Capacity Planning (Freight)

Freight capacity planning is about making sure you have enough trucks available when you need them. It means forecasting your shipping volumes by lane and time period, understanding how much capacity your contracted carriers can reliably provide, and having contingency plans for when demand exceeds committed capacity or carriers fall short on tender acceptance.

Effective capacity planning starts with data: historical shipment volumes by lane and week, seasonal demand patterns, promotional calendars, and known production schedule changes. With these inputs, shippers can communicate volume forecasts to core carriers – which strengthens carrier relationships and improves tender acceptance rates. Carriers who know what's coming can position equipment accordingly; carriers surprised by sudden volume spikes are far more likely to reject tenders, forcing loads to the expensive spot market.

The consequences of poor capacity planning hit fast. Loads that can't find a carrier at contract rates get pushed to spot, where prices can be 20–50% higher during tight markets. Shipments sit at docks waiting for trucks, driving up detention charges. Delivery windows get missed, triggering retailer penalties and customer complaints. In temperature-controlled supply chains, capacity failures are especially costly – reefer trailers are scarcer than dry vans, and product spoilage from delayed pickup adds waste on top of freight cost overruns.

A diversified carrier network, a well-structured routing guide with primary and backup carriers per lane, and real-time visibility into tender acceptance rates are the practical foundations of capacity planning. When you can see which carriers are consistently accepting or rejecting loads – and how spot market rates compare to your contracts – you can adjust before capacity gaps become delivery failures.