The fine print
Privacy policy
Effective September 30, 2026 · Last updated September 30, 2026
The Shipper’s Almanac is a free library for shippers. You can read all of it without an account and without giving us anything. This policy explains the little we do collect, and why.
1. Who we are
The Shipper’s Almanac (theshippersalmanac.com) is published by Balawender & Associates LLC, Ohio, USA (“we,” “us”). Balawender & Associates LLC also operates Elite Logistics (elite-logistics.io), a shipper-side freight advisory. We are the party responsible for the information described here.
2. What we collect
Information you choose to send us. Only if you fill in a form:
| Form | Fields |
|---|---|
| The diagnostic | Name, role, company, email, phone; rough annual freight (optional). |
| Contact | Name, email, phone; a message (optional). |
| Mailing list (“One article a month”) | Email; first name (optional). |
Please do not send confidential or sensitive information (such as rates under NDA, payment data, or health information) through these forms.
Technical information. Like any website, our hosting provider processes standard request data (IP address, browser and device type, the page requested, referring page, and time) to deliver pages, keep the service secure, and diagnose errors. When you submit a form, our server briefly uses your IP address in memory to limit repeated submissions; we do not store it with your submission. Along with your entries we record which form you used and the page you sent it from.
3. How we use it
- To reply to you and to provide the diagnostic or conversation you asked for.
- To coordinate your request with the Balawender & Associates LLC team, including the editor and the advisors at Elite Logistics.
- To operate, secure, and improve the site, and to prevent spam and abuse.
- To comply with law and protect our rights.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
Mailing list. If you sign up for the mailing list, we use your email to send about one Almanac article a month, with no sales pitch. Filling in another form does not add you to the list. You can unsubscribe at any time by replying “unsubscribe” to any issue or by emailing luke@lukehoefs.tech, and we will remove you promptly.
5. Cookies, browser storage & analytics
No cookies, no ad trackers. We do not set cookies or use advertising pixels. Our fonts are served from our own domain, so reading a page does not call Google or another font service.
Analytics. We use Vercel Web Analytics, a cookieless service from our hosting provider, to count aggregate page views (for example, which pages are read, referring sites, and country, browser, or device type). It does not use cookies, does not build a profile of you, and does not follow you across other websites. Visitors are not identified individually.
The site keeps a few small notes in your browser’s own storage. They never leave your device and are not sent to us:
| Key | Purpose |
|---|---|
tsa_lever_views | Which Almanac entries you have opened on this device, so a one-time “worth a conversation” note appears only after a few. |
tsa_lever_cta_shown, tsa_lever_cta_dismissed | Remember that the note was shown or closed, so it does not come back. |
tsa_review (session only) | Editorial review mode for our editors; not used for regular visitors. |
You can clear these at any time in your browser settings. Because we do not track you across sites, we treat browser signals such as Global Privacy Control as a request not to sell or share, which we already honor.
6. How long we keep it
We keep mailing-list sign-ups until you unsubscribe. We keep form submissions for as long as needed to respond, to carry on any conversation or engagement you start, and to keep reasonable business records. After that we delete them or keep them only in de-identified form. You can ask us to delete your information sooner (see below). Hosting logs are kept by Vercel for a limited period under its own policies.
7. U.S. state privacy rights
Depending on where you live (for example California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Oregon, and other states with consumer privacy laws), you may have the right to:
- know what personal information we hold about you and receive a copy;
- correct inaccurate information;
- delete your information;
- opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information, or targeted advertising (we do none of these);
- not be discriminated against for exercising your rights; and
- appeal our decision on your request.
California notice. In the past 12 months we have collected identifiers and professional information (name, email, phone, company, role) that you provide through our forms, and internet activity data processed by our host. We use it for the purposes in section 3 and disclose it only to the service providers in section 4. We do not sell or share it and do not use sensitive personal information.
To make a request, email luke@lukehoefs.tech. We will verify your request using the contact details you gave us and respond within the time required by law. You may use an authorized agent; we may ask for proof of their authority.
8. Visitors in the EU / UK
If the GDPR or UK GDPR applies to you, Balawender & Associates LLC is the controller. We process form information to take steps at your request before a possible engagement and for our legitimate interest in responding to inquiries; technical data is processed for our legitimate interest in running a secure website. You may request access, correction, deletion, restriction, or portability of your data, object to processing, and complain to your local data protection authority. Information is processed in the United States; where required, our providers rely on recognized transfer mechanisms.
9. Children
The site is written for working professionals and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has sent us information, contact us and we will delete it.
10. Security
The site is served over HTTPS, forms are delivered server-side, and access to submissions is limited to the people who need them. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the site changes. We will post the new version here and update the date at the top. Material changes will be noted on this page.
12. Contact
Questions or requests: luke@lukehoefs.tech, or use the contact form. Balawender & Associates LLC, Ohio, USA.