On Wednesday, April 5th, FedEx announced that they will be consolidating all their opcos (FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Services, etc.) under the parent’s leadership umbre...
Continue ReadingApr 10
2023
Dec 05
2022
2023 UPS and FedEx Rate Increase
Posted: Dec 05, 2022
UPS and FedEx are increasing rates by 6.9% for 2023. For FedEx, this is the biggest year-over-year increase in its history! UPS hasn’t increased its rates this much in over a decade! That's why we keep ending sentences with exclamation points! Looking for the General Rate Increase Report? ...
Continue ReadingOct 26
2022
2022 - 2023 UPS & FedEx Peak Season Surcharges
Posted: Oct 26, 2022
Every year there’s a spike in residential deliveries during the holidays. As a result, the carriers make adjustments to their networks. And to ensure they’re as profitable as ever, both UPS and FedEx implement “Peak” surcharges. That means it’s going to cost you a whole lot more to ship packages through the holidays. Even the U.S. Postal Service has announced proposed temporary "rate ...
Continue ReadingJul 25
2022
Regional Carriers
Posted: Jul 25, 2022
Using regional carriers can be an effective strategy to offset your UPS, FedEx and DHL costs and fill some of the gaps in your shipping network. If you need help in determining whether or not a regional carrier would benefit your business, ...
Continue ReadingJun 14
2022
UPS Quantum View: When You See It Keep So Much of Your Money...
Posted: Jun 14, 2022
UPS Quantum View Keeps Your Money UPS is now the world’s largest transportation company. According to this Forbes article...
Continue ReadingMar 10
2022
FedEx International Services Peak Surcharge Update
Posted: Mar 10, 2022
FedEx has updated its peak surcharges. Again. This time it’s for international services. If you’re looking for the surcharge details, ...
Continue ReadingFeb 08
2022
UPS Service Guarantee: An Expert Reveals Insider Tips
Posted: Feb 08, 2022
UPS Service Guarantee: What You Need to Know There are some important things to know about a UPS service guarantee. Editor's note: this post was originally published on March 5, 2019. It's been updated with new content and links. When you ship a package with UPS in any way, they offer a ...
Continue ReadingDec 06
2021
UPS & FedEx Take a Hardline Stance With Their Customers
Posted: Dec 06, 2021
UPS and FedEx have always been willing to meet their customers’ expectations - or at a minimum - they’ve always been willing to hear them out and address certain customer requests for discounts or better rates as a means to maintain a solid client-vendor relationship. But the dynamic between carriers and shippers has changed drasticall...
Continue ReadingNov 23
2021
UPS Next Day Air Residential Delivery Commitment Time Change
Posted: Nov 23, 2021
Businesses that rely on UPS and/or FedEx have ridden a roller coaster of change over the past 18+ months. In that time, both carriers waived their service guarantees...
Continue ReadingNov 04
2021
UPS Sets Record Profits for a Year...in 9 Months
Posted: Nov 04, 2021
UPS recently announced they had their most profitable year ever - and there’s still a quarter of the year remaining! In just 9 months, “UPS has generated more operating profit than any full year in our history,” according to UPS CEO Carol Tome. Let that sink in the next time you’re paying your UPS invoices. ...
Continue ReadingOct 11
2021
FedEx Labor Shortages Cause For Concern
Posted: Oct 11, 2021
In a recent post from Business Insider, FedEx said that it’s rerouting more than 600,000 business packages every single day. ...
Continue ReadingSep 17
2021
FedEx 6% Late Payment Fee
Posted: Sep 17, 2021
In June 2021, FedEx implemented a new late payment fee of 6% for all U.S. FedEx Express and FedEx Ground customers who don’t pay their invoice within their agreement’s stated payment terms (which has historically been 14 days). So, any Express or Ground customer that is past due on a payment will be cha...
Continue ReadingSep 09
2021
What's The Problem with UPS Contract Optimization & Negotiation Right Now?
Posted: Sep 09, 2021
Recently, UPS has taken a hardline position on contract optimization and negotiation. We’ve heard about shippers going to UPS to negotiate their contracts and UPS taking a hard stance on not negotiating. ...
Continue ReadingSep 08
2021
Billed Weight, Actual Weight, and Dimensional Weight: What's the Difference?
Posted: Sep 08, 2021
What’s the difference between actual weight, dimensional weight, and billed weight? It seems like a simple question, but the details can have a real impact on your shipping costs. What is Actual Weight? ...
Continue ReadingSep 07
2021
Ready to Take Control of Your Controllable Shipping Fees?
Posted: Sep 07, 2021
What are controllable shipping fees? Fees in the small parcel industry are often referred to as accessorial fees....
Continue ReadingSep 05
2021
Why Analytics Matter for Improving Parcel Rates
Posted: Sep 05, 2021
Today we are talking about improving parcel rates and why analytics matter for shippers. More specifically, why analytics are so important for allowing shippers to improve their parcel rates. One of the most effec...
Continue ReadingJul 01
2021
Win a Free Month of UPS/FedEx Shipping For Your Business Plus $500 For Yourself
Posted: Jul 01, 2021
Everyone who creates a new Lojistic account by July 31, 2021 automatically has a chance to win a free month of UPS/FedEx shipping for their business and $500 for themself....
