Carriers are moving fast this week. Here's what's happening and what it's costing you.
UPS Ground Saver — New $5 Labeling Fee As of May 4, UPS is charging $5 per package if your labels don't meet their updated requirements. No warning. Just a higher invoice.
UPS Fuel Surcharge — 11th Increase in 30 Months The fuel surcharge baseline is up again. And because it's calculated on top of all other charges, every other rate increase makes this one bigger too.
FedEx — International Fuel Surcharge Update FedEx updated its international fuel surcharge table effective May 11. If you ship globally, this hits every package.
USPS — 8% Rate Increase Still Active This one catches a lot of businesses off guard. UPS Ground Saver packages are delivered by USPS for the final mile. So USPS rate increases affect your UPS costs too.
The Real Number Is Not 5.9% Both carriers announced a 5.9% General Rate Increase for 2026. The actual impact for most shippers is 8 to 12% once surcharges, dimensional weight rules, and delivery area fees are factored in.
On top of all of this, late deliveries and damaged shipments are still happening and every single one comes with a refund your carrier won't really tell you about.
ShipPlug catches them all. Automatically.
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