What happens to freight over Christmas and New Year
The shift from one year to the next can feel like a clean break. New budgets, new plans, fresh energy. In global logistics, though, the reality is a little more nuanced – and understanding that nuance is often what makes Q1 feel calm rather than reactive.
Freight doesn’t stop over Christmas and New Year. Containers continue moving through ports, aircraft keep flying, and goods progress across borders every day. What does change is the rhythm. With reduced staffing levels and shorter working windows across much of the network, things move at a steadier, more deliberate pace.
That slower rhythm isn’t a problem to be solved. It’s part of how the system protects itself during a quieter period, ensuring volumes are handled carefully and capacity is managed sensibly. As January unfolds, networks don’t restart – they simply open back out.
Why January feels different
January is often described as a “difficult” month for freight, but in practice it’s better seen as a transitional one.
December’s reduced pace overlaps with the return of full production schedules, restocking activity, and new-year shipping plans. This creates a short period where planning matters more than speed. Small decisions made early in the month tend to ripple forward, influencing lead times, costs, and flexibility well into February and March.
This is also when many businesses have the headspace to step back slightly. Without peak-season pressure, there’s room to check assumptions, revisit timelines, and ask whether plans still match reality. That breathing space is valuable – and often overlooked.
Looking beyond Europe – China’s calendar matters early
January is also the moment when it pays to look further down the line, particularly towards Asia.
Chinese New Year may fall later, but its impact is never limited to the dates on the calendar. Factory slowdowns begin well in advance, and demand for shipping space rises as businesses plan around closures. When this is anticipated early, it becomes something to work with, not around.
Planning ahead allows for:
- more choice over sailing dates
- better availability across key routes
- flexibility if production or demand shifts
By acknowledging the pattern early, supply chains stay responsive rather than rushed.
A month that rewards calm planning
The most resilient supply chains aren’t built on urgency. They’re built on clarity.
January offers a chance to set expectations clearly, align teams internally, and establish a pace that can be maintained throughout the year. Rather than trying to “catch up”, it’s often more effective to let freight flow naturally and allow the network to do what it does best.
When that approach is taken, January becomes a month of quiet progress. Not dramatic. Not rushed. Just well-managed.
And that steady start tends to pay dividends long after the year has properly got going.
If you’re thinking about how the early months of the year will shape your supply chain, this is a good time to have those conversations and set things up well in advance – feel free to get in touch with our team.