Continue ReadingMay 26
2021
FedEx Announces A New Peak Surcharge Increase
Posted: May 26, 2021
A number of FedEx's services will be impacted by their most recent surcharge announcement. Effective June 21, 2021 – Peak Surcharges will increase and for some shippers, the increase will be stark. See below for peak surcharge increase details. ...
Continue ReadingApr 07
2021
FedEx Reinstates Limited Money Back Guarantees for Express Services
Posted: Apr 07, 2021
FedEx announced a limited reinstatement of its Money Back Guarantee effective April 6, 2021. This comes days after UPS’s limited delivery guarantee reinstatement that went into effect April 5, 2021. The timing isn’t the only sim...
Continue ReadingApr 07
2021
UPS Reinstates Limited Service Guarantees for Next Day Air and Worldwide Express Services
Posted: Apr 07, 2021
UPS just announced its plan for a (limited) reinstatement of service guarantees effective April 5, 2021. Although it’s a step in the right direction, don’t cheer just yet. According to the fine print, this ‘reinstatement’ is only applicable to UPS Next Day Air and UPS Worldwide Express services, and it comes with extended delivery times. UPS Service...
Continue ReadingApr 01
2021
FedEx Rebrands SmartPost to Ground Economy
Posted: Apr 01, 2021
FedEx SmartPost has been rebranded as FedEx Ground Economy. There’s more to this rebranding effort than just a simple name change. The naming evolution also means that FedEx will no longer use the US Postal Service (USPS) to fulfill its last mile delivery volume, in most cases. By making this change, FedEx is replicating the model that UPS currently uses with its ...
Continue ReadingMar 08
2021
Negotiation Tips: When Should You Renegotiate Your Shipping Contract?
Posted: Mar 08, 2021
Lots of shippers would benefit from some negotiation tips for getting better UPS and FedEx contracts. We've helped countless companies optimize contracts and negotiate better rates with UPS and FedEx. One of the m...
Continue ReadingFeb 15
2021
Why is the Lojistic Refund Recovery Process Unique?
Posted: Feb 15, 2021
Lojistic helps companies track, manage and reduce their shipping costs, and an important part of that is the Lojistic refund recovery process. The Lojistic Refund Recovery Process At Lojistic, our client ...
Continue ReadingFeb 08
2021
What Shippers Should Know About Refund Recovery
Posted: Feb 08, 2021
Refund recovery is an extremely important topic for shippers. What is Refund Recovery? Refund recovery involves reaching out to the carriers to request money back for any carrier invoice errors discovered...
Continue ReadingFeb 03
2021
Shippers Use The Air vs Ground Dashboard To Reduce Costs
Posted: Feb 03, 2021
UPS and FedEx have made it increasingly expensive to get your packages to your customers quickly. So, how do you strike the perfect balance of cost-effectiveness and fast delivery? Often, shippers make transpor...
Continue ReadingFeb 01
2021
What You Need To Know About The FedEx Weekend Advantage
Posted: Feb 01, 2021
FedEx has been making some significant investments into its infrastructure. Today we'll examine how those investments will (or won't) create a “FedEx weekend advantage” over the competition. What is the FedEx...
Continue ReadingJan 25
2021
Why It's Time For Reevaluating Sourcing Options and Operations
Posted: Jan 25, 2021
Reevaluating sourcing options is an important topic today. Many shippers who have come to rely on UPS and FedEx are feeling a bit handcuffed. The carrier networks are completely overwhelmed right now because of th...
Continue ReadingJan 18
2021
What are the Benefits of Using Regional Carriers and Couriers?
Posted: Jan 18, 2021
Many shippers think that they have to rely on one or both of the big two carriers, UPS or FedEx, but there are other regional carriers and courier options available. Benefits of Contracting with Regional Carriers...
Continue ReadingJan 07
2021
D.I.Y. UPS & FedEx Refund Recovery Guide
Posted: Jan 07, 2021
“Transparency” and “carrier pricing.” Two terms you’ll likely never see used together in the same sentence. It’s no secret that UPS and FedEx mystify their pricing: invalid charges, hidden fees, buried costs, rate increases, inconsistent pricing and dozens of “negotiables” within every carrier agreement mean that most shippers operate in the dark. In no other industry is ...
Continue ReadingDec 28
2020
Should You Commit To An Agreement with Early Term Language?
Posted: Dec 28, 2020
It’s important for shippers to understand early term language and how it works in our industry. What is Early Term Language? Early term language is a contractual language that the carriers include in th...
Continue ReadingDec 17
2020
Controlling Shipping Expenses in a Carrier’s Market
Posted: Dec 17, 2020
If your business relies on UPS & FedEx, chances are your ‘spidey’ senses are tingling. With demand (packages needing to be shipped) far exceeding supply (UPS’s and FedEx’s ability to deliver packages while honoring service guarantees), limited options, and a lack of competition, the small parcel industry is in the throes of a carrier’s market. With ...
