{"id":30553,"date":"2026-10-14T13:16:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T07:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/?p=30553"},"modified":"2026-10-15T11:13:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T05:43:31","slug":"how-to-reduce-freight-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/how-to-reduce-freight-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Reduce Freight Costs: A 9-Step Guide for Shippers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-table-of-content ultp-block-2c6c0d undefined\"><div class=\"ultp-block-wrapper\"><div class=\"ultp-block-toc\"><div class=\"ultp-toc-header\"><div class=\"ultp-toc-heading\">Table of Contents<\/div><div class=\"ultp-collapsible-toggle  ultp-collapsible-right\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ultp-collapsible-text ultp-collapsible-open\">[Open]<\/a><a href=\"#\" class=\"ultp-collapsible-text ultp-collapsible-hide\">[Close]<\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ultp-block-toc-style1 ultp-block-toc-body\" style=\"display:block;\"><ul class=\"ultp-toc-lists\"><li><a href=\"#Before_you_start_sourcing_freightnbsp;\">Before you start sourcing freight\u00a0<\/a><ul class=\"ultp-toc-lists\"><li><a href=\"#1_Set_a_baseline_for_every_lane,_and_reset_it_when_events_hit\">1. Set a baseline for every lane, and reset it when events hit<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2_Pool_freight_across_your_sites\">2. Pool freight across your sites<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3_Audit_the_freight_your_suppliers_book_for_you\">3. Audit the freight your suppliers book for you<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#When_when_you_ask_for_quotes\">When you ask for quotes<\/a><ul class=\"ultp-toc-lists\"><li><a href=\"#4_Re-tender_lane_by_lane,_with_more_forwarders_and_one_shipping_line\">4. Re-tender lane by lane, with more forwarders and one shipping line<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#5_Compare_quotes_on_the_all-in_cost\">5. Compare quotes on the all-in cost<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#After_you_sign_the_contract\">After you sign the contract<\/a><ul class=\"ultp-toc-lists\"><li><a href=\"#6_Keep_bookings_on_the_contract,_and_agree_your_re-tender_triggers\">6. Keep bookings on the contract, and agree your re-tender triggers<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#7_Spot_delays_early,_so_cargo_stays_off_air\">7. Spot delays early, so cargo stays off air<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#When_your_containers_arrive\">When your containers arrive<\/a><ul class=\"ultp-toc-lists\"><li><a href=\"#8_Keep_containers_inside_their_free_days\">8. Keep containers inside their free days<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#When_you_get_the_invoicenbsp;nbsp;\">When you get the invoice\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><ul class=\"ultp-toc-lists\"><li><a href=\"#9_Check_every_invoice_against_the_rate_you_agreed\">9. Check every invoice against the rate you agreed<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#How_to_prove_your_freight_cost_savings\">How to prove your freight cost savings<\/a><ul class=\"ultp-toc-lists\"><li><a href=\"#How_leading_teams_use_AI_to_run_the_freight_workflow\">How leading teams use AI to run the freight workflow<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Frequently_asked_questions\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the war in the Middle East began, Drewry\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drewry.co.uk\/supply-chain-advisors\/supply-chain-expertise\/world-container-index-assessed-by-drewry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">World Container Index<\/a> has climbed to $4,351 per 40ft container, about 2.3 times its late-February level. When rates climb that fast, the first instinct is to go back to your forwarders and negotiate the base rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the base rate is only part of what you pay. In our conversations with freight teams at more than 500 companies, the cost concerns they raised most often sat outside it: <em>charges that weren\u2019t in the quote, bookings that slipped to spot, free days that ran out and invoices nobody checked.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So freight cost reduction in 2026 starts with a bigger question. Not just \u201cwhat rate did we get?\u201d but also \u201cwhat did we pay that we never agreed to?\u201d Here are nine places to look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"368\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/123-1024x368.webp\" alt=\"9 steps to reduce freight costs across five stages, from before you buy to checking invoices, with key buyer pain points\" class=\"wp-image-30559\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/123-1024x368.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/123-300x108.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/123-768x276.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/123-1536x552.webp 1536w, https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/123-2048x736.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nine steps to reduce freight costs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"Before_you_start_sourcing_freightnbsp;\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Before you start sourcing freight\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much of a container\u2019s cost is decided after the rate is agreed. But the rate still sets the starting point, and it is hard to get right: you need to know what a lane should cost, buy with your full volume, see the freight others book for you, and compare quotes that rarely match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"1_Set_a_baseline_for_every_lane,_and_reset_it_when_events_hit\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Set a baseline for every lane, and reset it when events hit<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWas it the right rate?