Earlier this week, FedEx’s website announced a new set of shipping “Peak Surcharges” that will begin Monday, June 8 aimed to offset increased operating costs incurred from a surge in residential deliveries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The temporary surcharges include a 40 cent fee per package for the FedEx SmartPost packages; $30 per package for Oversize US domestic FedEx Express and FedEx Ground packages; and 30 cents per package for US domestic residential FedEx Express and FedEx Ground packages. Each surcharge will be effective until further notice.
“As the impact of the virus continues to generate a surge in residential deliveries and has also generated a surge in oversize, hard-to-handle packages, we have experienced increased operating costs across our network,” FedEx said.
United Parcel Service did essentially the same thing on May 31, enacting a surcharge that began for high-volume shippers like Amazon, Walmart and Target and those that ship oversized items.
FedEx noted that it not apply residential surcharges during the holiday season.
