As experienced freight forwarders, the smooth movement of goods across borders has been our constant goal for more than 20 years. While numerous factors influence the efficiency of cargo movement, one often underestimated factor that can significantly impact the industry is the occurrence of national holidays in different countries.

Each country has its own set of national holidays celebrated in different ways that can create hurdles for exporters and importers, who could potentially get caught out by their cargo being in the middle of a non-working holiday. In this email, we’ll explore the various ways in which national holidays affect cargo movement and explain how we at Espace can help you overcome these holiday blues.

Customs and Border Delays:

National holidays often lead to the closure of government offices, including customs and border control. This results in customs clearance delays and inspections, causing goods to be held up at ports and border crossings until work resumes. To mitigate these delays, we can support you in planning your shipments well in advance, to ensure that essential documentation is submitted and processed before the holiday season begins, thus keeping everything on track.

Route Disruptions:

Some national holidays are similar to UK bank holidays, where the majority of disruption comes from business closure, some are larger events that may involve road closures with parades which can consequently disrupt transport networks. This can bring logistical challenges, such as increaseds rates and delayed transit from taking the longer route. Freight forwarders with their vast networks will plan ahead with drivers or commit to a totally different mode of transport in order to bypass by these closures.

Labour Shortages:

During national holidays, employees in various industries of course take time off to celebrate and rest with their families. This often leads to labour shortages for some businesses. On the other hand, those that continue trading could pay double time to their staff to keep things moving which may have both cost and timing implications for you the exporter / importer. Espace will work with you to minimise any risk.

Peaks and Falls in Demand:

National holidays can result in increased consumer demand for certain goods. Industries that see such peaks during holiday seasons include hospitality, media & events. Some industries may slow down around national holidays such as manufacturers in automotive, making supply chains slower for that time of the year even in countries that don’t celebrate that holiday. In these cases, you may be faced with extra storage costs where deliveries cannot be arranged. A freight forwarder will work with you to plan well in advance to minimise any potential disruption to your supply chain.

Compliance and Documentation:

Different countries have various rules and regulations regarding the movement of goods. Espace stays up to date date with all regulations and our team work tirelessly to ensure that all your shipments meet the necessary standards – even when government offices are closed.

Navigating the challenges posed by national holidays in the world of freight forwarding is no small task. Freight forwarders have a wealth of experience in planning and know exactly how to keep things moving. Efficient freight forwarding keeps supply chains moving so that you can concentrate on the other priorities within your business.

To help you with your planning here is a list of general holidays happening around the world in 2024!