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News | Transport costs are rising; here’s how to protect your checkout and margins

Higher surcharges, lower margins

Transport costs are rising: fuel surcharges, road tolls, and what this means for checkout delivery rates

The transport market continues to shift due to developments in the Middle East. Rising fuel prices are increasing carriers’ transport costs, which are then passed on to retailers. In addition to the well-known fuel surcharges, we expect carriers to further increase surcharges for larger and heavier shipments from 1 January 2027. In the Netherlands, a toll component will already be introduced on 1 July 2026, which will impact transport costs. This will feed directly into the rates carriers agree with retailers, and ultimately we expect retailers to increase the delivery price consumers see at checkout.

 

What are we seeing in the market?

Fuel surcharges on top of the base transport rate vary widely by carrier and have increased significantly in a short period of time. A few examples of recent changes:

  • DHL: fuel surcharge from 17.5% (February) to 25.75% (April)
  • DPD: fuel surcharge from 14% to 19%
  • PostNL: €0.11 remains €0.11 (no increase)
  • UPS & FedEx: fuel surcharge on express shipments from 32% to 48.50%

 

That is a significant increase in just a few months, and these kinds of fluctuations can affect your shipping costs and margins faster than you might expect.

 

“But we get discounts, right?”

Correct; some retailers receive substantial discounts on base rates and surcharges. At the same time, we are increasingly hearing that those discounts are under pressure and are being reduced (in part). This means the net impact can be greater than you might assume based on what your contract says “on paper”.

 

Why this matters right now

Because differences between carriers are large, it is wise to actively monitor transport costs and surcharges, rather than only reacting once the carrier invoice arrives. This is especially relevant if you:

  • pass (part of) shipping costs on to consumers;
  • offer “free delivery from” a certain order value;
  • ship high volumes in specific regions (where tolls and route choices can have extra impact);
  • use multiple carriers and rates vary significantly between them.

 

Practical tips

Over the coming period, take another look at how you build up your checkout pricing. Small changes in surcharges can “leak” into your margin unnoticed, especially if your checkout prices have not been updated for some time. Our tips:

  • Calculate what you keep per order, and see what a 10% increase in fuel costs does to your margin.

    Example 1: you currently pay €5 in transport costs for a parcel you sell for €50, with a 20% margin. That is €10 gross margin. If the fuel surcharge increases by 10% (so €0.50 extra), you keep €9.50 of that €10. That means a 5% decrease in margin on this order.

    Example 2: for a shipment with €30 in transport costs and a 20% margin, you see this immediately in what you take home. Of your €10 margin, only €7 remains. That is a 6% drop in your margin.

  • Keep a close eye on surcharges, compare carriers regularly, and check whether your checkout prices still match your current costs.
  • Offer customers multiple delivery options, such as delivery to a parcel shop or locker. Carriers often offer discounts or better rates for these options.
  • Explore delayed delivery options. This can reduce peaks in your warehouse, lowering your logistics costs, which can (partly) offset rising transport costs.

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