FedEx plans to raise its fuel surcharges for the second time this year, a move that’s rankling some of the company’s business customers, The Wall Street Journal reported this week.
The increase, which takes effect Nov. 2, comes amid falling gas prices nationally. FedEx attributes the higher surcharge to heavier packages and a rise in residential deliveries, requiring more fuel.
According to the Journal, the higher surcharge would add about $170 to the shipping bill for an overnight package of 100 shoeboxes traveling from New York City to Atlanta, up from $67 under the current surcharge.
FedEx previously increased fuel surcharge prices in February, along with UPS.
“It’s frustrating,” Sara Henderson, founder of an online shopping startup, told the Journal.
Her company ships as many as 30 packages of 20- to 60-pound bags each week.
“They give you discounts for being a regular shipper, but they seem to make it up in others ways by putting all these little fees here and there,” Henderson said.
The Postal Service doesn’t charge fuel surcharges.
Last month, FedEx announced plans to increase other shipping rates, including its surcharge on very large packages.