Warehouse How To: Managing Carrier Surcharges in 2025

Understanding Fuel Surcharge Pressures on Canadian Warehouses

Key Takeaways

Fuel surcharges now represent 15-20% of total shipping costs for Canadian exporters, making carrier optimization critical
Consolidating shipments and leveraging cargo consolidation services can reduce per-unit fuel surcharge exposure
Negotiating volume-based discounts and exploring regional carriers can yield 10-15% savings on delivery costs
Warehouse location and logistics strategy directly impact fuel surcharge calculations and overall supply chain efficiency
Implementing multi-carrier strategies gives Canadian businesses leverage to minimize surcharge pressures

For Canadian importers, exporters, and e-commerce businesses, fuel surcharges have become an increasingly significant line item in logistics budgets. FedEx and UPS, the dominant players in North American parcel delivery, regularly adjust their fuel surcharge percentages based on crude oil prices and operational costs. In 2024-2025, these surcharges have climbed to historical levels, creating real pressure on warehouse operators managing inventory across Canada.

The reality facing Montreal-based warehouse operators and supply chain managers is stark: fuel surcharges are no longer a minor cost factor but a strategic challenge that demands proactive management. When a parcel carrier applies a 12-18% fuel surcharge on top of base rates, the cumulative impact on shipping margins becomes substantial, particularly for high-volume distribution operations.

At FENGYE LOGISTICS, we work with dozens of Canadian businesses navigating these pressures daily. The question is not whether to address surcharges—it's warehouse how to implement smart strategies that maintain service quality while protecting your bottom line.

Warehouse How To Negotiate Better Carrier Rates

The first step in managing fuel surcharge pressures is understanding your current spending with FedEx and UPS. Many Canadian businesses don't realize they have negotiating power until they conduct a thorough shipping audit. If you're shipping 500+ parcels monthly, or moving significant LCL (Less Than Container Load) volumes, carriers have flexibility in their pricing structures.

Request a formal rate review: Schedule a meeting with your dedicated account managers at major carriers. Bring data showing your shipping volume, growth trajectory, and service requirements. Carriers often hold reserve capacity and discounts specifically for negotiations. A 5-10% reduction on base rates may seem modest, but when applied across thousands of shipments annually, it translates to substantial savings.

Negotiate surcharge structures: While fuel surcharges are market-based, the way they're applied varies. Some carriers allow surcharge caps, exemptions for certain service levels, or graduated discounts for premium accounts. These negotiations require leverage—your volume—but they're worth exploring.

Explore contract terms: Annual or multi-year contracts often come with better pricing than month-to-month arrangements. Carriers prefer predictable volume commitments, and they'll reward that with meaningful discounts that offset surcharge increases.

Strategic Consolidation to Reduce Fuel Surcharge Exposure

One of the most effective warehouse strategies to manage fuel surcharges is consolidation. Rather than shipping individual parcels at higher per-unit costs, consolidating smaller shipments into full pallets or full containers significantly reduces surcharge percentages on a per-item basis.

This is where FENGYE Warehouse consolidation and de-consolidation services become strategically valuable. By holding inventory at a Montreal logistics facility and consolidating outbound shipments, Canadian businesses achieve:

Lower per-unit fuel surcharge costs when moving LCL freight via consolidated shipments
Reduced handling and administrative overhead through batch processing
Flexibility to shift between carriers based on real-time rate comparisons
Better inventory visibility and control before final distribution

For businesses shipping to multiple destinations across Canada or the US, consolidation platforms allow you to batch orders, negotiate better rates on full-truckload shipments, and absorb surcharges across larger shipment sizes. A 50-pound parcel charged a 15% fuel surcharge costs more per pound than consolidated freight where the surcharge is spread across 2,000 pounds.

Evaluating Alternative Carriers and Regional Options

FedEx and UPS dominate the North American parcel market, but they're not your only options. Canadian logistics professionals should evaluate regional and specialized carriers that may offer competitive rates without equivalent surcharge pressures.

Regional carriers: Companies like Purolator, TForce Final Mile, and specialty carriers often provide competitive pricing in specific regions. Purolator, in particular, has invested in Canadian infrastructure and may offer better rates for domestic shipments compared to US-based carriers applying international surcharges.

