---
title: "Rising freight rates: locking space or rolling the dice? — LiangduSyrup"
url: "https://liangdusyrup.com/forum/rising-freight-rates-locking-space-or-rolling-the-dice/"
date: 2026-08-21
---

# Rising freight rates: locking space or rolling the dice?

Freight keeps moving against buyers. 📈 For a food importer, a 15-day delay on a short-shelf product is a total loss, not just a cost.

Our approach: lock core lanes on fixed bookings for 8-12 weeks and keep 20% of volume on spot for opportunism. What does your forwarder recommend — and what has actually protected your margin?

![freight booking](https://liangdusyrup.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/chinafood-inline2-103.jpg)

StrategyProConFixedStable costMisses dipsMonthly tenderBalancedAdmin timeSpotLowest sometimesSpace riskShare your booking playbook below. 🚢