Prepare for Holiday Freight Shipping in 2026

How to Avoid Holiday Shipping Delays in Canada and the USA

The weeks before the holidays are some of the busiest on the freight calendar. In 2026, they come with trucking capacity already tighter than usual. Then, around Christmas, many of the carriers and much of the network slow down or close.

If your business ships LTL or FTL either domestically or cross-border between October and January, the best way to stay on time is to simply move your freight before the rush peaks and the docks close.

Why holiday shipping delays happen

The rush actually usually happens before the holidays. Retailers, manufacturers, and distributors stock up through autumn so they have their hands on the necessary goods before December. The demand during the pre-holiday rush is significant. US holiday sales were over $1 trillion in spending for the first time in 2025, and it looks like the total US retail sales are up about 4.4%, to over trillion. In Canada, shoppers spend $975 CAD per person on gifts, and are likely to spend roughly as much or more this year. With all that spending, try to remember to use recyclable wrapping paper!

Freight follows retail’s patterns. Volume increases in October and November, then falls dramatically during the holidays, and returns to normal in January. Trucks number of that enter the US from Canada decreased from 459,169 in October 2025 to 381,510 in December of 2025.

On top of that, capacity is tight this year. US’s for-hire truck tonnage fell 0.5% in August 2026. American Trucking Association’s Chief Economist Bob Costello said the truck market flipped this year because of reduced capacity, not due to high demand.

Heading into Q4, truckload tender rejections were at around 14%. That means carriers are turning down more contracted loads. When the autumn rush meets a tighter market than usual, last-minute freight can face delays, misses, or even turn-downs.

Late December usually goes quietly. As it should, since everyone’s on vacation. Around Christmas and New Year, many carriers, terminals, and receivers have reduced schedules. Warehouses often close early or limit dock appointments. It could happen that last-minute shipments have to wait for January. Luckily, at Freightera, you can diversify your carrier options and be sure that someone’s available to transport it.

You’re probably aware that Canada and the US have different holidays. The two countries celebrate Thanksgiving six weeks apart, and Boxing Day is a holiday only in Canada. Some smaller Canadian land ports also halt commercial processing on holidays. Unrelatedly to the holidays, construction can add time to transit times too. At Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, you can expect border delays until winter 2027.

Winter literally slows vehicles down. Freeway speeds decrease 3 to 13% in light snow and 5 to 40% in heavy snow. Better for road safety, but much worse for your shipment. This winter also brings over a 90% chance of a very strong El Niño. That means that the odds of storms and delays this year increase, although that’s luckily not guaranteed.

Important 2026 holiday dates for Canada and the US

It’s smart to mark these dates and plan your pickups with them in mind.

• Monday, October 12 is Canadian Thanksgiving and US Columbus Day.
• Wednesday, November 11 is Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the US.
• Thursday, November 26 is US Thanksgiving, followed by Black Friday on November 27 and Cyber Monday on November 30.
• Friday, December 25 is Christmas Day.
• Saturday, December 26 is Boxing Day in Canada. Because it falls on a Saturday, many Canadian workplaces will take Monday, December 28 off instead.
• Friday, January 1, 2027 is New Year’s Day.

As a planning guide, book US Thanksgiving week freight by mid-November if you’d like it delivered before the holiday. Aim to have December deliveries arrive by around December 18, before receivers start closing. Treat the period from December 24 to January 1 as a ‘nobody is working’ period.

Practical ways to avoid holiday shipping delays

Book early and account for delays in your ETA. Get your quotes and book as soon as your freight is ready or as soon as you know your ship dates. Around holidays, it’s good to add one or two ‘buffer days’ to transit times. Add more for cross-border shipments or lanes through snowbelt regions.

Check your shippers’ or consignees’ holiday hours, or whether there are any dock appointment rules. Be sure if either your shipper or your receiver need liftgates or if they’re in residential areas. A closed dock is one of the most common and most avoidable causes of a missed delivery.

Get documents and freight details right. You want to be sure your BOL is accurate. For cross-border freight, send your customs broker the commercial invoice and supporting documentation before pickup. Carriers also often need you to hand over a copy of the commercial invoice to the driver as well.

Measure and weigh every pallet. Since July, 2025, more LTL freight is classified by density in the USA. Regardless of where you’re shipping, accurate dimensions help you avoid reweighs, reclasses, and surprise fees.

Pack and palletize your freight for winter. Shrink-wrap pallets securely, use corner boards, and keep freight within the pallet with no overhang if you can avoid it. If your goods can freeze, ask about protect-from-freeze service options before you book.

It’s important to stay flexible and keep your customers informed. A more flexible pickup window gives you more carrier options, and it allows your freight to be picked up tomorrow, even if it’s late. You can stay prepared by watching the weather forecasts in both Canada and the USA. If you account for weather delays, you can let your consignees know to expect freight later, and thus avoid delay issues.

A greener option for non-urgent freight is never a bad idea

Rail and intermodal are smart choices for freight that isn’t urgent. Railroads are much more efficient than trucks in transporting heavy cargo, and moving freight by rail instead of truck lowers GHG emissions by up to 75%.

Rail is busy this year as well. Domestic intermodal container volumes are at all-time highs, so if you’re looking into such options, book them early too.

Plan your holiday freight with Freightera

Freightera makes planning ahead easy. Get instant all-inclusive freight quotes in about 15 seconds and compare rates from various carriers on one page. Book online and get automatically filled-out BOLs and labels.

Rate Defense™ protects you from unfair carrier charges, and our super-friendly 5-star client care team is here to help with any and all of your shipping needs across Canada and the USA, whether it be LTL, FTL, rail, or intermodal – we’ve got you covered.

Join tens of thousands of businesses shipping smarter with Freightera. Register for a free account today and ship stress-free this holiday season.

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