Continue ReadingNov 29
2020
Everything You Need to Know About the 2021 FedEx Price Increase
Posted: Nov 29, 2020
Have you heard about the FedEx price increase for 2021? On September 14th, 2020, FedEx announced their annual rate increase. As usual, it goes into effect the first week of the New Year. In this case, that’s January 4th, 2021. ...
Continue ReadingNov 16
2020
Holiday Shipping Guide: Shipping Deadline Dates
Posted: Nov 16, 2020
It’s a modern-day Christmas morning dilemma. You found the perfect gift online. You’re excited to see their reaction when they open it on Christmas morning. You place the order and keep your fingers crossed that it’ll be delivered on time. There’s no guarantee, but you take the chance. Then doubt starts to kick-in and you second guess your decision. “Maybe I order...
Continue ReadingNov 04
2020
UPS 2021 Rate Increase Announcement
Posted: Nov 04, 2020
UPDATE: Use this link if you're looking for 2022 rate increase information. This week, UPS announced their 2021 rate increase, which will be made effective in January of 2021. ...
Continue ReadingOct 11
2020
Most Important Things You Need to Know About Shipping Prices and the Holiday Peak Season
Posted: Oct 11, 2020
Holiday peak season is the time of the year when there's a large uptick in shipments for the small parcel carriers. FedEx and UPS typically waive their service guarantee, which provides recourse if the shipments a...
Continue ReadingOct 01
2020
Prime Day 2020: How Will It Impact Your Shipping Network?
Posted: Oct 01, 2020
Amazon recently announced that Prime Day 2020 will be Prime Day(s)…as in plural. Set an alert and mark your calendar because Prime Day 2020 is Tuesday, October 13 AND Wednesday, October 14. The annual shopping holiday will grow from a one-day event to a two-day spending spree for millions of global deal seekers. ...
Continue ReadingAug 18
2020
UPS and FedEx Announce New Surcharges
Posted: Aug 18, 2020
FedEx and UPS both recently announced new surcharges. Depending on your shipping profile, these new surcharges may impact your business. FedEx has continued the trend of applying surcharges to all International Services originating in Asia. UPS announced several new seasonal surcharges applicable to all Air Residential, Ground Residential and SurePost packages for all U.S. Origins and de...
Continue ReadingJul 30
2020
Shipping Rate Negotiation Tactics
Posted: Jul 30, 2020
Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: December 2, 2011 Today we’re discussing one of our favorite topics, shipping rate negotiation tactics and negotiating carrier...
Continue ReadingJul 09
2020
Modern Day Oligopoly - UPS and FedEx
Posted: Jul 09, 2020
Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: March 19, 2011 FedEx and UPS are a modern-day oligopoly. Let’s explain what that means. ...
Continue ReadingJul 02
2020
How To Become a FedEx & UPS Power User
Posted: Jul 02, 2020
Publisher's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: May 1, 2017 In this post, we’ll help you understand how to become a FedEx and UPS power user. Let's start at the beginning with what FedEx and UPS power users are. ...
Continue ReadingJun 25
2020
UPS Drops Bomb on Drop Shippers
Posted: Jun 25, 2020
Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: October 26, 2015 This post will explain a fee that UPS and FedEx rolled out a few years ago. As a matter of fact, what they really did was drop a bomb on drop shippers. But before we get into what that is, let’s discuss the three bi...
Continue ReadingMar 25
2020
UPS & FedEx Suspends Service Guarantees Amid Global Pandemic
Posted: Mar 25, 2020
The global novel coronavirus pandemic has created great uncertainty all over the world. The disruptions to travel and commerce has led UPS and FedEx to suspend all service guarantees for Express, Ground and Freight for both Domestic and International shipments immediately and until further notice. This means that UPS and FedEx will no longer honor their promise to give you a refund when your s...
Continue ReadingDec 30
2019
UPS and FedEx 2020 Rate Increases: Let's Look at the Damage
Posted: Dec 30, 2019
UPS and FedEx 2020 rate increases were recently announced. And as in years prior, it's an average 4.9% rate increase across the board. That's for the service level rates themselves. If you look at the UPS and FedEx 2020 rate increases, however, you'll see a different impact that you may not be so happy about. Most surcharges have gone up about 3 1/2 to 4%. But some of them, includ...
Continue ReadingDec 09
2019
2019 Holiday Shipping Guide
Posted: Dec 09, 2019
Peak shipping season is here and to ensure your packages are delivered in time for the Holidays, download our Holiday Shipping Deadline Calendar below. In addition, please be aware of this year’s Peak Season surcharges. On October 1, 2019, UPS implemented the following Peak Season surcharges: Peak Season Large Package Surcharge* = Additional $31.45 per package Peak...
Continue ReadingDec 02
2019
2020 UPS & FedEx Rate Increase
Posted: Dec 02, 2019
It's that time of year once again. UPS & FedEx are dishing out another costly general price increase to small parcel shippers effective December 29, 2019 for UPS and January 6, 2020 for FedEx. It is important to understand that the announced UPS & FedEx rate increases are only averages and the impact on your company could vary greatly. Over the past decade (2010-2020), UPS and Fed...
