For those of you who love online shopping, you’re probably already familiar with the term “overload,” right? Especially during certain times, like holidays or the end of the year. “Overload” applies specifically to the context of package delivery through shipping services—not in other general contexts.
The term “overload,” when translated into Indonesian, can actually be interpreted as “excess cargo,” which has a broad meaning.
What “Overload” Means in Shipping
“Overload” means exceeding capacity. In the context of shipping, this means there are too many packages being sent—beyond the shipping service’s capacity.
Let’s take a simple example. For instance:
A shipping service can handle up to 2,000 packages per day. Then, one day, the number of incoming packages exceeds 2,000—say, up to 4,000 packages.
In that case, the shipping service will certainly be overwhelmed trying to process 2,000 packages, because this number exceeds its capacity—which is usually only 1,000 packages per day. This condition is called an overload.
When and Why Does Overload Occur?
Overload usually occurs during holidays or at the end of the year. During these times, the number of shipments increases significantly. However, this doesn’t rule out the possibility that overload can also occur on regular days.
For example, when an online marketplace runs a number of attractive promotions, such as massive discounts and so on. This attracts customers and increases the volume of shipments, leading to a backlog.
Effects of Delivery Overload
Usually, when a shipping service is overloaded, almost all packages will experience slight delays.
For example, you usually send or receive items within 1–3 days. However, during an overload, delivery times can extend to a week or even longer.
Solutions for Shipping Overload
For those of us who shop or sell online, we naturally want our packages to arrive quickly. However, due to the backlogs experienced by shipping services, there isn’t much we can do right now other than be patient and wait. That said, there are a few tips that can help you cope with shipping delays. Try the following:
Recipients: Shop Online Well in Advance
Here, we’re assuming you’re the recipient of a package from an online marketplace or shopping app. To ensure your package arrives faster, shop well in advance. For example, shop before the holidays or well before the end of the year.
Let’s say you shop 10 days earlier after assessing the likely delivery timeframe. This way, you can avoid the shipping backlog.
Sender: Use the fastest shipping service
When sending a package, you’ll find several delivery time options. Assuming you’re acting as a forwarder here, it’s recommended to use the fastest shipping service.
For example, a forwarder offers two types of services:
Package delivery with an estimated delivery time of 1–3 days.
Package delivery with an estimated arrival time of tomorrow.
So opt for the second service option—delivery by tomorrow. That way, our package can receive priority handling.
Recipient: Pick up the package yourself
It’s very important to always check the tracking number so we can find out where the package is right now.
Well, to speed things up, once we know the package has arrived in the destination city, it’s best to pick it up in person right away.
This is because the courier might have a lot of packages to deliver, so delivering it to the specific address could take longer.
Therefore, it’s much faster to go directly to the office to pick up the package.
Sender and recipient: contact the sender
If you’re waiting for a package but the delivery process is taking longer than expected, try contacting the shipping service.
This way, the shipping company will contact the relevant department to obtain additional information, which will be sent to you later. There are already many official shipping company accounts on social media.
That concludes the information regarding “overload,” which refers to excess cargo—and the resulting impacts and solutions for you as both a recipient and a sender of packages or goods.