Supply Chain  Insights 

Most small forwarders have the buy rates to win ocean freight bids. They lose them in the spreadsheet. What big pricing desks do differently.

This is a post about AI tools for small business operations — specifically, four of them I've built myself this year. Sherpa Supply Chain Advisory exists to help shippers and logistics providers buy freight smarter, design better networks, and run tighter operations. But if you've talked to me in the last year, you've probably also heard me mention an estimator, a build sheet, a pricing tool, or a rental tracker I built too. That's not a side hobby. It's the same skill set, p

Freight procurement has become too volatile — and too operationally consequential — to be treated as a once-a-year rate exercise. As of late July 2026, ocean spot rates remain significantly above year-ago levels, even after declining from their early-July peak. U.S. importers have accelerated shipments ahead of tariff changes, fuel-related surcharges are being introduced across major trades, and domestic truckload pricing is rising despite relatively soft freight volumes. Th

On July 6, 2026, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd announced another structural change to their Gemini Cooperation's AE15 service — this time routing it back through the Suez Canal and Red Sea rather than around the Cape of Good Hope. The Majestic Maersk, a 19,000 TEU vessel, is expected to transit Suez around July 24, making it the second Gemini service to attempt a Red Sea restart this year. On paper, the numbers are compelling: westbound sailings from India to Europe could shorten by

The most expensive problem in most supply chain transformation programs is not technology selection, change management, or budget. It is the organizational silos that were there before the program started and are still there when it ends. Supply chain transformation consulting engagements fail to deliver their full value when the underlying cross-functional misalignment is left intact — and it usually is, because fixing silos requires changing incentives, reporting structures

Many shippers spend their energy negotiating the ocean freight rate. They benchmark it, bid it, and track it carefully. Then the invoice arrives 10–15% over budget — not because the rate changed, but because of everything below it. Demurrage. Detention. Dry runs. Dead freight. Driver waiting time. These aren’t structural market costs. They’re operational charges — and most of them are directly within your control. That’s the distinction that matters. Some freight costs ar

Freight rates are up—significantly. You already know this—and you've probably seen this pattern before. Since 2022, ocean freight rates out of Asia have spiked 35-45% multiple times: in 2022, again in 2023, 2024, and now in mid-2026. This year, rates have more than tripled from their March low point — and on some lanes, nearly quadrupled. West Coast rates have moved from ~$1,600/FEU in March to over $6,200 by late June. East Coast routes are pushing $8,000. This follows the s

You Had a Plan. Now the Market Has Changed. You signed a one-year freight contract. The rates were competitive. The service levels were clear. The terms seemed solid. Today? The world has shifted. Rates have spiked. Your volume has changed. Carriers are implementing emergency surcharges you didn't anticipate. And you're sitting in a contract that's increasingly uncompetitive—but renegotiating feels risky, emotional, and like you're starting from a position of weakness. The