Continue ReadingAug 01
2019
Audit Recovery Is The Best Option For Your Business This Year
Posted: Aug 01, 2019
Audit Recovery Saves You Time And Money Audit Recovery and Audit Recovery Bill pay are both topics that you should know about. Let's talk about the Audit first. Right now, if you went onto UPS or FedEx website, you would find the data that you're looking for will be cumbersome. What the Audit does is it...
Continue ReadingJul 25
2019
How To Make The FedEx Dimensional Weight The Most Cost Effective
Posted: Jul 25, 2019
The FedEx Dimensional Weight Explained The FedEx dimensional weight can cause a lot of problems for customers. As a company that processes a tremendous amount of shipping data, we see a lot of issues with this. One of the common issues we see is being billed at dimensional weight versus actual weight. So what does that even mean? To be able to understand how carrier pricing work...
Continue ReadingJul 11
2019
Is The UPS Billable Weight Costing You More Important Money?
Posted: Jul 11, 2019
UPS Billable Weight Is Important To Understand UPS billable weight is an important topic worth talking about. There are a couple of variables that go into determining UPS billable weight. So, shipping rates depend on three variables. You have the ...
Continue ReadingJul 03
2019
FedEx Waivers Exposed By Fooled Customers This Year
Posted: Jul 03, 2019
FedEx Waivers Cause The Company To Lose Customers FedEx waivers are something that people often overlook and can cause you to lose money. For those of you shipping with FedEx, I want to inform you of a recent contractual trend that's on the rise. It jeopardizes your right to late delivery refunds...
Continue ReadingJun 27
2019
The Truth About UPS SurePost And FedEx SmartPost Destiny
Posted: Jun 27, 2019
UPS SurePost And FedEx SmartPost Pros vs Cons UPS SurePost and FedEx SmartPost both have their pros and cons and I'm here to talk about that today. Now, one of the biggest pros is that it is a lot more affordable to use SurePost and SmartPost than it is to ...
Continue ReadingJun 13
2019
FedEx and UPS Carrier Exceptions: This is the Way to Save Money
Posted: Jun 13, 2019
FedEx and UPS Carrier Exceptions Can Save You Money Alright, today we'll be talking about the different carrier exceptions. In particular, I'm going over carrier exceptions for both FedEx and UPS. They're very similar so I'll kind of go over them all in the same bucket. First, we'll talk about pick up exceptions. Sometimes no packages were picked up and pick up is not rescheduled. They...
Continue ReadingJun 06
2019
UPS Waiver Makes Sense if You Have Had Enough of High Charges
Posted: Jun 06, 2019
UPS Waiver Basics There are a few things to remember about a UPS waiver. For those of you shipping with UPS, you're aware that they guarantee their services. This excludes their hybrid services. For example, let's say that you're shipping a package from Southern California to New York. Based on the service t...
Continue ReadingMay 30
2019
UPS and FedEx Billing: Improved Discounts is the Breakthrough You Need
Posted: May 30, 2019
UPS and FedEx Billing Insights from the Pros Hey, guys, Rich with Lojistic here. I'm here to talk about UPS and FedEx billing with any of you that are still on paper invoices. Federal Express and UPS both offer online services. This will allow you to build in so...
Continue ReadingMay 23
2019
UPS Customer Service: Never Again Pay Full High Charges
Posted: May 23, 2019
UPS Customer Service Basics The first thing you need to do is actually call UPS's billing department. Now, there's a particular number for UPS billing department. You can actually get to the billing department through the normal UPS customer service number. You press a number and they'll transfer you to the billing department. But there is a specific number in case you are doing...
Continue ReadingMay 16
2019
FedEx Customer Service: Behind the Scenes to Save the Most
Posted: May 16, 2019
FedEx Customer Service Avenues for Refund To get a refund from FedEx, the first thing you do is call the FedEx Revenue Services. That's the billing department. They do have a normal FedEx customer service number that you can call. There is a billing department that you can call as well for FedEx Revenue Services. If you call the normal FedEx number, you can ask them to transfer ...
Continue ReadingMay 02
2019
Lowering UPS Shipping Rates: Awesome Tips That Will Make You Save Money
Posted: May 02, 2019
Lowering UPS Shipping Rates: First Steps The best way for lowering UPS shipping rates is to get detailed reports on your current shipping. This should include all the relevant characteristics. It should be things like your average cost is by service level and your average discounts. Take a look at those, especially if your last negotiated contract was about six to nine months ag...
Continue ReadingApr 25
2019
UPS Shipping Rates Plummet Thanks to Expert Advice
Posted: Apr 25, 2019
UPS Shipping Rates Versus FedEx UPS shipping rates are similar when you compare them to FedEx shipping rates. There aren't any certain rates that are different between UPS and FedEx. This is unless you are looking at some of the surcharges. UPS and FedEx ...
Continue ReadingApr 23
2019
FedEx Shipping Rates That Will Make Your Head Explode
Posted: Apr 23, 2019
FedEx Shipping Rates: Important Tips to Keep in Mind There aren't unique shipping charges or surcharges in FedEx shipping rates compared to UPS. They actually both have very similar charges and surcharges. The main thing that you want to take into account are the differences in those charges. UPS might call somethi...