\u201d sounds like an easy question. In practice, many freight teams can only compare a quote with the last one they paid, or with what their forwarder says the market is doing. In our conversations, 116 companies said they had no reliable way to tell whether their rates were high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fix starts with a freight spend analysis: what you pay, by lane, forwarder and charge, over the past few months. It turns \u201cis this quote fair?\u201d into a question you can answer: how does it compare with what we paid on the same lane last month?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But what you pay on a lane isn\u2019t always in your control. In October 2025, Drewry expected shippers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drewry.co.uk\/news\/shippers-in-the-driving-seat-to-secure-better-2026-ocean-contracts-after-reversal-of-trend\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">secure better 2026 contracts<\/a>. Five months later, the Strait of Hormuz closed, and Shanghai container rates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lloydslist.com\/LL1157327\/Hormuz-crisis-side-effect-a-sharp-rise-in-container-shipping-rates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">roughly doubled<\/a> within three months. Last year\u2019s numbers couldn\u2019t tell anyone what a fair rate looked like after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So when an event hits a lane, rebuild its baseline from three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Use recent prices.<\/strong> The last four to eight weeks of quotes and market data tell you more than last year\u2019s average.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Separate the base rate from temporary charges,<\/strong> such as war-risk or emergency fuel surcharges, so you notice when they should come off.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Keep a range, not a single number,<\/strong> so you can tell a passing spike from a new normal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Where software helps:<\/em> <\/strong>keeping every lane\u2019s baseline current as quotes, invoices and market data arrive, and flagging a lane when it drifts out of range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A baseline tells you what a lane should cost. Your buying power decides whether you get it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"2_Pool_freight_across_your_sites\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Pool freight across your sites<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When each plant or country buys its own freight, your volume gets split into small pieces, and each piece gets a small buyer\u2019s price. One procurement lead described it as \u201ca pocket of people negotiating in Australia, \u2026 a pocket of people negotiating in Vietnam,\u201d with spending \u201cfragmented out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pooling fixes that. Find the lanes your sites share, tender them once with the combined volume, and give every site one rate card to book from. It helps most when space is tight, because carriers look after their biggest accounts first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The harder part is making it stick, because local teams drift back to the forwarders they know. Agree in advance which sites share which lanes, which rates apply, and who can approve an exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Where software helps:<\/em> <\/strong>checking every booking against the pooled rates and flagging the ones that stray, so your team only deals with the exceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pooling covers the freight you buy. Many companies also pay for freight they never see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"3_Audit_the_freight_your_suppliers_book_for_you\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Audit the freight your suppliers book for you<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of what you pay for freight never arrives as a freight bill. For 89 companies we spoke to, a supplier, a customer or head office controls freight they end up paying for. When a supplier ships on CIF or CFR terms, it books the freight and builds the cost into the product price. You can\u2019t tender it or see it, and when rates fall, the saving stays with the supplier. One logistics director found a supplier marking up freight by 15% and moved those lanes to ex-works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To check, ask your largest suppliers for two prices, CIF and FOB, and get your own freight quote for the same lane. The gap is what you\u2019re paying for the convenience. Then ask for a freight breakdown, push back on the markup, or ask the supplier to use your rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><\/td><td><strong>CIF \/ CFR<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>FOB \/ FCA<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>EXW<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Who books the freight<\/td><td>Supplier<\/td><td>You<\/td><td>You<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Can you tender it?