BACK TO ALL NEWS & INSIGHTSA few years ago, shippers asked whether they should use an alternative carrier at all. Most have moved past that question. Now they want to know how.
We saw that shift firsthand when Jitsu CEO Adam Bryant joined a panel on the alternative carrier landscape at Parcel Forum 2026. The most useful part came when shippers in the audience took the mic. Their questions were specific and practical, and focused on risk.
Part of what changed is the carriers themselves. Many regional carriers launched within the last decade and scaled fast during the pandemic, when demand outran capacity. When volumes normalized, some business models held up and some didn't. The carriers still standing have spent the years since competing hard on service, technology, and price. As Adam put it: "All of us on stage are competitors, but we make each other better." Shippers are the ones who benefit, and they're asking sharper questions as a result.
Here are three we hear most.
1. Only part of my volume fits an alternative. How do I start?
Start with the problem, not the carrier. Maybe it's cost. Maybe it's loss and damage, or delivery speed in a specific region. The problem you want to solve tells you which lanes to test.
From there, the process is simple:
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Share your shipment data (PLD) so the carrier can see what falls inside its footprint.
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Identify the volume the carrier serves best, by metro, zone, or package profile.
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Launch a pilot on that slice, with clear targets.
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Expand once the results hold.
You don't have to move everything to learn something. Most shippers who diversify keep their national carrier for part of the network. The goal is optionality.
2. When does an alternative carrier become mainstream?
There's no single coverage threshold that flips the switch. An alternative becomes mainstream when shippers trust it to perform like their primary carrier, and when their customers can't tell the difference.
In practice, that trust shows up in a few places:
- Consistency under pressure. Performance that holds during peak, not just in a slow month.
- Fit with existing systems. Integration with the WMS, TMS, marketplaces, and post-purchase tools shippers already run, so adding a carrier doesn't mean rebuilding the tech stack.
- Visibility. Tracking, proof of delivery, and reporting that match what shippers expect from a carrier.
- Predictable pricing. Clear rates and invoices without surprise fees.
Coverage still matters, but execution matters more. A carrier doesn't need to deliver everywhere to be mainstream for you. It needs to deliver reliably where your customers are.
That trust is earned lane by lane and package by package. Jitsu reaches 130M+ Americans across 35+ major U.S. metro markets, with 99%+ on-time delivery.
3. What happens if a national carrier goes on strike?
A strike at a national carrier is unlikely. And if one did happen, no single regional network could absorb that much volume overnight.
But a strike is only the most dramatic version of a broader risk. Severe weather, labor shortages, network changes, and peak-season capacity limits can all disrupt a single-carrier operation with little warning.
When disruption hits, timing is everything. Shippers with a second or third carrier already live can shift volume in days. Shippers starting from zero can spend weeks or longer onboarding, at the same moment every other shipper is trying to do the same thing. Capacity is much easier to secure as an existing customer than as a new one in a crunch.
Having levers in place looks like this:
- A second carrier integrated with your systems and post-purchase tracking
- Live volume flowing to it, even a small share, so you have real performance data
- A clear plan for which lanes or regions shift first
And a strike isn't the only reason to build that flexibility. Surcharges and annual rate increases are a quieter disruption, and a far more predictable one.
The takeaway
The conversation has moved from "should I" to "how do I." The shippers asking the best questions aren't looking to replace their network. Instead, they're building one with more than one way to deliver by diversifying their carrier mix and adding in alternatives.
Want to see which of your lanes fit? Start a conversation with us, and we'll show you where Jitsu can help.