-to-month basis? This sentiment could apply to several economic indicators like retail sales, industrial production and transportation volumes to name a few.

LM survey respondents say Peak Season could actually resemble something a bit more typical and familiar than the mixed bag we have seen in recent years.

Every so often, it is good to take stock of what is going on in your world—and the world around you for that matter. With that in mind, now is a good time to assess what is happening in the world of freight transportation, supply chain, and logistics.

LM reader survey points to myriad factors for Peak’s return for the first time in five years