UPS recently announced package shipping rate adjustments and a change in the fuel surcharge that will take effect January 3, 2005.
Rates for UPS Ground, UPS Next Day Air, UPS 2nd Day Air, UPS 3 Day Select and U.S. international services will increase 2.9 percent. UPS Hundredweight Service, an alternative to that offered by less-than-truckload carriers, will increase by 5.9 percent, producing rates still half those of most major LTL carriers. There will be no changes to most UPS retail rates offered at nearly 3,600 locations of The UPS Store.
Beginning in January, UPS will reduce the fuel surcharge currently applied to UPS Next Day Air, UPS 2nd Day Air and UPS 3 Day Select and international services by setting a maximum cap of 9.5 percent. This surcharge will continue to be calculated from an index based on the average price for a gallon of kerosene-type jet fuel.
A fuel surcharge of 2 percent on UPS Ground, UPS Ground Hundredweight and UPS Standard To Canada will be applied that will fluctuate after January based on the U.S. Energy Department’s On-Highway Diesel price. The current fuel surcharge is described at www.ups.com, and details regarding new calculations will be posted on the Web site on December 1.
Other pricing changes include an increase of $0.25 for the delivery area surcharge on both residential and commercial services to more remote ZIP codes. The residential surcharge will increase $0.10 for UPS Ground services and $0.35 for UPS Next Day Air, UPS 2nd Day Air and UPS 3 Day Select. While protection against potential loss or damage is automatically provided up to $100 in value for each package, additional optional Declared Value protection will be $0.40 per $100, up to $50,000 per package, with a minimum charge of $1.20 for packages valued between $100.01 and $300.
Other changes in January extend UPS Ground service rates as an option for shipments bound for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico originating in the continental U.S.
The flexibility of UPS’s integrated network allows the company to adjust operations to fit changing customer needs. Recent improvements have reduced transit times by one day on UPS Ground service between 20 metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, D.C, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Globally, UPS will begin six new weekly flights directly to China this year with an additional six to begin later in 2005.
With the addition of 273 new ZIP codes for UPS Next Day Air Early A.M. service and 132 ZIP codes for guaranteed 10:30 a.m. delivery areas, UPS Next Day Air services offer an advantage to more than 2,000 ZIP code destinations nationwide.
Also in early 2005, the Quantum View suite of visibility services will expand the tools necessary to help manage import shipments and compliance. As UPS customers expand globally, features continue to be added to simplify international shipment processing and information access. Quantum View Data and Quantum View Manage also will offer improved visibility of incoming shipments before they arrive, enabling customers to plan their resources even more effectively.
MyUPS.com and UPS Online Tools integrated into customer Internet sites will automatically reflect the new rate information in January.
