How Weather Affects Shipping Operations

We are in the midst of hurricane season, and Hurricane Beryl recently caused significant damage and disruption across the Caribbean, Mexico, and the United States, particularly Texas. It had significant impacts on logistics operations in Houston with multiple ports closing, including The Port of Houston, a critical hub for US gasoline and imports. Although we cannot plan around Mother Nature, we can prepare for future weather disruptions. Running from June 1st through November 30th, Hurricane Season coincides with peak shipping volumes for back-to-school, fall harvest, and holiday preparations. The convergence of increased demand and extreme weather creates unique challenges for the logistics industry. Be prepared and ensure minimal disruption by following these steps: 🦺 First and foremost - Prioritize Driver Safety: Encourage carriers to avoid driving through hazardous conditions and to seek shelter if needed. 🗂️ Review Insurance Coverage: Ensure your cargo insurance covers potential hurricane-related damages and delays. ☎️ Develop Emergency Communication Plan: Establish protocols for communicating with drivers and carriers in case of evacuation or operational changes. 🌧️ Monitor Weather Alerts: Stay informed about hurricane forecasts and potential impact zones to adjust shipment schedules. 🗺️ Implement Contingency Plans: Develop alternative routing plans and secure backup carriers to handle rerouted shipments. ⛓️ Check Equipment Readiness: Ensure all trucks and trailers are in good condition and have necessary supplies (chains, tarps, etc.) for secure transport of loads. 📍 Monitor Load Status: Continuously track shipments using real-time visibility tools to anticipate delays. 💬 Stay in Communication: Keep open lines of communication with drivers, carriers, and customers to provide updates on changing weather conditions and schedules. 🚧 Prepare for Post-Storm Recovery: Have a plan to quickly resume operations, including assessing damages, arranging repairs, and prioritizing critical shipments. What did I miss? How have you stayed nimble throughout hurricane season?

All this cold weather has got me thinking about the impact on transportation networks. Everything from routing to delivery timelines—even more so than hurricanes. Why? • Intensified road closures and delays: Snowstorms, ice, and freezing temperatures can grind operations to a halt. • Broader geographic reach: Winter weather blankets entire regions, hitting multiple routes and spread-out facilities. • Hidden costs and planning headaches: Constant rerouting, escalating carrier costs, and unpredictable lead times force constant adjustments. My take: While hurricanes draw big headlines, it’s often the day-to-day disruptions of winter that really hit margins and slow distribution. Being prepared with flexible carrier strategies, real-time tracking, and solid contingency plans can keep shipments moving (or at least keep you informed). ❄️ At ShipScience, we’ve seen how consistent winter disruptions can add up over the season. Stay proactive—analyzing data patterns, planning around storms, and partnering with reliable carriers can help dampen the fallout. Check out more insights here: https://lnkd.in/g2mAAP56 #WinterWeather #Logistics #SupplyChain #Shipping #BusinessInsights

This ‘Dirty F-Word’ Is Shutting Down the Supply Chain Fog isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a logistics nightmare. Right now, 𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 at the Houston Ship Channel, delaying commodity trades, congesting terminals, and causing ripple effects across refineries, chemical plants and their supply chains. If you’ve ever had a system outage or a complete work stoppage that wrecked your schedule, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴. Think of this: ▪️ 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗲: Ship transits halted, schedules disrupted, costs soaring. ↳ Even when fog lifts, the backlog takes days to recover. ▪️𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀: Refineries, terminals, and trucking thrown out of sync. ↳ One shutdown can impact global shipments for weeks. ▪️𝗡𝗼 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀: Unlike storms, you can’t reroute cargo or push through. ↳ You wait. And every hour, the expenses keep escalating. ▪️𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀: Demurrage, staffing delays, lost production mount fast. ↳ Delays don’t just pause work—they amplify financial loss. ▪️𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀: Even when ships move, congestion lingers. ↳ A single fog event can disrupt the system for weeks. Fog in the Houston Ship Channel isn’t just a weather event—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀. Unlike other disruptions, 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗶𝘅, causing multimillion-dollar delays ripple through energy, shipping, and logistics. The only solution? 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. Shout out to the U.S. Coast Guard, Houston Pilots, GalTex Pilots and many other stakeholders working to keep our golden goose alive in pea soup! If you have tips for dealing with shutdowns, drop a comment on how you handled it.

Top 5 worst weather lanes this week (11/20-11/27).. High impact weather is expected across the country during the biggest travel week of the year. Icy conditions in the Northeast, severe weather in the Deep South, and potential snow out West will lead to dangerous roads and delays. Freight and travelers alike expected to see significant impacts. 🟣 1. New York, NY ⇄ Pittsburgh, PA –– Extreme risk of weather impact - Maximum shipment delay: 57% - Maximum driver risk: 9.3 - Worst timing will be Tuesday morning into the early afternoon hours with snow, sleet, and freezing rain possible along I-76 and I-80 🟣 2. Cleveland, OH ⇄ New York, NY –– Extreme risk of weather impact - Maximum shipment delay: 59% - Maximum driver risk: 9.2 - Worst timing will be Tuesday morning into the early afternoon hours with snow, sleet, and freezing rain possible along I-76 and I-80 🔴 3. Buffalo, NY ⇄ Boston, MA –– High risk of weather impact - Maximum shipment delay: 54% - Maximum driver risk: 9.2 - Worst timing will be Tuesday evening and overnight with snow, sleet, and freezing rain possible along I-90 and I-81 🔴 4. New Orleans, LA ⇄ Jacksonville, FL –– High risk of weather impact - Maximum shipment delay: 26% - Maximum driver risk: 7.8 - Worst timing will be Tuesday afternoon and evening as strong to severe thunderstorms move across I-10 🔴 5. Oklahoma City, OK ⇄ Los Angeles, CA –– High risk of weather impact - Maximum shipment delay: 47% - Maximum driver risk: 8.1 - Worst timing will be late Saturday night into Sunday morning as a potential band of heavier snow and wintry mix move across I-40 * Shipment delay: % shipment delay from normal due to weather * Driver risk: 0-10 scale of road danger Leverage lane and route risk insights to improve transportation execution: https://lnkd.in/dvHbYKg