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This article was contributed by Tusk Logistics, a trusted ProShip carrier partner

Parcel shipping has shifted from complicated to unforgiving. Retailers are balancing higher costs, tighter delivery windows, and customers who expect consistent performance across every channel and fulfillment path. At the same time, carrier networks are becoming more fragmented. National carriers still play a central role, but now they operate alongside a growing mix of regional and last-mile options that are reshaping how delivery networks are built and managed.

In 2026, more retailers will formalize what many have already started experimenting with: building a structured approach to alternative carriers, supported by multi-carrier shipping technology that makes those networks manageable at scale.

The Cost and Service Equation Has Changed

For a long time, shipping decisions were framed as a tradeoff between cost and reliability. That assumption is becoming less accurate.

In many dense markets, alternative carriers are delivering competitive ground transit times at a lower cost, without the variability that has become common in national networks. As a result, retailers are paying closer attention to where alternative carriers can fit into their delivery mix. Interest is high, but adoption is uneven.

According to Tusk Logistics’ 2025 Alternative Carrier Benchmark Report, 90% of shippers are aware of alternative carriers and more than 60% have tested at least one. Despite that, only 12% use an alternative carrier as part of their primary carrier mix. That gap points to operational constraints rather than lack of demand.

Why Alternative Carrier Efforts Often Stall

Most retailers don’t struggle to identify alternative carriers. The challenge comes when they try to scale beyond a limited test with them.

Adding carriers introduces real operational complexity, including:

• Different service definitions and cutoff times
• Different labeling and compliance requirements
• Separate tracking and claims workflows

Without a centralized way to manage those differences, teams often fall back on manual processes that simply don’t scale as volume grows.

The data reflects this reality. Seventy-six percent of shippers cited trust as the biggest barrier to adopting alternative carriers, followed by coverage concerns (39%) and integration complexity (31%). The issue isn’t whether alternative carriers can perform, it’s whether retailers feel confident utilizing them day to day.

What an Alternative Carrier Stack Looks Like in Practice

Retailers that are making meaningful progress with alternative carriers tend to build an operational stack designed for more than just adding labels. In practice, this stack focuses on three core components:

1. Carrier access: Leveraging multiple alternative carriers across regions, service levels, and delivery models rather than relying on a single provider. The goal is to expand coverage resilience and cost flexibility rather than simply swapping one national carrier for another. Tusk Logistics, a national network of top-tier regional parcel carriers, helps simplify this step by consolidating carriers into a single, unified network connection.
2. Centralized execution: Managing rating, routing, labeling, tendering, tracking, and claims through a single, unified multi-carrier shipping software platform. This eliminates the need to juggle multiple carrier portals, APIs, and compliance requirements. A fully centralized execution layer also handles complex carrier-specific workflows automatically. ProShip’s leading MCSS serves as this layer, allowing retailers to onboard, test, and scale alternative carriers without rebuilding processes each time a new carrier is added.
3. Performance visibility: Measuring on-time delivery, exceptions, and claims in a consistent way across all carriers. Teams that succeed with alternative carriers don’t rely solely on carrier-reported performance; they use normalized data to make carrier comparisons. This enables shippers to identify service gaps, adjust routing decisions, and renegotiate contracts based on real results.

When combined, these three components create an environment where alternative carriers can be added, evaluated, and scaled without slowing operations.

Where Execution Breaks Down Without the Right Platform

For many retailers, the limiting factor is execution. As more carriers are added, decisioning logic, service selection, compliance requirements, and exception handling all become harder to manage consistently. Without a centralized execution layer, teams are often faced with manual workarounds or one-off configurations that don’t scale.

This is where multi-carrier shipping software (MCSS) platforms play a critical role. They provide the orchestration layer required to operationalize alternative carriers without introducing unnecessary risk to daily operations or customer experience. In practice, this means carriers can be added, evaluated, and adjusted without rebuilding processes every time the network changes. ProShip’s MCSS platform is specifically designed to support this type of carrier‑agnostic orchestration, enabling shippers to adopt networks like Tusk Logistics with far less operational friction.

The Role of Multi-Carrier Technology

As carrier networks diversify, execution consistency becomes more important. A unified multi-carrier platform like ProShip gives retailers the foundation needed to operationalize new carriers without the added risk or manual work.

A strong MCSS platform allows teams to:

• Standardize business rules across carriers, ensuring consistent routing and preventing service-level inconsistencies.
• Compare cost and service performance accurately, making it possible to optimize lanes based on real data rather than assumptions.
• Maintain consistent tracking and claims workflows, reducing the risk of negative customer experiences as more carriers enter the mix.

This aligns closely with what shippers say they need. Nearly 9 in 10 respondents reported that a centralized platform for tracking, claims, and rates would make them more likely to adopt alternative carriers. In short, an advanced MCSS platform closes the operational gap that currently holds many retailers back. ProShip is built to solve these exact challenges, while Tusk provides access to a growing network of high-performance regional carriers. Together, they enable a scalable alternative carrier strategy.

Why Timing Matters in 2026

Market dynamics are reinforcing the shift towards diversification. Data from The Colography Group shows that alternative carriers are growing at a +34.5% three-year CAGR, while the Big Three declined over the same period. Much of this growth is concentrated in high-density markets and peak-sensitive lanes, where flexibility and cost control matter most. This is because national networks have struggled with congestion, variability, and rising surcharges in these same regions.

Cost pressure continues to be a major driver. When asked hypothetically, 65% of shippers said they would fully commit to an alternative carrier strategy if it reduced parcel costs by 30%, with another 31% saying they would consider it.

Interest is not the barrier. Retailers want to diversify. However, the real question is whether they feel operationally prepared to manage multiple carriers with confidence. For many, 2026 represents a turning point, where diversification becomes less of a strategic option and more of a competitive requirement.

What Retailers Should Prioritize

As retailers plan their carrier strategies for 2026, a few practical focus areas stand out:

• Evaluate performance at the lane level, not just by carrier. Alternative carriers often outperform in dense markets, but not necessarily across entire networks.
• Strengthen execution processes before expanding volume. Compliance, tracking consistency, routing logic, and exception handling must be reliable before scaling alternative carrier volume.
• Treat alternative carriers as a coordinated portfolio rather than one-off tests. Clear rules for when each carrier should be used enable more stable diversification.
• Build a feedback loop across data, routing, and customer experience teams. Carrier performance will fluctuate, but the ability to adjust routing based on real outcomes is what makes diversification sustainable long-term.

These steps help reduce risk and make diversification more feasible and sustainable.

The Road Ahead for Retailers

Alternative carriers are becoming a more permanent part of parcel strategies. In 2026, retailers should focus on combining carrier diversity with reliable execution and clear performance visibility. With the right infrastructure in place, alternative carriers become easier to manage, easier to trust, and easier to scale. The ProShip and Tusk Logistics partnership helps retailers take this next step by pairing advanced multi-carrier shipping technology with seamless access to an expanding regional carrier network.

Looking to expand your alternative carrier strategy? Tusk Logistics connects shippers to a nationwide network of alternative carriers, with performance visibility that helps teams manage and scale those networks with confidence.

About Tusk Logistics

Tusk Logistics is a national network of the best regional parcel carriers that puts Shippers first, with lower costs, reliable service and proactive support. We save Shippers 40% or more on every parcel that we earn. Tusk's technology connects your parcel operation to a national network of vetted regional carriers, all with pre-negotiated rates and reliable, predictable service. Integrating to your existing software takes minutes, and Tusk has your back with proactive shipper support on each parcel, in real time. Visit www.tusklogistics.com to learn more.