Yes you can plan for it. Rule 1....Don't accept loads from the A-hole companies that don't even bother with us the rest of the year. How many Macys or Harry Davids or Smithsonian Store packages did you see BEFORE the last 10 days. Learn to say no FedEx.
Peak is always busy. FedEx failed this year because they didn't have a real plan. It's kind of like having a football team where your QB is home calling-in plays from the mansion, and all of the coaches are smoking crack.
IF they had hired temps, runners, and prepared for the worst case scenario, we would have been OK. UPS did this, and even though they had problems in DFW and some undelivered packages,
they handled it like professionals. Our "leaders" were too cheap to do it right, and look where it got them. I've been predicting this abortion for 2 months because I knew they were not being proactive. Sometimes you have to spend money to make it, or to do it right. Having a laser beam focus on cutting costs was extremely short-sighted. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch....I can hardly wait to hear the excuses.