Continue ReadingApr 18
2019
Lowering FedEx Shipping Rates: Had Enough of High Charges?
Posted: Apr 18, 2019
Lowering Shipping Rates: Some Basics to Remember Here are some things to keep in mind about lowering FedEx shipping rates. The clearest, easiest way is to renegotiate the contract. So, to do to lower your FedEx rates is to take account the timeframe in which you last negotiated your contract. As long as it's within a si...
Continue ReadingMar 12
2019
FedEx Insight Will Make You Lose Money in Comparison
Posted: Mar 12, 2019
FedEx InSight: Why They Made It Hey guys. So as you can imagine, FedEx looks down on the parcel auditing industry. Now, why might that be? Well, auditing services like what Lojistic provides put money back in the shipper's pocket. FedEx Insight would otherwise allow FedEx to keep this money. So, as you can imagine, FedEx does everything that they can to deal with this. They co...
Continue ReadingMar 07
2019
FedEx Contracts: Changes You Need to Know
Posted: Mar 07, 2019
FedEx Contracts Have Changed FedEx contracts have changed like UPS. In fact, FedEx calls it over-max fee while UPS calls it unauthorized charge fee. It's the same thing. It's for packages that are heavy and lar...
Continue ReadingFeb 26
2019
FedEx Service Guarantee Revisited: A Wealth of Refunds
Posted: Feb 26, 2019
FedEx Service Guarantee Basics FedEx service guarantee agreements work similarly to those from UPS. They actually call their FedEx service guarantee clause, "The Money Back...
Continue ReadingFeb 21
2019
UPS Contracts: Latest Important Updates Noted for 2019
Posted: Feb 21, 2019
UPS Contracts: Changes to Know UPS contracts changed in 2019. I would say some of the most notable impacts have been in some of the surcharges. So, in 2018, UPS took a massive increase in their over-max fee. That's when you're shipping very large packages, whether it be long or heavy. That fee went from $300 to $650 by the end of the year. This year that fee is still in effect. This is...
Continue ReadingJan 23
2019
FedEx Delivers An Empty Guarantee and Its Brilliant!
Posted: Jan 23, 2019
FedEx business customers spending around $60,000 or more annually can expect to see a waiver of their “Money Back Guarantee” in their next FedEx Agreement revision, assuming a waiver isn’t already there. A waiver of the FedEx Money Back Guarantee eliminates a customer’s right to a refund when FedEx fails to meet their time in transit commitment (aka guar...
Continue ReadingJan 17
2019
Shipping Costs: The Good, The Bad, and The Best
Posted: Jan 17, 2019
In a global economy you have internal/external pressures to maintain high levels of performance at the same time managing the costs between customers and carriers. The challenge is managing your parcel shipping costs while continuing to reflect the capabilities that makes your company truly unique and drive its value. These capabilities stand out as true different...
Continue ReadingJan 10
2019
Five Tips for Negotiating Anything From Cars to Parcel Carrier Contracts
Posted: Jan 10, 2019
These five rules apply to everything from negotiating the price you’ll pay for your next car to getting a better deal on the donuts you’re bringing into the office on Friday. When applied to negotiating your parcel carrier contracts however, following these rules may save you enough to buy a fleet of cars, or enough donuts for your whole office building....
Continue ReadingJan 08
2019
The Art and Science of Negotiating a “Best in Class” Carrier Agreement
Posted: Jan 08, 2019
“I’m a really bad negotiator”, said no one ever. Especially in logistics. Case in point, I was on a sales call last week and the gentleman responsible for negotiating the existing UPS and FedEx contracts for his company was VERY confident in his shrewd negotiation skills. “My new parcel rates are amazing. I just negotiated a 9% savings with my incumben...
Continue ReadingDec 04
2018
2018 Holiday Shipping Guide
Posted: Dec 04, 2018
It's that time of the year again! Gather ye e-commerce retailers and all happy package senders...For the holiday shipping season is upon us. But to get those presents or boxes of coal to all the little boys and girls on time, we have to ship them by these deadlines! Also, we have to be mindful that service level guarantees will be suspended according to the schedule below. UPS...
Continue ReadingJul 03
2018
How to Hire a Parcel Audit Company: Top Questions to Ask
Posted: Jul 03, 2018
Let's start right at the beginning. Most people don’t know what a parcel audit is. A parcel audit is the task of going through each and every shipping invoice to look at carrier service errors you can be refunded for. The process is extremely tedious and time consuming. This is where 3rd party parcel audi...
Continue ReadingJul 03
2018
Top 4 Reasons To Use A Parcel Audit Company
Posted: Jul 03, 2018
You have the achy feeling that somehow, someway, your parcel shipping is draining your company of valuable revenue. Every month you see profits melt away with ever increasing shipping invoice bills that you have no idea if they are correct or just plain filled with mistakes and lost saving opportunities. What are you missing in terms of savings and knowledge abou...
