The global trade landscape remains volatile, and cross-border logistics is undergoing structural changes. According to the latest industry report, affected by multiple factors including tariff adjustments, stricter customs enforcement and tight transport capacity, the scale of international freight rerouting surged by more than 2,400% year-on-year in 2025. This shift is no longer a short-term shock, but is becoming the new normal for the operation of cross-border supply chains.
According to Business Wire, the 2025 International Shipping Trends Report released by industry data platform ePost Global reveals that the global shipping system underwent a notable restructuring over the past year amid overlapping mounting pressures. From the start to the end of the year, the number of cross-border freight reroutes kept rising, reflecting that enterprises are constantly adjusting logistics routes in a highly uncertain environment to maintain transportation stability.
Data shows that from January to July 2025, an average of about 327 parcels were rerouted globally each month. However, starting in August, driven by tariff policy changes, stricter customs enforcement and labor issues at Canada Post, the monthly reroute figure soared rapidly to 3,767. It continued climbing afterwards and reached 8,366 by December. This trend indicates that freight rerouting is no longer an occasional incident but has become a regular option in enterprises’ daily operations.
The company’s latest annual shipping report is based on 23.3 million freight records from more than 100 carrier partners in 2025, offering an in-depth analysis of how these pressures manifest across different markets and shipping routes.
Kelly Martinez, Co‑Founder and Co‑President of ePost Global, pointed out that unlike in the past, the current market environment fails to stabilize after external shocks. “Previously, the market would gradually recover after a single round of adjustments. Now, policies keep changing, transport capacity remains tight, while delivery standards stay unchanged, leaving enterprises with almost no buffer room.”
Fundamentally, there are three core drivers behind the sharp surge in freight rerouting. First, persistent uncertainty over trade policies, with frequent tariff adjustments especially in the second half of 2025. Second, constrained global carrier capacity and a long-standing shortage of shipping space. Third, rising customer demands for delivery lead times, forcing enterprises to maintain service quality amid a complex operating environment.
Against this backdrop, performance gaps among carriers have widened significantly. The report shows that the service level gap between top-performing and underperforming carriers reaches as high as 96 percentage points. For enterprises relying on a single carrier, such discrepancies translate into substantial operational risks. They often lack viable alternatives once service disruptions or delays occur.
By contrast, businesses with a multi-carrier network demonstrate far stronger resilience. Data indicates that such enterprises can reallocate up to 30% of their freight volume within 48 hours, enabling them to respond swiftly to sudden disruptions and sustain overall transportation stability. In comparison, the single-carrier model is often constrained by contractual terms and resource limitations, resulting in noticeably weaker adjustment flexibility.
Beyond capacity constraints, customs clearance has become a pivotal factor affecting cross-border delivery success rates. The report points out that in high-risk markets, goods shipped under DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) enjoy over 30 times higher chances of smooth customs clearance and successful delivery than those under DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid). In other words, completing tariff and document procedures in advance has become a critical way to improve fulfillment capabilities.
Regional market performance also varies markedly. Countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia record higher delivery success rates thanks to sound logistics infrastructure and stable policy environments. This trend reminds enterprises to prioritize actual fulfillment performance rather than merely market size when formulating global expansion strategies.
In addition, growing complexity in product categories has further increased cross-border shipping challenges. Statistics show that electronics, luxury goods, and food & beverages together account for nearly one-third of total cross-border trade value, yet they incur far higher costs and consume more customs resources with stricter compliance scrutiny than other categories. As regulations tighten, these product lines require higher accuracy in HS codes, declared values and origin information; even minor discrepancies may lead to delivery delays and extra expenses.
The report further notes that volatility in the global shipping system has shifted from cyclical to structural. In the past, drastic spikes in freight rerouting mainly occurred during exceptional events such as hurricanes, labor strikes and peak shipping seasons. Today, however, high volatility is becoming normalized and shows a continuing upward trend.
In terms of coping strategies, the report identifies four core capabilities: multi-category consolidation, multi-carrier collaboration, DDP pre-clearance, and professional compliance management. The integration of these capabilities determines whether an enterprise operates as a risk-resilient player or a vulnerable one highly susceptible to external shocks.
Specifically, a multi-carrier network effectively diversifies risks and avoids single-point failures. The DDP model improves overall fulfillment rates by frontloading customs clearance procedures. Building a dedicated compliance system for complex product categories also helps enterprises establish competitive barriers in high-threshold markets.
The report also emphasizes that enterprises should shift away from the traditional cost-oriented decision-making mindset toward a focus on customer experience and long-term value. Although the DDP model increases upfront costs, it substantially boosts delivery reliability and customer satisfaction, thereby driving higher customer lifetime value.
Looking ahead, ePost Global believes the cross-border logistics industry has entered an era of normalized high volatility. Enterprises still relying on a single carrier and lacking flexible scheduling capabilities will gradually lose competitive edges. In contrast, those that proactively build diversified service networks, strengthen data monitoring and upgrade compliance capabilities will gain greater initiative amid uncertainties.
Overall, 2025 data clearly reveals that global supply chains are undergoing profound restructuring. The surge in freight rerouting is only a superficial phenomenon, reflecting a realignment of trade rules, logistics capacity and customer demand. For freight forwarders and cross-border e-commerce enterprises, adapting to this shift and enhancing operational resilience has become an urgent priority.
