A Guide to Common Courier Charges

Reduce Shipping Costs with ProPack

With years of experience in cross-border shipping, ProPack offers practical solutions to optimize shipping costs while providing seamless, reliable service across the US and Canada. From minimizing the impact of dimensional weight to helping you choose the right packaging, ProPack is here to simplify your shipping process and save you money on courier charges.

Common Courier Charges and Surcharges in the US and Canada

When shipping within or between the US and Canada, there are several standard charges and surcharges to be aware of. Here’s a breakdown:

  • Base Shipping Rate: Calculated based on actual or dimensional weight (more on this below) and zone. ProPack can help estimate this for various routes.
  • Fuel Surcharges: Applied to account for fluctuating fuel costs, this surcharge is typically a percentage added to the base rate.
  • Remote or Extended Area Surcharges: When shipping to rural or outlying areas, couriers often add fees to cover extra delivery distance. This is common in both countries, especially in Canada’s northern and remote regions.
  • Residential Delivery Fee: Couriers add a surcharge for deliveries to residential addresses, as these routes are less centralized and often less efficient than commercial routes.
  • Oversize or Additional Handling Fees: For unusually large, irregularly shaped, banded boxes, or fragile items, couriers may apply additional handling fees to cover the extra care required.
  • Peak Surcharge Season: During the holiday season, couriers may implement moderate increases in surcharges to account for the heightened volume of packages.

Knowing when and why surcharges apply can help you plan more cost-effective shipments. For example, consolidating items to reduce package count or shipping to business locations, when possible, can sometimes help you avoid these extra fees.

Parcel Shipping and Dimensional Weight: What You Need to Know

Shipping costs can vary widely based on your package’s size, weight, and destination, especially in the US and Canada. If you’ve encountered higher than expected shipping prices for relatively light items, you may be seeing the impact of “dimensional weight”, a method of charging that has become standard for most shipping carriers.

Dimensional weight (also known as volumetric weight or just “dim weight”) is a pricing method used by couriers to account for the space a package occupies in addition to its actual weight, which refers to the physical weight measured on a scale. This measurement ensures that bulky, lightweight packages aren’t taking up more than their fair share of cargo space.

Dimensional weight calculations can impact shipping costs significantly, often leading to surcharges or additional fees if packages are bulky.

How to Calculate Dimensional Weight

Couriers use a formula to calculate dimensional weight based on a package’s volume. Here’s how it works:

  1. Measure the package’s dimensions (length, width, and height).
  2. Multiply these dimensions to get the total cubic inches.
  3. Divide by a standard DIM divisor, which varies by courier and service.

For example, if you have a 12” x 12” x 12” box, and a DIM divisor of 139, the dimensional weight would be 12.4 lbs.

The courier will charge based on the greater of either the actual weight or dimensional weight, making it important to pack efficiently.

Tips to Minimize Shipping Costs

Dimensional weight charges can add up, but ProPack has strategies to help reduce these fees:

  • Use the Right-Sized Packaging: Avoid oversized boxes for lightweight items, as they’ll result in higher dimensional weight costs.
  • Optimize Your Packing Materials: Efficient packing helps reduce package dimensions without compromising protection.
  • Consolidate Shipments: Combining multiple items into one box (when possible) can reduce both weight and dimensions, helping you avoid additional surcharges.

With ProPack’s expertise, you can manage dimensional weight effectively, making it easy to ship your packages affordably. Get started today and let ProPack help you save on shipping costs across the US and Canada.