In 2026, doubling down on resilience will be the focus for many inland logistics strategies. But how, exactly?

According to Maersk’s Global Head of Business Resilience and Consulting, Zera Zheng, speed, collaboration and planning all play a role. In her words, “the first mover that secures the scarce element” is best placed to handle what James Hookham, Director of the Global Shippers Forum, calls “compound disruption”. For inland logistics, this comes from having plenty of choices at your disposal. Whether it’s across modes, routes, or schedules, the more options you have, the faster you can pivot.

Here, we’ll look at how you can build a 2026 resilience plan, focusing on strategic inland moves along with the Maersk Inland resilience advantage.

Three inland moves every 2026 resilience plan needs

If the events of the past year – and the regulatory changes coming into effect next year – are anything to go by, we’re likely to see more compound disruption in 2026. To prevent this from impacting your bottom line, you need to be able to pivot your inland logistics rapidly.

Here are three strategic moves that can help you do just that.

1. Get early insight into world events that might impact your supply chain
   In July 2025, heatwaves led to low water levels on some of Europe’s biggest rivers, including the Rhine and the Danube. This meant barges could not operate fully loaded, with shipments delayed and surcharges imposed.
   In instances like this, the “scarce element” refers to the space, labour, or capacity that shrinks on inland modes and routes when these shocks occur. From rail schedules to road restrictions to barge availability, it’s vital to capture these updates as soon as possible – so that you can adjust inland legs before bottlenecks compound and costs escalate.
2. Start scenario planning and implement always-on reroute rules
   The better you can stress-test your inland network, the better your response can be when disruption hits. Pre-approved and planned emergency reroutes are far more efficient than firefighting on the spot.
   Scenario planning through digital twins can help you explore different “what-ifs”, including the trade-offs between varying routes, times, and modes – so you know exactly what reroute to take depending on the nature of the disruption.
3. Consolidate your partner ecosystem
   Trying to coordinate a fragmented partner ecosystem becomes chaotic when a disruption strikes, and it can even turn into a messy finger-pointing exercise when pick-up slots are missed, and contract agreements infringed.
   By bundling road, rail, and barge transportation under one partner, the response to a disruption will be smoother and more cohesive, with fewer handoffs, clearer accountability, and often priority access to spare capacity.

Each of these strategic moves performs a different function within your inland logistics plan. Establishing an alert mechanism gives you early warning; scenario planning gives you pre-tested responses; consolidation gives you simplified execution. Together, they form a cohesive playbook that helps you turn inland logistics into a strategic lever for resilience.

The Maersk Inland resilience advantage

Maersk has spent decades building its inland network, assets, and expertise. When partnering with us, you benefit from key differentiators that can help you meet your resilience goals for 2026.

Flexible, adaptable inland services: Maersk Inland coordinates port-to-destination transport across rail, truck, and barge as part of a single, integrated plan. This agility allows rapid rerouting and mode changes in response to market shifts or disruption, without compromising delivery reliability.

Network scale: With approximately 130 barge and 440 rail services per week, Maersk connects major ports to inland terminals across Europe, ensuring dependable access and frequent departures for domestic and intra-regional deliveries. This breadth of coverage provides consistent, predictable transport options during both stable and peak demand periods.

Global reach, local knowledge: One way to move faster than the competition is to get live information from boots on the ground. With Maersk ground teams and owned assets in every corner of the globe, we can report signs of disruption ahead of time and enable you to act faster than competitors who simply rely on the news.

Maersk Inland can be a strategic accelerator within your 2026 supply chain resilience strategy. By integrating our inland services into your wider logistics plan, you gain more dependable inland connections that minimise the impact of disruptions, optimised routing and mode selection that reduce costs and transit times, and better end-to-end visibility from port to final delivery point.

With Maersk Inland, resilience isn’t just a defence against disruption — it’s a springboard for growth. With the right strategic focus, you can make 2026 the year you move first, flexibly, and faster.

Want to stress-test your inland logistics resilience plan? Book a 30-minute meeting with our inland experts.

Or if you’d prefer to find out more about Maersk Inland services, head here.