USPS Adds Fuel Surcharge, Avoids Stamp Hike

0:00The U.S. Postal Service is adding a temporary 8% surcharge to some shipping rates to cover higher fuel costs tied to the Iran War. This starts April 26th, pending approval, and runs through January 17th, 2027, when they review it again. It hits priority mail express, priority mail, ground advantage, and parcel select services, but leaves first class stamps and other items unchanged. As a self-funded agency, the Postal Service relies entirely on sales like postage to operate without taxpayer money. Fuel prices have spiked lately, with average gas nearing $4.00 a gallon and diesel at $5.37 cents, both upsharply from last month. Officials say this surcharge is still way below what private competitors charge, just for fuel. The move comes amid bigger money woes for the Postal Service, which lost $9 billion last year and faces declining mail volume. The Postmaster General recently warned Congress they could run out of cash within 12 months.

1:02They're pushing a 10-year plan to cut costs and get back on track, including talk of bumping first class stamps to $90 or $0.95 from the current $0.78. For now, this fuel fix buys some time as they tackle the challenges ahead. That's the story for today, Dallas News Today, driven by AI.