LCL and freight consolidators: For larger shipments, less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers like Saia, ArcBest, and XPO Logistics often feature more transparent and competitive fuel surcharge structures than parcel carriers. These carriers are ideal for warehouse operations moving multiple pallets or consolidated freight.

Hybrid strategies: Some of the most sophisticated Canadian supply chains use multi-carrier approaches, routing small parcels through parcel carriers for last-mile efficiency while consolidating larger volumes through freight networks. FENGYE LOGISTICS helps clients optimize these hybrid strategies based on shipment size, destination, and time sensitivity.

Implementing Smarter Warehouse Operations

Beyond carrier negotiations, warehouse operations themselves directly impact fuel surcharge costs. Here's how to optimize:

Reduce Shipping Distance and Frequency

If your inventory is centralized in a single Montreal warehouse versus distributed across multiple locations, you reduce handling and shipping touches. Each additional touch point increases the risk of surcharge exposure. Centralized inventory at a well-positioned facility like FENGYE's Montreal warehouse location allows you to batch shipments and reduce overall shipping frequency.

Optimize Packaging and Dimensional Weight

Fuel surcharges are typically calculated on billable weight, which includes dimensional weight for parcel carriers. Oversized, inefficient packaging increases dimensional weight charges and surcharge exposure. Work with your warehouse team to implement right-sizing initiatives that reduce billable weight without compromising product protection.

Leverage Local Delivery for Final Mile

For shipments destined within Montreal or the Greater Toronto Area, local delivery services often bypass major carrier surcharges entirely. Many Canadian logistics companies underutilize local delivery options, missing opportunities for cost savings and faster service.

Data-Driven Carrier Management

To negotiate effectively and identify alternatives, you need granular shipping data. Most Canadian logistics operations should implement:

Shipment analytics: Track costs by carrier, destination, service level, and time period to identify surcharge trends and opportunities
Rate benchmarking: Compare your negotiated rates against market averages and competitor quotes quarterly
Volume tracking: Monitor monthly shipping volume to identify when you've crossed thresholds that unlock better pricing
Surcharge monitoring: Subscribe to carrier surcharge alerts so you're never caught off-guard by sudden increases

Fengye Logistics helps clients integrate this kind of data analysis into their decision-making. When you understand exactly how much you're paying in surcharges and where opportunities exist, negotiations become far more productive.

Planning for Long-Term Surcharge Resilience

Fuel prices remain volatile, and surcharges will continue fluctuating. Rather than reacting to each change, Canadian businesses should build structural resilience:

Diversify carrier relationships: Avoid over-reliance on a single carrier; maintain relationships with 2-3 competitors to maintain negotiating leverage
Consider fuel hedging programs: Some larger companies hedge fuel costs through financial instruments, locking in more predictable surcharge structures
Build surcharge expectations into pricing: Rather than absorbing surcharges as cost pressures, thoughtfully pass reasonable portions through to customers as fuel/environmental surcharges
Invest in inventory positioning: Strategic warehouse locations reduce shipping distances and exposure to volume-sensitive surcharges

Moving Forward: The Montreal Logistics Advantage

Montreal's position as Canada's largest port and a major continental logistics hub creates natural advantages for managing fuel surcharges. Businesses with inventory stored in Montreal benefit from direct access to ocean freight, rail consolidation, and multiple carrier options—all of which provide alternatives to parcel carrier surcharges.

Working with a logistics partner experienced in cost optimization, carrier negotiations, and supply chain design is increasingly essential. The warehouse how to strategies that worked in 2020 are no longer sufficient in an environment where fuel surcharges have become structural components of shipping costs.

The businesses winning in 2025 are those that view fuel surcharge management not as a cost-cutting exercise, but as a core competency. They consolidate strategically, negotiate continuously, diversify carriers intentionally, and leverage their warehouse locations for maximum efficiency. If you're ready to implement these strategies but need expert guidance, contact FENGYE LOGISTICS to discuss optimization opportunities for your specific operation.

Originally published at https://www.fywarehouse.com/news/warehouse-how-to-managing-carrier-surcharges-in-2025-82f97d8d.