As fuel surcharge shipping costs continue to climb in the wake of global supply chain disruption, parcel networks are under pressure to absorb, reroute, or pass through expenses that are growing harder to predict. ePost Global VP of Strategic Sales and Administration Helaine Rich joined DC Velocity's Logistics Matters podcast to break down what that means for brands and carriers today.

Rich pointed to air freight as the hardest-hit segment, explaining that uplift costs, the expense of getting parcels onto flights, have risen sharply as reduced flight capacity forces carriers to consolidate loads or cancel routes altogether. At the same time, USPS recently announced an 8% surcharge increase set to hold through January 2027, a move Rich called unprecedented in her experience. That increase, she noted, is creating real opportunity for alternative final-mile carriers to compete on lanes where USPS previously dominated on price.

For brands navigating compounding pressures like fuel surcharges, tariff exposure, and carrier cost volatility, all hitting simultaneously, Rich emphasized that multi-carrier networks offer the most flexibility. Rather than being locked into a single carrier's pricing and route structure, shippers working with a multi-carrier partner can shift volume to more cost-effective options as conditions change. Some brands are also updating their checkout systems to reflect current fuel surcharge shipping rates in real time, passing costs directly to buyers to protect margins.

The throughline across all of it, Rich said, is transparency: shippers need clear visibility into how surcharges are calculated and what their options are so they can make the right call for their business rather than simply absorbing costs they may not be able to sustain.

Listen to the full episode on DC Velocity's Logistics Matters podcast →