US Postal Service to introduce 8% fuel surcharge on packages | US Postal Service

US Postal Service (USPS) plans to introduce its own service first time fuel surcharge According to the statement, agreements were reached on packages to balance increasing energy costs.

The surcharge, set at 8% under the current plan, is expected to come into force on April 26 and remain in effect until January 17, 2027.

Packages covered by Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select will be affected by the additional fee.

“Transportation costs are increasing, and our competitors have reacted with a series of surcharges,” USPS said in a statement. “We have steadfastly avoided surcharges, and this fee is less than a third of what our competitors charge for fuel alone, so even with this change the Postal Service continues to deliver great value in shipping with some of the lowest rates in the industrialized world.”

Oil prices have risen dramatically since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, with the cost per barrel of crude oil rising by up to 40% since the beginning of 2026.

The average price per gallon of diesel gas in the U.S. is currently $5.37, up from $3.75 a month ago.

Democrats were quick to voice their concerns.

“Groceries. Gas. Now packages. Is there anything Donald Trump hasn’t made more expensive? Call it the Trump Postal Tax,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. to mail on social media.

“Trump has done so poorly on affordability that he has even managed to make the mail more expensive,” US senator Raphael Warnock said in a speech. to mail.

Rising fuel costs are the latest financial hurdle for the struggling postal service.

Earlier this month, Postmaster General David Steiner said the agency would run out of funds within the next year unless Congress changes the amount of money the USPS is allowed to borrow.

“Less than a year from now, if we maintain the status quo, the Postal Service will not be able to deliver the mail,” Steiner told lawmakers.