From surcharge increases to carriers unexpectedly closing their doors, the world of parcel shipping is constantly changing. And according to Nate Skiver, founder of LPF Spend Management, that trend will continue through 2026.

In this episode of Unboxing Logistics, he shares tips for adapting to disruptions, managing risk, choosing the right carriers, and keeping costs low.

When it comes to carriers, Nate says, “There are more options [than ever], which is a good thing, but it introduces complexity.”

Fortunately, technology can help simplify things. Nate continues, “There is technology available to manage that complexity, allow[ing] shippers to introduce new carriers, optimize for cost, delivery, reliability, and speed.”

Bottom line? “There's never been a better time, I think, for shippers to create value through delivery.”

Alternative carriers offer low costs and fast delivery times. But shippers sometimes hesitate to use them, citing concerns with reliability. So, how can you know whether an alternative carrier will fulfill its promises?

According to Nate, it all comes down to research and risk management.

“There are alternative carriers that will exit the market this year. … So it's a legitimate concern.”

He recommends, “Do your due diligence. Learn as much as you can about the company, their customers, all that you can. But don't take on too much risk.”

When carriers increase prices, they don’t broadcast it to the world. For example, Nate shares that two major carriers recently raised surcharges for additional handling and oversized packages—and the increases slipped under many people’s radars.

He says, “It gets announced. It's very subtly posted on [their] websites. Often … the sales contacts for those carriers don't proactively come out and tell customers. So you have to go find it.”

To make sure pricing changes don’t catch you off guard, Nate recommends either having an in-house employee dedicated to staying on top of the parcel market or partnering with a third-party consultant.

1. Connect with Nate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levelplayingfield/
2. Visit LPF Spend Management’s website: https://www.lpfspendmanagement.com/

John Naylor from Trew and Scott Davis from JD Finish Line teamed up to transform a distribution center from mostly manual to automated and efficient—while the center was still operational!

In a recent session at RILA, they shared the details of the project with Lori Boyer, discussing everything from the initial planning stages to the final results and ROI.

If you weren’t able to make it to the session, no worries. We’ve turned the recording into a special episode of Unboxing Logistics. Listen to learn how John and Scott got leadership buy-in, helped employees adopt the new technology, and dealt with unexpected roadblocks.

Throughout the session, a common thread was the need for careful planning. When choosing technology, John and Scott considered two things: whether it would be worth the investment, and how it would hold up to future business growth.

John says, “It really becomes a fairly simple black-and-white math exercise. It's an ROI. Do we invest the money? What is the payback on that?”

He continues, “Are we future proof? Have we painted ourselves into a corner? If our business needs change, or … acquisitions happen, will this be able to accommodate that change?”

An important part of planning is the assumption that things will go wrong at some point. Scott stresses that budgets need to leave room for these unexpected setbacks: “Contingencies are huge. Do you want to go back in a year and ask for more, or would you rather fight the battle upfront so that you can stay within your budgets?”

John chimes in, “Anybody who tells you these projects go flawlessly and on plan is lying to you. … No battle plan survives the first volley.”

Automation projects often come under fire for eliminating human jobs. But for John and Scott, laying off employees was never the goal.

John explains that they forecasted employment needs and made sure not to overhire. The result? “We didn't [need] to lay off people later when [a] job function was eliminated. …

So it was a very … people-focused approach.”

As Scott puts it, the automation project was all about “[doing] more with the same people, not reduc[ing] the people.”

1. Connect with Scott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-davis-03315652/
2. Follow JD Finish Line on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jd-finish-line/
3. Visit Trew’s website: https://www.trewautomation.com/

In February’s episode of Unboxing Logistics, Tim Ranagan sits down with Lori Boyer to discuss what she’s hearing from industry leaders at events like RILA and Manifest. Their conversation focuses on how ecommerce teams are building with disruption in mind.

This year, supply chain leaders are learning to expect the unexpected.

Lori explains that disruption no longer feels temporary. Instead, “It’s the baseline.” So rather than waiting for conditions to stabilize, organizations are designing operations around uncertainty.

She points to data from the 2026 Thomson Reuters Global Trade Report showing that supply chain management has become the number one business concern for enterprise organizations, nearly doubling since last year’s report.

AI was a hot topic at RILA and Manifest last year, and that pattern continued in 2026. But the tone has shifted; earlier excitement around flashy demos has given way to a more practical mindset.

As Lori puts it, “AI is only of interest to people when it can show tangible, real-life returns.”

As she spoke with logistics professionals at the events, she noticed that teams that are considering AI solutions are asking tougher questions about cost savings, decision support, and measurable outcomes.

Another recurring theme in Lori’s conversations was frustration with overloaded tech stacks—solutions that don’t work together, don’t solve the right problems, and ultimately create “tech stack fatigue.”

Her advice is straightforward: “Get your basics down.”

She continues, “You have to start with the problem… then find a tool. Don’t get a tool of any sort and just try to fit it into your company.”

1. Connect with Tim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-ranagan-mba-2717bb125/
2. Connect with Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loribboyer/
3. Visit EasyPost’s website :https://www.easypost.com/