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?
According to FedEx, U.S. Fuel Surcharges for Express, Ground and Freight Services are subject to weekly adjustment.
According to UPS, U.S. Fuel Surcharges for Ground and Air are subject to weekly adjustment.
Should You Track UPS and FedEx Fuel Surcharges?
If you're tracking fuel charges manually....that's a lot of effort. We wouldn't recommend dedicating staff time to do it. Especially when Lojistic will track AND quantify the impact fuel surcharges are having on your business automatically. Lojistic is free and all surcharges are tracked in the Surcharge Summary analytic.
The UPS and FedEx fuel surcharge is just one of the potential hundreds that wind up on your invoice. And if you're not effectively managing the impact surcharges have on your shipping costs, you could end up paying more than you need to.
The link below provides a historical chart of the FedEx and UPS fuel surcharge rate. Of note, the UPS and FedEx surcharges (air and ground) are linked to their respective indices with a two month lag (i.e. the surcharge reflects the average fuel price from two months ago). In addition, the indices are typically recalibrated in conjunction with the FedEx and UPS annual rate increase. For example, the carriers increased the base freight rates by 6.9% in 2011, but reduced the fuel surcharge percentage (relative to the current index) by 2 points. This allows the UPS and FedEx to claim that the overall "net" increase is 4.9%.
UPS and FEDEX FUEL SURCHARGE HISTORICAL CHART
Author
Christine Basile
Christine Basile
Director, Rate Services
Christine Basile brings over two decades of hands-on experience in shipping and supply chain operations, with a career spanning 3PL, shipper, and carrier-aligned organizations. She has held strategic leadership roles at Apple, Kenco Group, AutoZone, and RR Donnelley, where she negotiated and managed contracts totaling over $1.3 billion in annual shipping spend.
Her background in building scalable shipping strategies, leading RFPs, and implementing enterprise-wide cost control initiatives makes her a trusted advisor to shippers of all sizes navigating an increasingly complex logistics environment.
As Director of Rate Services at Lojistic, Christine applies her deep expertise to help clients reduce costs, streamline operations, and optimize performance across their shipping networks.