<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Who carries surcharge risk<\/td><td>Supplier, until it reprices<\/td><td>You<\/td><td>You<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Operational overhead for you<\/td><td>Low<\/td><td>Medium<\/td><td>High<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surcharges change the picture. If a lane gets hit by a war-risk or fuel surcharge, your supplier absorbs it on CIF until it reprices, so leaving that freight with them can cost you less for a while. Thailand\u2019s National Shippers\u2019 Council told exporters to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationthailand.com\/blogs\/business\/economy\/40063278\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">review their incoterms<\/a> this year for that reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why the check is worth repeating. AI can track your landed cost on each lane both ways, with the latest surcharges included, and flag a lane when the gap widens or flips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rule of thumb:<\/strong> audit supplier-booked freight on your biggest lanes every quarter, use the gap to renegotiate, and take a lane over only when the saving clearly outweighs the extra work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More on each term in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/incoterms-2023-24-every-term-explained-for-global-trade\/\">incoterms guide<\/a> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"When_when_you_ask_for_quotes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>When you ask for quotes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where most teams focus, and it\u2019s still largely manual. 138 companies in our conversations collect quotes by email, phone or WhatsApp and compare them in Excel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two changes do the most to lower freight costs at this stage: getting more forwarders to bid, and comparing what they offer on the full cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"4_Re-tender_lane_by_lane,_with_more_forwarders_and_one_shipping_line\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Re-tender lane by lane, with more forwarders and one shipping line<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most teams ask three or four forwarders to quote, often the same ones every time, because every extra quote means more emails to chase. Many also re-tender on a fixed calendar, even when only one lane has moved. This year, Drewry noted that only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drewry.co.uk\/news\/shippers-should-not-panic-despite-surge-in-middle-east-ocean-spot-rates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Middle East routes saw Covid-level swings<\/a>, so a full re-tender would have meant re-bidding lanes that hadn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s how to run it lane by lane:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Re-tender when the lane moves.<\/strong> AI can watch each lane against its baseline range and flag the moment one drifts out, so you go back to market when it matters, whatever the calendar says.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Build a panel of six to eight.<\/strong> Include your current forwarders, since re-bidding them against one or two new ones is how to reduce freight costs without switching carriers. AI can suggest who else to invite, based on how each forwarder has performed on that lane before.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Add one quote from the shipping line.<\/strong> It shows you the forwarder\u2019s margin. One shipper found direct rates $100 to $200 cheaper per container.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Send one RFQ and collect every reply in one place.<\/strong> With AI reading and sorting the replies, eight forwarders take about the same effort as three.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Run blind rounds with an extension for late bids.<\/strong> One buyer found 60\u201370% of its auction savings came in that extension window. The rounds can run on their own once you set the rules.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With less time spent on each tender, your freight procurement costs fall too, and your team\u2019s time goes into choosing the winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"5_Compare_quotes_on_the_all-in_cost\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Compare quotes on the all-in cost<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two quotes with similar base rates can end up hundreds of dollars apart once everything else is added. Some forwarders trim the bill of lading fee and raise ocean freight. Others leave destination charges \u201cat cost\u201d, so the bid looks cheaper than it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Events widen the gap. When the Strait of Hormuz closed, Maersk added an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maersk.com\/news\/articles\/2026\/03\/10\/emergency-bunker-surcharge-ebs-global\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">emergency bunker surcharge<\/a> of $400 per 40ft container on long-haul routes, on top of its standard fuel fee. Local charges move too: Malaysia\u2019s manufacturers\u2019 federation is pushing back on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestar.com.my\/news\/nation\/2026\/09\/22\/extra-costs-may-be-passed-on-to-consumers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Port Klang charge increases of 30\u201350%<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So compare every bid on what you\u2019ll actually pay. Give every forwarder the same charge template, with no \u201cat cost\u201d lines and a separate line for each event surcharge, showing how it\u2019s calculated and when it ends. Forwarders will still send quotes as emails, PDFs and spreadsheets, but AI can now read them and map each charge to your template, which saves hours of rekeying. Then rank the bids on real cost, with free days and expected demurrage and detention included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what that looks like on one lane:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Illustrative numbers to show the method. Not market rates.<\/em><\/strong><strong><em><br><\/em><\/strong>Laem Chabang to Rotterdam, 40ft containers, 20 a month, USD per container.