THE GRINCH

While shoppers are enjoying huge discounts on electronics, clothing, appliances, and autos this Thanksgiving through Christmas, the Grinch Who Stole Christmas may be the parcel companies that deliver these goods. As the holiday season approached FedEx announced that they are imposing “low to mid-range general rate increases that will go into effect on January 7th 2019”.

FedEx Express and FedEx Ground services base rates will rise 4.9 percent. The 2019 charges for FedEx Freight LTL shipments will increase by an additional one percent to 5.9%. These price increases will also impact 56 accessorial charges above the base shipping costs. Of the 56 accessorial charge increases, 36 will apply to FedEx Express and FedEx Ground, while the remaining 20 will be assessed by FedEx Freight.

The January 7th increases will apply to:

  • Express package and freight standard list rates for US, US imports and export services
  • FedEx Ground and Home Delivery standard list rates
  • FedEx International Premium rates
  • FedEx Express Minimum rates
  • FedEx Ground Multiweight rates
  • FedEx SmartPost rates
  • FedEx One Rate pricing
  • FedEx Freight rates
  • FedEx Retail rates


FedEx Express and Ground surcharge for ‘additional handling’ will increase from $12.00 to $13.50 per package, based on package dimensions. The charge for ‘address corrections’ will increase by $1 per transaction to $16. These increases may not seem impactful on their own, however they can add up quickly for high volume shippers. Unlike UPS, FedEx for the second year in a row did not impose per-package residential delivery charges on traffic moved during the peak shipping season, which for FedEx begins November 19, 2019.

As of this writing UPS has yet to announce their price increases for next year. While shippers may have contracts with specific caps on their GRIs or various other charges, they still need to understand the impact of these changes to their business. That is where Data2Logistics comes in. We analyze your shipments and can help you to determine the financial impact of these increases. We can also identify actions that you can take to mitigate these price increases. To learn more contact Harold B. Friedman at [email protected] or 1-609 577 3756. We are here to support you.