Peak Season Shipping Statistics 2026

Every peak-season forecast talks about volume and surcharges. Our 2026 survey of 141 logistics professionals found the bigger risk sits somewhere quieter: the costs teams can’t see, and the backup plans they’ve never run.

Below are the numbers behind that gap — free to cite, with attribution to EasyPost’s Peak Readiness Index 2026.

67%
of surveyed logistics professionals have no tested response to a sudden 20% carrier rate hike or capacity cut.

29%
name shipping costs and surcharges their #1 peak concern — the single most-cited worry.

55%
say their top peak concern has gotten worse since Peak 2025; only 18% say it improved.

Carrier contingency planning

Most peak plans have never been tested

This is the finding no other peak survey has. A plan that’s never been run isn’t a plan — it’s a hypothesis, and mid-November is the worst time to test one.

Only 1 in 3 (33%) of surveyed logistics professionals have a carrier contingency plan they’ve actually tested.

67% enter peak with an untested plan, a plan still in progress, or no plan at all.

Among 3PLs — whose business is operational resilience — 60% have a tested plan, the only group where testing is the norm.
(3PL subset n=15; directional.)

Among retailers, 72% have no tested plan.
(Retailer subset n=18; directional.)

Response to a sudden 20% rate hike or capacity cut (n=141)

Response	% of respondents
We have a response plan but have not tested it	35%
We have tested a response plan and are confident we could adapt	33%
We would need to develop a response plan	23%
We have not considered this scenario	8%

Share with no tested contingency plan, by segment

Response	No tested plan
3PL (n=15)*	40%
Carrier (n=26)	62%
Ecommerce (n=54)	67%
Marketplace (n=16)*	69%
Retailer (n=18)*	72%
All respondents (n=141)	67%

*Segments under n=20 are directional.

In an EasyPost survey of 141 logistics professionals (June 2026), 67% said they had no tested response to a sudden 20% carrier rate hike or capacity cut.

Peak Shipping Costs

The biggest worry is the number nobody can see

Cost topping the list isn’t the surprise — cost tops every peak survey. The surprise is that cost is also the area shippers trust least: the biggest concern and the biggest blind spot are the same thing.

Biggest concern heading into Peak 2026 (n=141)

Top concern	% of respondents
Shipping costs and surcharges	29%
Forecasting and peak planning	21%
Managing multiple carriers and routing decisions	20%
Consumer demand / revenue uncertainty	9%
Returns and reverse logistics	9%
Labor and staffing	6%
Inventory and fulfillment operations	4%
Other	2%

Top concern, by segment (most-cited answer within each segment)

Response	Most-cited concern	% of respondents
Ecommerce (n=54)	Shipping costs and surcharges	44%
Retailer (n=18)*	Forecasting and peak planning	28%
Marketplace (n=16)*	Consumer demand / revenue uncertainty	31%
3PL (n=15)*	Managing multiple carriers and routing	40%
Carrier (n=26)	Forecasting and peak planning	31%

*Segments under n=20 are directional.

29% name shipping costs and surcharges their #1 peak concern.

23% of shippers name all-in shipping costs as the area where they have the least visibility — the top blind spot among shippers.

Among ecommerce respondents, 44% name cost as their top concern — roughly double any other segment — and 30% name all-in costs as their biggest blind spot, the highest of any segment.
(Ecommerce subset n=54.)

In an EasyPost survey of logistics professionals (June 2026), 29% named shipping costs and surcharges their top peak-season concern — and cost was also the #1 visibility gap among shippers.

Rising Pressure

Whatever the worry is, it got worse

55% say their top peak concern has gotten worse since Peak 2025; 18% say much worse. Only 18% say it improved.

Marketplaces are the most alarmed: 38% say much worse — double the overall rate.
(Marketplace subset n=16; directional.)

Carriers are the calmest: 27% say things improved.
(Carrier subset n=26.)

How the top concern changed since Peak 2025 (n=141)

Change since Peak 2025	% of respondents
Much worse	18%
Somewhat worse	37%
About the same	27%
Improved	18%

Concern worsened vs. improved, by segment

Segment	Worse (much+somewhat)	Much worse	Improved
Ecommerce (n=54)	61%	15%	15%
Retailer (n=18)*	61%	17%	22%
Marketplace (n=16)*	57%	38%	25%
3PL (n=15)*	46%	13%	20%
Carrier (n=26)	39%	8%	27%
All respondents (n=141)	55%	18%	18%

*Segments under n=20 are directional.

In an EasyPost survey of logistics professionals (June 2026), 55% said their biggest peak-season concern had worsened since 2025.

Visibility By Segment

The blind spot depends on who you are

Visibility isn’t one missing dashboard. Asked where visibility is worst, respondents split almost evenly — which instrument is dark depends on the operation.

Least visibility (shippers, n=115)

Area of least visibility	% of shippers
Actual all-in shipping costs	23%
Package delivery / consumer experience	21%
Consumer demand	21%
Which carriers to use for which shipments	18%
Returns costs	10%
Carrier contract impact	5%
Other	3%

Biggest blind spot, by segment

Segment	Biggest blind spot	% of segment
Ecommerce (n=54)	Actual all-in shipping costs	30%
Retailer (n=18)*	Consumer demand	33%
Marketplace (n=16)*	Delivery experience	31%
3PL (n=15)*	All-in costs / carrier selection (tie)	33% each
Carrier (n=26)	Carrier selection	31%

*Segments under n=20 are directional.

EasyPost's 2026 survey found the top visibility gap varied by segment — from all-in costs (ecommerce) to consumer demand (retailers) to delivery experience (marketplaces).

See where your own peak
plan is most likely to break

Two-thirds of shippers haven't tested their backup plan. Find out in
five minutes whether yours is a capability or a document.

Run the Peak Readiness Stress Test Read the Full Index

Shipping

Insurance, Claims, and Protection

Tracking and Notifications

Data, Analytics, and AI

By Stage

By Use Case

Tech Integrations

Carrier Integrations

Developers

Help

Education

Peak Season Shipping Statistics 2026

Carrier contingency planning

Most peak plans have never been tested

Peak Shipping Costs

The biggest worry is the number nobody can see

Rising Pressure

Whatever the worry is, it got worse

Visibility By Segment

The blind spot depends on who you are

See where your own peak
plan is most likely to break

Solutions

Developers

Contact Us

Company

Shipping

Insurance, Claims, and Protection

Tracking and Notifications

Data, Analytics, and AI

By Stage

By Use Case

Tech Integrations

Carrier Integrations

Developers

Help

Education

Peak Season Shipping Statistics 2026

Carrier contingency planning

Most peak plans have never been tested

Peak Shipping Costs

The biggest worry is the number nobody can see

Rising Pressure

Whatever the worry is, it got worse

Visibility By Segment

The blind spot depends on who you are

See where your own peak plan is most likely to break

Solutions

Developers

Contact Us

Company

See where your own peak
plan is most likely to break