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, take how long your containers usually spend at the destination port, from discharge to empty return, using past shipments. Then add the delay the port is seeing now. Here, congestion adds three days:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Share of containers<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Usual days at port<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>With congestion (+3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>30%<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>8<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>30%<\/td><td>7<\/td><td>10<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>20%<\/td><td>9<\/td><td>12<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>15%<\/td><td>12<\/td><td>15<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5%<\/td><td>16<\/td><td>19<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then apply the carrier\u2019s tariff to every container. In this example, that\u2019s $100 a day for the first five days beyond free time, $175 for days six to ten, and $250 after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><\/td><td><strong>Bid A<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Bid B<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Bid C<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>All-in rate<\/td><td>3,195<\/td><td>3,090<\/td><td>3,200<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Free days at destination<\/td><td>7<\/td><td>14<\/td><td>5<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Expected demurrage and detention<\/td><td>468<\/td><td>40<\/td><td>735<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Real cost<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>3,663<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>3,130<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>3,935<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bid C had the lowest base rate, at $2,250, and ends up the most expensive. Picking B over C saves $805 a container, or about $193,200 a year. Even B pays some D&D: the average container clears in 11 days, inside its free time, but the slowest fifth run over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use the ranking as your starting point, then weigh it against each forwarder\u2019s reliability and service, and note your reason whenever you don\u2019t pick the lowest bid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"After_you_sign_the_contract\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>After you sign the contract<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A good award only saves money if freight moves on it. 160 companies told us their contract rates have stopped holding the way they used to, with many rates now valid for two weeks to a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Holding on to the savings now takes active work: keeping bookings on the rates you agreed, and keeping cargo off air when plans slip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"6_Keep_bookings_on_the_contract,_and_agree_your_re-tender_triggers\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6. Keep bookings on the contract, and agree your re-tender triggers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contracts have been hard to hold this year. In May, The Loadstar reported carriers <a href=\"https:\/\/theloadstar.com\/pay-to-play-is-back-as-shippers-face-a-brutal-shipping-environment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">withdrawing contract offers<\/a> before forwarders could file them, with forwarders saying \u201cpay to play\u201d was back. When contracts give way, bookings slip to spot, at a higher rate and often with fewer free days. For one chemicals shipper, a spot booking on a contracted lane meant 3 to 7 free days in place of the 21 in its contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three things help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, write space into the contract:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Write into the contract<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Why<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Volume each carrier commits to<\/td><td>Gives you a claim on space when ships fill up<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>What happens when cargo is rolled, and when it will move<\/td><td>Makes a roll the carrier\u2019s problem too<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Contracted free days on every booking for that lane<\/td><td>Stops spot bookings from losing your free time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>A rate-review trigger if the market falls<\/td><td>Recommended by Drewry for this contract season<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Second, watch how the contract holds up in practice. AI tools can now check every booking against the contract as it\u2019s made, so a spot booking on a contracted lane, or a carrier falling short of its allocation, shows up the same week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Third, agree your re-tender triggers before the next disruption: spot share above a set level, a carrier missing its allocation, or the lane moving a set percentage against the market. Decisions made in the middle of a crisis tend to stall. Gartner found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/en\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2026-07-14-gartner-survey-shows-72-percent-of-supply-chain-leaders-revisit-final-approvals-for-network-decisions-at-least-once-causing-delays\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">72% of supply chain leaders revisit final approvals<\/a> for network decisions at least once, causing delays. With triggers agreed in advance, AI can raise the alert the moment one trips and have the re-tender ready, so your team only has to