7 Operational Nightmares for Logistics Operators

The logistics sector has faced its fair share of scares in 2026, with disruption exposing some businesses’ weaknesses, and undermining their profitability and customer confidence. So, if the past year has taught the industry anything, it’s that operating conditions can change at a moment’s notice, and a business performing ‘OK’ has little room to cope when something does go wrong.

As Halloween approaches, and businesses start to prepare for 2027, Andrew Tavener, Head of Marketing at Descartes, believes it’s a timely opportunity to reflect on some of these operational scares and the practical actions businesses can take to mitigate them moving into the new year.

Since the start of the US/Iran war, there’s been unpredictability around fuel supply chains. In fact, in March, the RAC said that petrol had increased by 3.7p to 136.53p a litre, as the conflict between Iran, the US and Israel pushed up oil prices. Meanwhile, diesel was up by 6p, hitting a 16-month high of 148.35p. This geopolitical uncertainty kept the fuel market unpredictable for the majority of 2026 with diesel prices hitting an all-time high of 199.33p per litre in September. Businesses should prepare to face more unpredictability and high fuel prices in 2027.

This story was originally published by Logistics Business. Read the full story at Logistics Business →