Food shippers are entering one of the most demanding and opportunity rich periods of the year – the holiday season. With festive demand soaring and supply chains under pressure, success depends on early, strategic planning. From navigating tight capacity and unpredictable weather to ensuring product freshness and security, Q4 presents unique challenges that require precision, agility, and resilience.

This playbook is designed to help you stay ahead of the curve, minimize risk, and deliver confidently through the busiest shipping season of the year. Whether you're managing regional deliveries or coordinating global shipments, these tips will help you optimize performance and protect your bottom line.

Security First: Track and Trace Essentials

With cargo theft surging—up 27% in 2024 and projected to rise another 22% in 2025—food shippers face heightened risks during the holiday season, when freight theft peaks and food and beverage products are among the most targeted. That’s why robust track and trace capabilities are no longer optional in your vetting process—they’re essential and non-negotiable.

Full visibility from dock to dock not only ensures timely delivery but also protects against loss. Partnering with providers like Lineage, which uses asset-based carriers with real-time API tracking and strict driver validation protocols, offers the security and peace of mind needed to keep holiday shipments safe and on schedule.

Beyond theft, advanced track and trace enable better communication with customers. Real-time updates can help manage expectations, reduce service disruptions and build trust, especially when delays can be unavoidable due to weather. In a season where every hour counts, visibility and accountability are your best defense.

Unlock Efficiency with a Multimodal Approach

From global trade dynamics to unpredictable weather patterns, there are many disruptions that can cause bottlenecks at major shipping and transportation hubs this holiday season. To ensure you have a resilient supply chain no matter the challenge, food shippers must be able to deploy multimodal transportation strategies to remain nimble and scalable.

Multimodal shipping is when a shipper leverages a mix of truck, rail, ocean, or air to help avoid congestion, reduce costs, and improve delivery speed. But to do this cost effectively, you need a provider that offers a vast menu of transportation solutions and has deep knowledge and expertise to deploy those modes strategically.

There isn’t a universal solution to everyone’s food supply chain. An adaptable logistics network is key to staying flexible in the unpredictability of the supply chain landscape. With over 480 strategically located facilities near ports and major population centers, Lineage empowers food shippers with faster access to critical markets and the flexibility to adapt quickly when challenges arise.

Turn Data into Action Across Your Cold Chain

Food shippers are constantly balancing cost, speed and customer expectations but without reliable data, making informed supply chain decisions can become a guessing game. And the only game you should be playing this holiday season is a classic gift exchange.

While Q4 is a busy season for food shippers, this is also a time when many shippers look ahead to the New Year with fresh strategies and seek providers that can execute. Lineage’s data-driven approach to food shippers supply chains, takes the guessing out of the equation and puts advanced analytics and network modeling in.

The Lineage team is equipped to run various network analyses on a shipper's supply chain based on your business objectives. Looking to identify optimal distribution points and modes? Or maybe inventory recommendations based on manufacturing locations? Your supply chain should be built to support your company’s growth and transformation plans, and Lineage can help bring that to life with precision and assurance.

Plan Early, Ship Smart, Stay Ahead

The holiday season brings both opportunity and complexity for food shippers—and success hinges on preparation. From securing reliable transportation and safeguarding against theft, to optimizing your cold chain with data-driven decisions, every move matters.

It is never too early to start collaborating with your logistics provider to align on capacity, routes and contingency plans. Most importantly, proactive and transparent communication with your customer is critical for building trust, especially during peak season.

With the right logistics partner, you can gain the tools, insights, and flexibility to navigate peak season challenges and position your supply chain for long-term growth. As Q4 ramps up, now is the time to align your strategy, strengthen your network, and ensure your products arrive safely, efficiently, and ready to meet demand—no matter where in the world they’re headed.

For more information about Lineage’s global solutions, visit their website.

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