approve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"7_Spot_delays_early,_so_cargo_stays_off_air\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>7. Spot delays early, so cargo stays off air<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air usually becomes a cost problem by accident: a production run slips or a sailing is missed, and cargo planned for sea goes by air. That got expensive this year. Typhoons held up <a href=\"https:\/\/theloadstar.com\/berthing-delay-at-congested-shanghai-and-ningbo-now-hitting-10-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">about 11% of the global fleet<\/a> at Shanghai and Ningbo, with waits of up to 10 days. By late September, air rates were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldacd.com\/trend-reports\/weekly\/worldacd-weekly-air-cargo-trends-2026-week-39\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">27% higher than a year earlier<\/a>, and 54% higher from Singapore to the US, according to WorldACD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fix is spotting the delay while you still have options. AI can compare predicted arrival dates with your production plan and flag a slipping shipment early enough to switch to a faster sailing or sea-air. Flying then becomes a clear choice for your team: the cost of air against the cost of a stopped line or a missed order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you do fly, the simplest way to reduce air freight cost is to pack for chargeable weight. Airlines bill the actual weight or the volume weight, whichever is higher, and under the standard 1:6,000 rule, one cubic meter counts as 167 kg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, a 1 m\u00b3 carton that weighs 100 kg is billed as 167 kg. At $4 a kilo, that\u2019s $668 instead of $400.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/freight\/knowledge\/air-freight#how-to-calculate-chargeable-weight\">how chargeable weight is calculated<\/a>. For sea freight, our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/fcl-vs-lcl\/\">FCL vs LCL guide<\/a> shows where a full container becomes cheaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"When_your_containers_arrive\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>When your containers arrive<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Demurrage and detention (D&D) came up with 153 companies in our conversations, and 130 said they only found out when the bill arrived. The charges add up fast: on US trades alone, nine of the biggest carriers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2024\/02\/26\/2024-02926\/demurrage-and-detention-billing-requirements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">charged about $8.9 billion<\/a> over two years between 2020 and 2022, according to the Federal Maritime Commission. And the risk is rising: Drewry found average ship waiting time <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drewry.co.uk\/news\/port-congestion-is-getting-worse-in-container-shipping-who-is-responsible\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nearly doubled<\/a> between 2019 and 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most D&D starts earlier in the workflow, with a missing or wrong document that puts the container on hold, a truck that wasn\u2019t booked, or a delay nobody passed on. That makes most of it avoidable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"8_Keep_containers_inside_their_free_days\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>8. Keep containers inside their free days<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Free days are the days a container can sit at the port, or with you, before charges start. After that, the charges climb daily, and the bill often turns up weeks later. At one food importer, demurrage was running at about \u00a320,000 a month, and nobody could see how many free days each container had left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Staying inside free days means keeping the carrier, your broker, the trucker and the depot in step, often while schedules are slipping. Here\u2019s what keeps them in step:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A countdown for every container.<\/strong> Free-time terms sit in contracts, tariffs and emails, and AI can pull them into one rules table, so each container\u2019s clock starts the day it lands. Check whether your terms count calendar or working days.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Arrival dates you can trust.<\/strong> In August 2026, only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sea-intelligence.com\/press-room\/410-global-schedule-reliability-continues-to-plummet-in-august\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">49.9% of vessels worldwide arrived on time<\/a>, and late ones averaged 6.81 days behind, according to Sea-Intelligence. Run the countdown against predicted arrival dates, and write free time into your contracts so it counts from actual arrival.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Documents checked before the ship lands. <\/strong>Most container holds at the port start with paperwork: a missing certificate, an invoice that doesn\u2019t match the bill of lading, or a wrong HS code can send a container for inspection while its free days run out. AI can check each shipment\u2019s documents as the arrival date gets closer and flag what\u2019s missing or doesn\u2019t match, so your team can fix it before the container lands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Trucks booked against warehouse space.<\/strong> In 2025, trucks at Laem Chabang waited up to 20 hours to collect containers, costing Thai exporters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supplychainbrain.com\/articles\/41967-thai-exporters-face-600-million-in-added-costs-as-port-congestion-worsens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">up to THB 20 billion a year<\/a>, according to the National Shippers\u2019 Council. AI can follow up with truckers before the last free day and warn you when too many containers are due at once.