Continue ReadingJun 21
2017
UPS Peak Surcharges
Posted: Jun 21, 2017
UPS Peak Surcharges Arrives in the Parcel World *Updated with SurePost Peak Surcharge After experimenting on several high-volume peak shippers last year, UPS announced on Monday that it is implementing Peak Surcharges on select packages tendered bet...
Continue ReadingJun 13
2017
Parcel Forum 2017 Conference Line-Up Announced
Posted: Jun 13, 2017
Parcel Forum 2017 has just announced their conference line-up. Our very own parcel analytics gurus Bryan Van Suchtelen and James Matthews will be proudly representing Lojistic at the Forum this year. ...
Continue ReadingJan 04
2016
The 2016 UPS & FedEx GRI is Live!
Posted: Jan 04, 2016
The 2016 Fedex and UPS General Rate Increases are now in effect, and we’ve updated our GRI Whitepaper to reflect the changes to come. Need a quick refresher? We’ve got you covered. On Wednesday, September 16, FedEx announced its annual general rate increase (GRI). Effective January 4, 2016, rates will be impac...
Continue ReadingDec 16
2015
Why Delivery Guarantees, Not Service Levels, Matter Most
Posted: Dec 16, 2015
When booking a shipment, it makes sense to assume that two-day air would be the best choice to get a package where you need it in two days. And the carriers are probably happy that overnight air would be your first choice! But, depending on what zone you’re shipping to/from, other, cheaper options may be available to get your shipment where you need it, when you ne...
Continue ReadingSep 18
2015
FedEx Announces 2016 General Rate Increase
Posted: Sep 18, 2015
On Wednesday, September 16, FedEx announced its annual general rate increase (GRI). Effective January 4, 2016, rates will be impacted as follows: FedEx Express will see a 4.9% average increase for US domestic, export, and import services FedEX Ground and Home Del...
Continue ReadingSep 09
2015
Freight Audit Services: Learning About Standard Carrier Alpha Codes
Posted: Sep 09, 2015
The transportation industry devised the Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) system to help identify competing companies. Each SCAC identification code ranges between 2 and 4 alphabetical characters long. During the 1960s, The National Motor Freight Traffic Association developed the SCAC system in order to help convert their paper-based documents into computerized records. Freight carriers must u...
Continue ReadingJul 22
2015
Your Carrier Relationship, Your Parcel Audit, and You
Posted: Jul 22, 2015
Shipping costs are über-important. For an expense that makes up (on average) 10% of your top line, they definitely deserve your undivided attention. Maintaining a solid relationship with your carrier reps can lead to improved discounts, incentives, and more. No doubt you’ve worked hard to negotiate a competitive pricing agreement and it behooves you to protect aga...
Continue ReadingMar 31
2015
FedEx Announces 8.3% SmartPost Rate Increase
Posted: Mar 31, 2015
Update: The USPS has postponed its rate increase that was scheduled for 4/26/2015, and FedEx has followed suit. FedEx has just announced the second SmartPost rate increase of 2015. Effective April 27, SmartPost rates will increase by 8.3%. The increase was brought about by a recent postage increase announcement by USPS. Shippers who have negotiated a general rate incre...
Continue ReadingJun 25
2014
UPS Announces 2015 DIM Price Increase
Posted: Jun 25, 2014
Six weeks ago FedEx announced what will likely be the single largest rate increase on record for many shippers. As predicted, UPS announced that they are following FedEx’s lead. Effective Monday, December 29, 2014, UPS will impose dimensional weight (DIM) pricing on all Ground packages. To varying degrees, this change w...
Continue ReadingJun 21
2013
What is the Job Outlook for Freight Agents Since the Recession?
Posted: Jun 21, 2013
If you have been thinking about becoming a freight agent or a freight broker agent, you may be wondering how freight agent jobs have been doing since the recession. Luckily, logistics is very much a recession-proof industry: Although logistics activity can be dampened in certain areas and at certain times, there will always be a need to move goods from one place to a...
Continue ReadingFeb 22
2013
Business to Business Logistics
Posted: Feb 22, 2013
Is your business challenged by the day-to-day difficulties of business to business logistics? If so, you are not alone. Business to business or “B2B” logistics planning is very distinct from the business-to-consumer or “B2C” landscape that many companies have a greater level of familiarity with. The “B2B” arena of business logistics management comes with all the challenges of “B2C...
Continue ReadingJan 31
2013
Why Is It Important to Compare Shipping Options?
Posted: Jan 31, 2013
Shipping comparison is one of the most important ways that you can save money on your logistics needs, but that does not mean it is easy to do an enterprise-wide shipping cost comparison. When you compare shipping costs, it is important to be methodical and ensure that you are taking all the pertinent factors into account. That being the case, you might wonder if the investment of time and effo...
Continue ReadingJan 25
2013
What is Logistics?
Posted: Jan 25, 2013
No matter what industry you are in, you already know that implementing the right logistic solutions is critical to your business. You also know that effective and efficient logistics management is one of the best ways to control your costs as your business grows. However, we can get so caught up in the details of freight management logistics that we apply a definition to the field that is too b...
