FedEx is introducing, but not widely advertising, a series of new charges and fees over the next two weeks that could catch customers by surprise, building on a recent pricing strategy aimed at boosting revenue without touching base rates that shippers tend to focus on.
Over an 18-month span, FedEx (NASDAQ: FDX) has implemented or announced more than 50 pricing changes, according to parcel spend management firm LJM. On top of three general rate increases have been fuel surcharge adjustments, five changes to One Rate (a flat-rate, upfront shipping program designed to provide simplicity and predictability), delivery area surcharge updates, customs-related fees, dimensional pricing changes, peak surcharges and demand surcharges.
The surcharges are typically less visible to freight owners than base rates and can have a large impact on transportation budgets.
Shippers have experienced a significant increase in fuel surcharges from FedEx, UPS and even the U.S. Postal Service as the Iran war limited crude oil supplies, pushing up the cost of diesel and jet fuel used to power their fleets, as the TD Cowen/AFS Logistics Freight Index quantified last week. Fuel surcharges in the second quarter were two-thirds higher than the prior year. Overall, the express parcel rate per package increased 5.9% in the second quarter, while the ground parcel rate per package grew 5.2%.
"The biggest takeaway is not just that FedEx is raising rates on a continual basis, but how those increases have been distributed. Many shippers now see accessorial charges in the high-30% to low-40% range as a share of spend, with some exceeding 50%, LJM said in an article on its website. The constant micro-adjustments mean businesses should review their contracts more than once a year, it added.
#shippers
Over an 18-month span, FedEx (NASDAQ: FDX) has implemented or announced more than 50 pricing changes, according to parcel spend management firm LJM. On top of three general rate increases have been fuel surcharge adjustments, five changes to One Rate (a flat-rate, upfront shipping program designed to provide simplicity and predictability), delivery area surcharge updates, customs-related fees, dimensional pricing changes, peak surcharges and demand surcharges.
The surcharges are typically less visible to freight owners than base rates and can have a large impact on transportation budgets.
Shippers have experienced a significant increase in fuel surcharges from FedEx, UPS and even the U.S. Postal Service as the Iran war limited crude oil supplies, pushing up the cost of diesel and jet fuel used to power their fleets, as the TD Cowen/AFS Logistics Freight Index quantified last week. Fuel surcharges in the second quarter were two-thirds higher than the prior year. Overall, the express parcel rate per package increased 5.9% in the second quarter, while the ground parcel rate per package grew 5.2%.
"The biggest takeaway is not just that FedEx is raising rates on a continual basis, but how those increases have been distributed. Many shippers now see accessorial charges in the high-30% to low-40% range as a share of spend, with some exceeding 50%, LJM said in an article on its website. The constant micro-adjustments mean businesses should review their contracts more than once a year, it added.
#shippers
2 months ago