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Proof when things go wrong.<\/strong> If a depot refuses an empty container, a timestamped record lets you dispute the detention. In Manila this October, the empty-container backlog got bad enough that truckers struck and <a href=\"https:\/\/theloadstar.com\/empty-boxes-chaos-at-port-of-manila-sparks-truckers-strike\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hapag-Lloyd halted bookings<\/a> to Manila, Batangas and Subic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When a container is about to run over anyway, the call is yours: pay for an early pickup or overtime unloading, or accept the charge. More in our guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/how-to-avoid-demurrage-and-detention-charges\/\">how to avoid demurrage and detention charges<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"When_you_get_the_invoicenbsp;nbsp;\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>When you get the invoice\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where the rest of the workflow either pays off or leaks. The answer is to check every line before you pay, then report the savings in a way finance will accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"9_Check_every_invoice_against_the_rate_you_agreed\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>9. Check every invoice against the rate you agreed<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most teams check only the base freight line, and destination charges tend to get paid because they look close to the usual amount. A year of disruption adds another risk: surcharges billed on the wrong dates, after a carrier has lifted them, or on shipments booked before they took effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Checking every line by hand doesn\u2019t scale, which is why so many teams only spot-check. AI can match each line against the agreed rate, the contract, the surcharge\u2019s effective dates and what actually happened to the shipment. Lines within a tolerance you set go through, and only three kinds of problem reach your team:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A rate higher than the one you agreed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A charge that wasn\u2019t in the quote, or was applied outside its dates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The wrong number of containers, kilos or days.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the Laem Chabang lane above, say Bid B\u2019s March invoice bills destination handling at $310 instead of $260 on 20 containers, plus a $75 \u201ccongestion surcharge\u201d per container that was never agreed. That\u2019s $2,500 in one month, caught before payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each flagged line comes with the quote and shipment record attached, so your team can decide quickly which disputes to push and which relationships to protect. The totals by forwarder then feed straight into your next baseline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ll often see claims that up to 20% of freight invoices contain errors. That figure has no traceable source, so measure your own error rate, by value. More in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/freight-auditing\/\">freight auditing guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"How_to_prove_your_freight_cost_savings\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to prove your freight cost savings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Management wants a number it can trust. Logistics is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/en\/supply-chain\/insights\/beyond-supply-chain-blog\/2026-supply-chain-surge-growth-control-costs-and-ai-truth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">top cost-reduction target<\/a> for supply chain leaders in 2026, according to Gartner, with about a quarter aiming for cuts of 5% or more. Most teams set more modest goals: the freight cost reduction targets we hear most often are 3\u20135% a year. As one head of freight procurement put it, savings measured from the first offer to the last \u201care not hard savings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So pick your method before the tender, and report it the same way every time. That consistency is most of what good freight spend management looks like to finance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"How_leading_teams_use_AI_to_run_the_freight_workflow\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How leading teams use AI to run the freight workflow<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HUMAN-AI-1024x349.webp\" alt=\"Table showing what AI does and what your freight team decides at each stage, from tracking lanes to pushing invoice disputes\" class=\"wp-image-30557\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.9295774647887325;width:624px;height:auto\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HUMAN-AI-1024x349.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HUMAN-AI-300x102.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HUMAN-AI-768x262.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HUMAN-AI-1536x523.webp 1536w, https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HUMAN-AI-2048x698.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">At every stage, AI does the routine work, and your team makes the calls that move cost.