07/06/2026
On its Q1 earnings call, a UPS executive said fuel surcharges exist to "protect us from impact to profit." Read that again. He did not say they cover fuel. He said they protect profit.
The numbers back him up. Ground fuel surcharges rose 26.7% year over year last quarter. Diesel rose about 10%. The surcharge moved nearly three times faster than the cost it supposedly tracks. That gap is margin for the carrier, and it compounds on every package you ship.
If you are not actively managing your carrier costs, you are subsidizing someone else's margin. At Thrive, we rate-shop every package and manage surcharge exposure, so your shipping pays to move the box, not to protect a carrier's profit.
Read more: https://f.mtr.cool/yqptcstkzw