Every year the major shipping carriers make adjustments to their rates. Here is an overview of the 2025 general rate increases across all major shipping carriers.
Included in this post are the following:
- The effective dates each carrier’s general rates begin.
- The average increases across all services
- A few highlights of high-impact changes
Please note these are general rates, your individual shipping mix and negotiated rates may vary.
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FedEx General Rate Increases
Effective: January 6, 2024
Average rate increase across all FedEx services: 5.9%:
Highlights:
- Ground residential surcharges increased 7.2%, air residential surcharge increased 6.5%. Fuel is always added onto this surcharge and changes weekly.
- Delivery Area surcharges increase on average 7.6%. Fuel is always added onto this surcharge and changes weekly.
- Additional handling surcharges increase on average 25%. Fuel is always added onto this surcharge and changes weekly.
Find all FedEx shipping rate information here.
UPS General Rate Increases
Effective: December 23, 2024
Average rate increase across some UPS services: 5.9%
Highlights:
- Ground residential surcharges increased 8.0%, air residential surcharge increased 5.6%. Fuel is always added onto this surcharge and changes weekly.
- Delivery Area surcharges average increase of 7.5%. Fuel is always added onto this surcharge and changes weekly.
Effective: January 13, 2025
- SurePost rates will increase an average of of 9.9%. Surepost Delivery Area Surcharge will increase 62%+.
Effective: January 27, 2025
- Average rate increase across large package UPS services: 26.5%
- Large Package Surcharge (LPS) will be determined using revised calculations based either on length, weight or cubic volume of shipments.
- Additional handling surcharges increases on average between 25% to 27%. Fuel is always added onto this surcharge and changes weekly.
- Additional Handling Charge (AHC): The length plus girth definition for AHC will be replaced by a cubic volume definition to determine applicability of AHC. Other factors currently used to determine AHC applicability remain unchanged.
Find all UPS package rates and updates here.
USPS General Rate Increases
Effective: January 19, 2025
Average rate increase across USPS services: various
Highlights:
- The price of a First-Class stamp will remain unchanged.
- Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express will go up 3.2%
- USPS Ground Advantage will increase 3.9%
- Parcel Select will increase 9.2%
See the full announcement of rate increases here.
DHL eCommerce & DHL Express General Rate Increases
DHL eCommerce
Effective: January 1, 2025
Average rate increase across DHL’s services: 4.9%
- Rate increase varies per customer. Average rate increase of 5.4%
- DHL is imposing Delivery Area Surcharge fees in 2025. These were never imposed before. These charges range from $.55 – $.80 per package
DHL Express
Effective: January 1, 2025
- The average rate increase across all DHL services: 5.9%
See the DHL Express general rate increase announcement here.
Ontrac General Rate Increases
Effective January 1, 2025
The average rate increase across all UPS services: 6.2%
- Residential surcharge increased 8%.
- Delivery Area surcharges average increase of 7.8%.
- Additional handling surcharge increases 45.5%
- Large package surcharge increases 36.8%.
Read the full announcement.
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Tags: Shipping carrier updates
