Peak Season

Quarterly revenue—at $22 billion—saw a 14% annual increase, and operating income—at $1.398 billion—slipped 12% annually. Diluted earnings per share—at $4.09—were off 13%, falling short of Wall Street expectations of $4.89.

Download the 3PL Peak Season Playbook to learn how to optimize efficiency during heightened shipping seasons.

In this podcast, Jeff Berman, Group News Editor for Logistics Management and the Peerless Media Supply Chain Group, interviews Anne Reinke, President and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA).

UPS said the openings it will be filling are for various positions, including: full- and part-time seasonal positions—primarily package handlers, drivers, driver helpers and personal vehicle drivers—adding it is offering competitive wages across multiple shifts in hundreds of locations across the country.

For August, which marks the beginning of the traditional Peak Season, with retailers stocking up for holiday merchandise, and, for this year, moving up shipments earlier in order to have needed available holiday season inventory, the report is calling for 2.27 million TEU, for a 7.8% annual gain.

Memphis-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider FedEx recently announced new peak surcharges and fees for its U.S. Express and Ground services and Ground International.

A Logistics Management readership survey of more than 100 freight transportation, logistics, and supply chain stakeholders found that there is strong sentiment that the 2021 Peak Season will be more active than it was a year ago, with 79% of respondents indicating that will be the case, with 16% contending it will be similar to 2020, and 5% expecting it to be less active.

UPS said its goal is to ensure businesses and customers are able to meet their shipping needs while demand has increased for shipping services.

Addressing Peak Season from a port perspective, Brian Baskin, SEKO Logistics Managing Director, explained that, as a point of compassion, two-to-three months ago, there were around 30 vessels backlogged outside the Port of Los Angeles, with what remains to be seen is if the pendulum is coming back, as things get closer to Peak Season.

Total March POLA volume—at 957,500 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—represented a 113% annual increase compared to March 2020, and total March POLB volume—at 840,387 TEU—was up 62.3% annually.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Aaron Terrazas, Director of Economic Research, for Seattle-based digital freight network Convoy, about various topics, including the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on freight transportation operations, truckload capacity, and Peak Season, among other topics.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Kraig Foreman, President, eCommerce for DHL Supply Chain North America, about how the 2020 Peak Season went, as well as some lessons learned and what may be in store looking ahead.

The common sentiment that the 2020 Peak Season will be unlike any other was a key theme on a media call hosted earlier this week by executives at global freight transportation and logistics services provider DHL. Speaking on the call were: Chet Paul, Sr. VP, Commercial, DHL Express U.S.; Kraig Foreman, President, eCommerce for DHL Supply Chain North America; and Craig Morris, CIO, DHL eCommerce Solutions Americas.

A survey recently issued by Scottsdale, Ariz.-based GlobalTranz Enterprises LLC, a full-service 3PL focused on freight brokerage and technology, examined myriad aspects of how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is impacting things like e-commerce order volumes, supply chain decision making and what shippers are doing to meet changes in consumer demand, with peak season rapidly approaching