What Happens If Your Freight Gets Delayed? A Real-World Guide to Handling Setbacks

Imagine the situation where you’ve carefully planned your freight shipment. The goods have been manufactured, all the paperwork is ready, and the shipment is due to arrive tomorrow, and then you hear that the shipment is delayed.

Whether you’re a small business in the South West of England or a distributor locally dealing with international suppliers, freight delays are more than just an inconvenience.

They can disrupt your entire supply chain, upset customers, and cost you both time and money.

But here’s the good news: delays don’t have to be disasters. In this guide, we’ll walk you through why they happen, how to handle them the right and best way, and what steps you can take to minimise the risk next time.

Why Do Freight Delays Happen?

There are so many things that affect the freight process that even with the most reliable carriers and forwarders, do and will experience things going wrong from time to time.

Port congestion is one of the most common issues, especially at major international locations.

Imagine that your container has arrived, but it’s frustratingly sitting in a queue behind hundreds of other containers, awaiting clearance, sat a few thousand miles away.

Then there’s customs clearance – A missing form, a mismatch in declared values, or even just a random inspection can hold up your goods for days.

For detailed guidance on import and export customs requirements, see the UK Government’s customs information for businesses.

When sending the freight yourself, failing to complete the documentation 100% correctly can be a common reason for delays, too. You can void your delivery being sat in Rotterdam for a week because one invoice had a spelling error in the product description. This is one of those avoidable delays.

Weather is another issue that can affect freight movement, and it’s hard, if often impossible, to control. A severe storm at sea, snow on roads, or even a hurricane.

Strikes and labour issues can also create issues. Dockworkers, customs officials, and sometimes lorry drivers may strike or protest and walk out, causing your shipment to get delayed.

Then there are technical failures. Systems do inevitably go down from time to time. Trucks break down. It’s frustrating, but it’s part of the logistics.

The key takeaway? Delays can happen for a number of reasons, and many of them will be out of your control.

For a closer look at how freight operations work behind the scenes and what happens once your goods are on the move, check out our post Behind the Scenes of Freight: What Really Happens When You Ship Goods.

First Reaction vs. Smart Reaction: What To Do When You Get That Delay Notification

If receiving a message to say that your freight has been delayed, you may find it tempting to start feeling stressed and to panic, particularly if you’re relying on that shipment to fulfill customer orders, such as to keep production running, or so that you can stock your shelves for an important weekend.

Panic rarely helps, whereas a clear plan can help you solve the issue, and with this in mind:

First, get the facts.
Don’t just settle for a vague “it’s delayed”. Ask your freight partner for specifics:

• Where exactly is the shipment right now?
• What’s caused the delay?
• How long is it expected to be held up?
• Is there any immediate action that can be taken?

A good freight forwarder, such as RSJ International Freight, will already be gathering this information and assessing the best and most viable options to try and find the best solution moving forward.

Next, assess the impact.
What’s at stake if the shipment arrives a few days late? For some businesses, it’s a minor issue. For others (such as if perishable freight is involved), it’s more of an issue.

Then, talk to your team.
Communicate the issue to the relevant people, such as your sales, customer service, and production teams. You don’t want them caught off guard when a customer asks about an out-of-stock item or a delayed order. Honesty and transparency go a long way here.

Finally, look at your options.
Depending on the cause and the urgency, there might be ways to speed things up. Could the goods be rerouted? Can part of the shipment be split and sent via air? Is there a workaround to get you through the delay?

How Can a Good Freight Partner Help During Delays?

When a shipment gets delayed, there’s usually someone behind the scenes working overtime to fix it. That someone should be your freight forwarder.

A great freight partner doesn’t just move boxes from A to B. They manage problems with shipments in the most optimal possible way, under the given circumstances.

When a delay crops up, they’re already looking for ways around it. That might mean rerouting through a different port, arranging express delivery for the most urgent goods, or, in some cases, calling on their network and localised partners to try and find you the best possible solution in a difficult situation.

At RSJ International, we’ve dealt with all sorts of issues, from road closures on the M5 throwing a delivery schedule off target to last-minute customs snags holding up a client’s seasonal stock. In one case, a client in the South West had goods stuck in Antwerp during a port strike.

We coordinated a transfer via road and sea through France and got it to their warehouse just in time for their product launch. It wasn’t easy, but it was possible, and it made a big difference to their business.

The value of experience and relationships can’t be overstated.
An experienced forwarder knows who to talk to, what to ask, and how to escalate when needed. They’ve got contacts at ports, carriers, and customs offices. That network can be the difference between a delay dragging on and getting resolved quickly.

Communication is key.
You should never be left wondering what’s going on. If your forwarder goes quiet when things go wrong, that’s a red flag. The best freight forwarders keep you informed (whether good or bad news), and they will focus on finding solutions.

Minimise the Risk: Plan Ahead

When it comes to sending freight worldwide, delays cannot always be avoided, but there’s a lot you can do to pre-plan to make things easier.

1. Build in some buffer time

It might sound obvious (but this is often overlooked), but factoring a few extra days (or even a week) into your delivery schedule can make a huge difference.

If you’re running to tight deadlines with very little or no room for error, even a short delay can create problems.

Giving yourself some extra breathing space by intentionally adding one or two days to the freight start date (where practical i.e., if not dealing with perishables).

2. Track everything

With real-time tracking, you’ll be able to locate shipments at any given time, which helps give you early warnings of delays.

If your freight forwarder offers a tracking platform, use it.

The more you know, the faster you can respond.

3. Get your paperwork right

So many delays occur as a result of incorrect or incomplete documentation.

One wrong code on a customs form, or one missing certificate, and you might find your shipment going nowhere.

Understanding key Incoterms® rules from the International Chamber of Commerce can also help ensure your documentation and shipping responsibilities are clearly defined.

4. Consider multi-modal options

If time is critical, sometimes it’s worth looking at alternative routes or combining sea, air, and road transport.

It can cost a bit more, but it can also buy you flexibility.

For example, you could sea freight the bulk of your goods and send a smaller, urgent batch via air to keep things moving.

5. Work with the right partners

One of the most important points is that you need to work with the right partners.

Delays are a lot easier to handle when you’re not facing them alone and are working with someone who has many years of experience in dealing with the issues you are experiencing.

A freight forwarder who understands your business, knows the local routes, and has experience with South West logistics can offer advice, spot potential issues early, and act fast when things go sideways.

Final Thoughts: Freight Delays Can Happen (But Preparation Helps)

Even with the best planning and all your paperwork in order, there’s always something, such as inclement weather, that can cause issues.

The key, though, is not the delay itself that defines your business; it’s how you respond to it.

The good news is that with the right approach and the right partners, you can work through any delays.

Build in some flexibility, stay informed, and use the network that a good freight shipping provider will have.