Where Freight Cost Control Begins for 2026
Heading to TPM26 | December 2025 Edition
A Margin Environment That Demands Better Answers
Shippers are about to start 2026 with cost pressure that feels different from any recent year. Tariffs have increased from 2.4 % last year to more than 18 %, and US companies are absorbing nearly two-thirds of that impact. Finance teams are being asked for tighter forecasts while CEOs are implementing cost-cutting measures across their organizations.
This environment is one reason TPM26 is focusing so heavily on cost discipline. Companies need a clearer grasp of how costs appear across a shipment’s journey and how those figures translate into financial results. The priority is to gain that insight while keeping the supply chain stable.
The starting point is reliable freight cost data and this is where many shippers still struggle.
The Gap Between Logistics Activity and Financial Clarity
Despite significant investments in planning tools and dashboards, companies continue to report an underlying issue; financial reporting that relies on logistics data is often too slow or inaccurate enough to support confident forecasting.
Invoices arrive slowly. Discrepancies surface late. Detention and demurrage charges are difficult to predict. Surcharges change with little notice. Small “misbillings” accumulate across multiple containers and lanes and, when all of this happens at once, the true landed cost becomes unclear.
This data gap creates a second challenge. Finance teams are forced to make forecasts without the information they need, and logistics teams are held responsible for explaining variations they never saw coming. It is a cycle that becomes even more difficult in a high-tariff environment.
Alexandra Griffon, CEO at BlueCargo, explains it clearly.
“Companies do not fail because they lack effort or process. They struggle because the cost information they receive is not consistent, not granular, and not timely enough for sound financial decisions.”
Closing this gap is where meaningful cost control begins.
Cost Discipline Requires More Than Negotiating Power
For many shippers, rate negotiation is still the first lever they pull. When carriers compete for cargo or when overcapacity appears, it feels like the fastest path to savings.
The risk is that pricing alone rarely delivers the stability companies need to operate smoothly.
Shippers saw during the 2021 to 2022 congestion period that even well-priced contracts could not always secure vessel space when conditions shifted suddenly. Research from the FMC and multiple carrier advisories documented how weather events, network disruptions, and short-term imbalances caused rolled bookings across several major gateways. These examples highlight a simple point:
Rates matter, but they are only one element of cost stability. When disruptions occur, the total cost picture is shaped just as much by accessorials, timing issues, and downstream impacts as by the base rate itself.
This is why TPM 2026 focuses on “Taking Costs Out, Putting Value In”.
If a rate looks attractive on paper, it still depends on accurate, reliable financial reporting to understand its true impact. Without that foundation, the rate is merely a number, lacking significance in decision-making.
A Better Foundation for Landed Cost Visibility
Clear landed cost visibility provides the foundation for disciplined decision-making. When companies know the real cost per container, they can budget with confidence and evaluate performance with far greater accuracy.
BlueCargo strengthens cost visibility by linking operational events to financial figures in a structured and validated way. The platform provides a complete view of container-level costs and the details needed to calculate landed cost per unit or the true port-to-door cost. This gives finance teams a reliable picture of each shipment’s impact. It replaces estimates with verified costs and resolves discrepancies before they influence reporting.
This level of clarity also reveals savings opportunities that do not require aggressive rate strategies. Many unnecessary costs originate from billing inconsistencies, timing issues, or misalignments between contracts and shipment journeys.
One example comes from a major tire manufacturer whose Freight Payment Specialist often received invoices where multiple cost components were bundled into a single all-in figure. The total amount was correct, yet the invoice referenced the wrong contract number. That small mismatch made it unclear which fuel adjustment applied and whether the correct rules for detention or free time were being followed. Once the right contract was consistently applied, the company gained a clear view of its true container cost from port to door and eliminated a recurring pattern of avoidable variances.
Addressing issues like these protects margins without increasing operational risk.
For Shippers Preparing their 2026 Contract Season
Companies attending TPM26 to meet with contract partners are seeking cost savings that withstand market volatility. They want predictability in a year when tariffs, surcharges, and carrier behavior may shift with little notice. They want financial reporting that reflects what really happened, not what spreadsheets estimate. And they want a system that reduces surprises instead of creating new ones.
BlueCargo’s work is centered on providing that clarity. We help shippers replace uncertainty with verified cost information that aligns logistics operations and finance, speeds reconciliation, and creates a grounded basis for future decisions.
In a year defined by margin pressure, this foundation is one of the most valuable forms of cost control a company can have. It helps shippers reduce charges in a way that supports stability, and it helps finance plans with confidence rather than approximation.
Let’s Meet at TPM26
If improving cost discipline, strengthening your financial foundation, and building reliable landed cost visibility are priorities for 2026, let’s connect in Long Beach, March 1-4, 2026.
Secure your private meeting with the BlueCargo team.
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Sources of References:
Goldman Sachs:
1) https://am.gs.com/en-us/advisors/insights/article/market-know-how
2) https://investorsobserver.com/news/stock-update/goldman-u-s-companies-absorb-64-of-trump-tariff-costs/#:~:text=President Trump's tariff policy was,trade war earlier this year.
Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/how-united-states-is-eating-trumps-tariffs-2025-10-13/
Gartner:
1) CEO Survey and Performance Priorities, Earnings Call Transcript, Aug. 5, 2025.
2) https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom
JP Morgan Equity Research. Container Shipping Outlook: Overcapacity and Rate Compression, Aug. 11, 2025. https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/global-research/outlook/mid-year-outlook
World Trade Organization. Historical Tariff Benchmarks: https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/statis_e.htm
FMC. Tariff Schedules, 2024 to 2025.
Public Carrier Advisories
Maersk:
Hapag-Lloyd:
https://www.hapag-lloyd.com/en/news-insights.html
CMA CGM:
BlueCargo Internal Dataset
Audit accuracy benchmarks, landed cost reporting outputs, and financial optimization across 2024 and 2025.
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