US Postal Service to add 8% fee on packages amid fuel price surge

The United States Postal Service will introduce a fuel surcharge on package deliveries for the first time, as rising energy costs linked to the war with Iran begin to impact shipping prices across the United States.

According to CNN, the new measure will add an 8% fuel surcharge to parcels, increasing costs for both consumers and businesses. The fee will be temporary and will apply only to packages, not to letters, the agency said in a press release. The surcharge is set to take effect on April 26.

The decision comes amid a sharp increase in fuel prices since the start of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Data from the American Automobile Association shows that the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline nationwide has risen by about $1 over the past month, reaching $3.98. Diesel prices have climbed even more steeply, increasing by an average of $1.61 per gallon to $5.37.

Unlike private carriers such as UPS and FedEx, which already use automatic fuel surcharges tied to price thresholds, the Postal Service has historically maintained fixed shipping rates that do not fluctuate with fuel costs.

By Tamilla Hasanova