April 6, 2016
On June 1, 2016, FedEx will modify the additional handling surcharge from 60 inches (150 cm) on the longest side to 48 inches (120 cm) on the longest side. The change applies to Express and Ground parcel shipments.
In the FedEx Q3 earnings call, Mike Glenn, executive vice president of FedEx, said the carrier is “seeing a significant increase in non-traditional items now being purchased online, mattresses to new swing sets and big-screen TVs just to name a few,” which has necessitated the change.
To put things in context, the surcharge price tag to send an item larger than 48 inches on its longest side will include $10.50 on top of the FedEx base rate.
Most shippers are aware of more traditional surcharges, such as fuel surcharges. There are a myriad of other charges that shippers are subject to such as Address Correction fees, which can cost $13.00 for FedEx Ground or $12.50 for UPS Ground.
Additional surcharges and rate increases are nothing new for FedEx, and time will tell if UPS follows suit (it did with dimensional weight and other historic price changes, but currently maintains that additional handling charges apply for shipments that are 60+ inches on the longest side).
For a complete list of FedEx accessorial charges, click here.