FedEx's published fuel surcharge table shows a freight surcharge of 49.8 percent for the week of April 1-7, 2026, applied to both less-than-truckload and full truckload shipments. [1] The surcharge has climbed steadily since the war began: 30.5 percent in late February, 38 percent by mid-March, 46.5 percent the week of March 25, and now 49.8 percent. [1]

For a shipper moving a $1,000 base-rate pallet, the fuel surcharge alone adds $498. FedEx's historical surcharge data shows these levels have not been reached since the June 2022 diesel spike that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. [1] National diesel prices averaged $5.46 per gallon as of April 1, driving the surcharge tables to what ABC News described as "off the charts" territory. [2]

The freight surcharge affects businesses that move goods in bulk — manufacturers, distributors, retailers. Unlike the FedEx Express and Ground consumer surcharges, which run in the 21 to 34 percent range, the freight surcharge applies to the heavy-haul commercial shipments that supply American stores, warehouses, and factories. At 49.8 percent, the war's cost is embedded in every pallet.

-- THEO KAPLAN, San Francisco