Continue ReadingOct 17
2012
The Great Recession and What’s Stimulating Shipping Stocks
Posted: Oct 17, 2012
Even with the brunt of the Great Recession behind us, the global shipping industry has still seen companies slip into the deep blue of nonexistence. However, in the most recent month of market trading, some have bounced back with the best figures seen in years; we’re thinking about Ultrapetrol, whose stock soared...
Continue ReadingOct 10
2012
Mobile Apps to Ease Shipping Troubles
Posted: Oct 10, 2012
Shipping solutions can sometimes feel like more trouble than they’re worth. We know it, and so do you; but this doesn’t have to be the case for the upstart or the entrepreneur. Since the world has grown into an increasingly digital marketplace, more and more solutions to shipping woes are emerging. The legacy ...
Continue ReadingMay 17
2012
What the Recent UPS Earnings May Mean for Your Shipping
Posted: May 17, 2012
For all businesses that ships a constant amount of items, it’s important to note the changing fluctuations of the shipping world, whether it be the updates in new competitors, as we previously noted in our Amazon blog post, or the quarterly earnings calls. These changes are important because they can help to prepare for and predict certain trends within future pricing and possible action th...
Continue ReadingDec 09
2011
2012 UPS and FedEx Rate Increase Analysis
Posted: Dec 09, 2011
UPS and FedEx announced their January 2012 general price increases (GPI). Why is this important? For any company that ships parcels, the GPI will affect your overall shipping costs! As the 2011 GPI showed, there can be substantial impacts on shipping costs resulting from changes to accessorial charges and dimensional weight formulas. The 2012 increases are only announced as averages and can ...
Continue ReadingSep 11
2011
How to Discount FedEx and UPS Shipping Costs
Posted: Sep 11, 2011
Shipping with FedEx and UPS can be very costly. Over the last year, prices have risen substantially. However, there are some simple things that budget-conscious customers can do to discount FedEx and UPS shipping costs without sacrificing delivery speed. Use Third Party Insurance FedEx and UPS Shi...
Continue ReadingSep 01
2011
3 Easy Ways to Lower and Discount Freight Costs
Posted: Sep 01, 2011
By closely evaluating your business’s shipping and distribution patterns, you may identify many areas that you can easily discount freight costs. Below are 3 simple practices that will allow you to effectively assess your current practices, and help you identify areas for improvement. Logistics Reporting Logistics reporting is essential in effectively ev...
Continue ReadingAug 27
2011
Freight Audit Services Can Help Your Business Save on Shipping
Posted: Aug 27, 2011
Besides helping you get the available discounts, a freight audit services provider can assist you to lower your shipping costs. Though FedEx and UPS are reliable, there are instances when they make erroneous billings because of certain factors. Late deliveries, incorrect accessorial charges and address correction charges are some of the c...
Continue ReadingAug 17
2011
30-DAY SHIPPING AUDIT TRIAL
Posted: Aug 17, 2011
Virtually every carrier invoice received by your company contains erroneous charges that should be refunded to you. Most carrier billing errors are the result of human error and oversight, which occur regularly and continuously. These overcharges amount to much more than mere “chump change”! Your carrier deserves to be paid for services rendered and you deserve to be billed accurat...
Continue ReadingAug 07
2011
UPS and FedEx Rates Increase Analysis
Posted: Aug 07, 2011
Every year, UPS and FedEx announce their respective general price increases (GPI). Shippers, both large and small, scramble to determine the effective impact on their shipping costs. Since the announced increases are only averages, the true impact for any given business can vary greatly. In January 2011, the carrier’s GPI had a very substantial impact on accessorial charges, such as:...
Continue ReadingJul 28
2011
Optimize UPS and FedEx Shipping Service Level Usage
Posted: Jul 28, 2011
Did you know that nearly all UPS and FedEx service levels have time in-transit delivery guarantees? Even ground services have a guarantee to be delivered within a certain time frame. Many shippers can significantly reduce shipping costs by improving their organization’s policies and practices related to carrier service level selection for any given ship...
Continue ReadingJul 23
2011
Dimensional Weight Mistakes Result in Overpayment to Shipping Carrier
Posted: Jul 23, 2011
Editors note: This post was originally published July 23, 2011 and most recently updated August 2020. Dimensional weight (DIM) is a volumetric standard that is calculated by multiplying the length by width by height of a package and then dividing by a factor/divisor. Via dimensional weight charges, carriers like UPS and FedEx have the ability to rate lo...
Continue ReadingJul 03
2011
Monopolistic Carriers Shut Out Parcel Auditors
Posted: Jul 03, 2011
The global shipping industry may be engaging in some monopolistic practices to shore up profits in these tough economic times. One practice that recently gained attention centers on third party freight auditing consultants who audit shipping agreements and help with car...
Continue ReadingJun 28
2011
Comparing UPS and FedEx in the Global Economy
Posted: Jun 28, 2011
UPS and FedEx are among the world’s largest small-package carriers, both by revenue and volume. When you compare UPS and FedEx, both offer ground, air, and ocean freight shipping and shipping-related services. FedEx and UPS ship over 10 million packages daily for businesses and individual customers worldwide. A consideration of ...
