Circle Logistics (“Circle”), a leading third-party logistics provider (“3PL”), is advising shippers of high-value freight to resist cutting corners on carrier selection as cost and capacity pressure build heading into holiday peak season, and to stay with the transportation provider that is consistent and reliable through these industry pressures.

Manufacturers are expanding into the fourth quarter, with the Institute for Supply Management's September index at 54.5%, new orders at 55.3% and supplier deliveries slowing for a 10th straight month. Diesel is adding to the squeeze, averaging $6.382 per gallon in September 2026, which is $2.63 above a year earlier even after a dip of about 15 cents from the prior week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Capacity has not loosened either, lane data from FreightWaves SONAR and DAT Trendlines, shows spot van rates averaging $3.07 per mile, up 35.8% from August 2025, with the outbound tender reject index holding near 13.5% to 14.0% for van and reefer, which means carriers are still turning down contracted freight.

In a market like that, it is easy to see why a company might cut corners by taking the lowest bid, booking whichever carrier answers first or skipping a verification step to hold a pickup window. On high-value freight, those shortcuts can backfire. Federal prosecutors in New York allege that an international ring posed as legitimate carriers and supply chain companies to win freight contracts, then redirected loads and removed tracking devices to steal about $10 million in freight beginning in March 2023. To mitigate these rising vulnerabilities, shippers need a logistics partner equipped with proactive security protocols and rigorous carrier verification.

Circle's approach is built for that exposure and starts with knowing who is behind the truck. The company uses Highway's carrier identity verification, which keeps checking carrier identity after a carrier is booked and not only at onboarding. In February, a carrier's identity was compromised between booking and pickup on a roughly $100,000 copper shipment, and after the driver loaded, teams flagged the emailed bill of lading as not coming from the legitimate carrier on file. The team stepped in before the freight moved, protecting the load.

That vetting works alongside capacity Circle controls by running an asset-based fleet and a vetted carrier network, staffing a 24/7 in-house tracking desk, and using ELD and visibility platform integrations so shippers can follow loads in transit and catch a problem before it reaches the dock. This also allows Circle Logistics to be resilient in the face of industry disruption.

"When rates, fuel and capacity all move against you, the pull is to save on the carrier, and on a high-value load that is the wrong place to save," said Andrew Smith, senior vice president of Circle Logistics. "The shippers who get through a market like this stay with a 3PL that verifies who is picking up the freight, watches the load the whole way and runs the same way when the market gets ugly."

Secure your fourth-quarter high-value lanes today, connect with Circle’s supply chain experts to lock in reliable coverage and safeguard your freight.