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the work in this guide is watching, checking and chasing. That\u2019s exactly what AI now handles well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BCG found that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcg.com\/publications\/2026\/how-ai-agents-are-transforming-supply-chains\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">44% of companies already use AI in their supply chain<\/a>. Gartner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/en\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2026-03-18-gartner-predicts-60-percent-of-supply-chain-disruptions-will-be-resolved-without-human-intervention-by-2031\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">predicts<\/a> that by 2031, 60% of supply chain disruptions will be resolved without human intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The teams furthest ahead split the work clearly. AI watches every lane, quote, container and invoice, and handles the coordination in between. People set the rules in advance and keep the judgement calls, like which carrier to trust in a crisis or when to pay for air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s the model GoComet is built around. GoComet is the AI-Native Platform for Global Trade. Nova configures it around how your enterprise works, so AI Workers can carry out defined work within your rules and approvals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sourcing and comparing rates before you commit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spotting delays while there\u2019s still time to act.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Validating what you\u2019re billed against what you agreed, before you pay.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some work they flag, some they prepare for your approval, and routine work they handle within the rules you set. Your team keeps the decisions that move cost, with greater Control over cost, service, exceptions, risk and manual work, from Planning to Payment, so you can reduce freight operational costs without adding headcount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019d like to see how that works on your own lanes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/products\/freight-quotation-management\">bring one of your RFQs to a GoComet demo<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"Frequently_asked_questions\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Frequently asked questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why are freight costs so high?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>In 2026, mainly because of the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Drewry\u2019s World Container Index more than doubled between late February and October, and carriers added emergency fuel and peak-season surcharges. Port congestion from typhoons, and gaps in how freight is bought and checked, add to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How much will freight costs increase in 2026?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Ocean rates may already have peaked. Drewry\u2019s World Container Index was $4,351 per 40ft container on 8 October, and Asia\u2013Europe rates had fallen for 13 weeks in a row as more ships returned to the Suez route. Prices are still more than double their late-February level. Air is a different story: airline association IATA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iata.org\/en\/pressroom\/2026-releases\/06-07-middle-east-disruptions-high-fuel-prices-halve-airline-industry-profitability\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">expects cargo yields to rise 6.5% in 2026<\/a>, mainly because of higher fuel costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How can I reduce freight costs without switching carriers?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Re-bid your current forwarders against one or two new ones, and run more than one round. Incumbents often improve their rate once they see competition. You can also protect free days, compare on the all-in cost and check invoices, none of which needs a new carrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is freight cost management?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Freight cost management is the ongoing work of knowing what you pay to move goods, buying it at the right price, and making sure you pay only what you agreed. In a volatile market, it also means resetting your baselines as events move each lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is a freight spend analysis?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>A freight spend analysis breaks down your shipments by lane, forwarder and charge. It shows which lanes cost the most, who charges more on the same lane, how much goes on surcharges, and whether invoices match agreed rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What are the best practices to reduce international freight costs?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Keep a baseline for every lane and reset it when events hit, invite enough bidders, compare quotes on the all-in cost, write space and free time into contracts, agree re-tender triggers in advance, audit supplier-booked freight, and check every invoice.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since the war in the Middle East began, Drewry\u2019s World Container Index has climbed to $4,351 per 40ft container, about 2.3 times its late-February level. When rates climb that fast, the first instinct is to go back to your forwarders and negotiate the base rate. But the base rate is only part of what you&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":30565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[839],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement"],"tag_names":[],"category_names":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30553"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30569,"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30553\/revisions\/30569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gocomet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}