Continue ReadingJun 27
2011
Frequent and Costly UPS & FedEx Billing Errors
Posted: Jun 27, 2011
Given the advanced technology and automated systems, it is a common (invalid) assumption that the customer billing systems of carriers such as UPS and FedEx are infallible and afford little to no room for billing errors. Shippers subscribing to this line of thought are committing a considerable oversight. Although many components of a carrier’s billing process are automated, there are ...
Continue ReadingApr 30
2011
Guaranteed Service Refund (GSR) Waivers and How Parcel Auditing Can Help
Posted: Apr 30, 2011
While FedEx and UPS guarantee the on-time delivery of your packages, not every shipment is on time. If they're just one minute late, you may be entitled to a 100 percent refund of the shipping charges. They will honor this guarantee—but only after you do some considerable legwork. This can get pretty complicated, especially if you ship hundreds of packages a week or month. After tracking you...
Continue ReadingApr 25
2011
How A Shipping Audit Can Verify Residential Delivery Charges
Posted: Apr 25, 2011
There are shipping audit services that help reduce shipping costs by verifying whether your delivery is residential or commercial. 91 percent of the 140 million Postal Service delivery points fall into the residential category. Most shipping companies charge a higher rate for delivery to a residence...
Continue ReadingApr 18
2011
Is Small Parcel Insurance Worth it?
Posted: Apr 18, 2011
Shipments under 150 lbs are typically considered small parcel. Most shipping companies like FedEx and UPS will insure such packages up to $100 of product loss or damage. This is one reason many e-commerce sellers ship low cost items without insurance. If you're shipping something fragile, or if you just need more protection, you can opt for "declared value" insurance, which both FedEx and UPS o...
Continue ReadingApr 13
2011
UPS and FedEx Fuel Surcharge Rate History
Posted: Apr 13, 2011
UPS Fuel Surcharge History and FedEx Fuel Surcharge History are linked. That's because both carriers have been playing a game of cat and mouse for a long, long time. Unfortunately for UPS and FedEx customers, that typically means when one carrier raises their rates, or increases a surcharge, the other does the same. How Often Do UPS and FedEx Change Their Fuel Surcharge? ...
Continue ReadingApr 12
2011
Compare UPS to FedEx: Customer Service
Posted: Apr 12, 2011
Customer service can be subjective, depending on the circumstances and the specific area of the country you happen to be located. Unlike a comparison of UPS vs FedEx rates, when you compare UPS to FedEx customer service, you'll find some real and some anecdotal ...
Continue ReadingApr 09
2011
Top 3 UPS and FedEx Billing Errors & the Need for Freight Auditing
Posted: Apr 09, 2011
Freight auditing services have become critically important since FedEx and UPS errors are present in virtually every invoice. They are often the result of late deliveries, invalid residential delivery charges, and/or incorrect address correction charges. Sometimes packages are manifested but not s...
Continue ReadingMar 25
2011
Economic Slump and Higher Shipping Costs
Posted: Mar 25, 2011
Shipping companies like UPS and FedEx are caught between a "rock and a hard place." The rock is ever-rising fuel prices, which some economists say will top $4 per gallon for diesel and gas. The "hard place" is eating that cost or passing it on to clients and customers who are themselves fighting a prolonged recession. Sure, UPS and FedEx can add surcharges to cover fuel costs--but their cus...
Continue ReadingMar 16
2011
Comparing FedEx & UPS Rates
Posted: Mar 16, 2011
If your company does a high volume of shipping and you're being squeezed by your steely-eye comptroller to cut shipping costs, read on. What you need to be a hero is a serious shipping comparison tool. One of these, the ...
Continue ReadingMar 14
2011
UPS vs FedEx: Rates
Posted: Mar 14, 2011
These days, cheap shipping rates are scarcer than feathers in a cuckoo clock. Recent changes to both FedEx rates and UPS rates were bitter to swallow. Both companies announced increases to small package shipping rates that began with the New Year. Adding salt to the wound was a key change in how both FedEx and UPS now calculate ...
Continue ReadingMar 08
2011
FedEx, UPS, and the FAARB
Posted: Mar 08, 2011
When Federal Express, usually a play yard buddy of UPS, found out that if the Federal Aviation Administration’s Reauthorization Bill [FAARB], now in its 16th temporary extension, gets the presidential sign-off, Federal Express may lose out on a highly cost-effective advantage over UPS. The bill commands a shift of drivers and other non-airline workers from the National Railway La...
Continue ReadingMar 06
2011
Comparing FedEx and UPS Services
Posted: Mar 06, 2011
If you ship anything on a regular basis, you probably know that the two biggest competitive small parcel package carriers in the U.S. are UPS and FedEx services. Both have earned quite a reputation in the small parcel shipping business. And both have pulled out all the stops to gain your trust and your business. If you want to ...
Continue ReadingMar 04
2011
UPS and FedEx Service Guarantees and Your Shipping Audit
Posted: Mar 04, 2011
I was dumbfounded last week to learn a prospective client, spending millions of dollars each year on shipping, was unaware that UPS and FedEx ground services are guaranteed…just like air and international shipments. “Yeah, we perform our own internal shipping audit...
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