Fee comparison

Guaranteed / expedited delivery fees by carrier

Guaranteed (or expedited) delivery is a premium LTL service that commits a shipment to a specific delivery time — commonly 5:00 PM, noon, or a tighter window — rather than the standard service-day estimate. Carriers bill it as a flat fee or a percentage upcharge on linehaul charges, usually with a stated minimum, set out in each carrier's rules tariff.

Lowest
$50
Median
$134
Highest
$184
Carriers
10
Per shipment
1
Southeastern Freight Lines
$50 per shipment; delivery by 5:00 PM on assigned day
eff. Jan 9, 2023
$50lowest
2
Saia
Flat upcharge when customer lists specific date/multiple day window on BOL
eff. Oct 21, 2024
$60
3
Southeastern Freight Lines
$100 per shipment; delivery by noon on assigned day
eff. Jan 9, 2023
$100
4
FedEx Freight
Upcharge for delivery by 5:00 p.m. commitment; plus Standard Charges
eff. Jan 5, 2026
$134
5
TForce Freight
Flat $150/shipment on current UPGF 560/580 rates; otherwise 35% surcharge, $150 minimum.
eff. Jun 6, 2022
35%
6
XPO
Per shipment for time/date specific delivery requests
eff. Jan 15, 2024
$184
7
FedEx Freight
Flat fee for FedEx Freight Economy early delivery request
eff. Jan 5, 2026
$193
8
FedEx Freight
Delivery at or prior to 10:30 a.m.; plus Standard Charges
eff. Jan 5, 2026
$212highest
R+L Carriers
Standard charges plus 20% upcharge, min $62.60; delivery by 5:00 PM scheduled commitment
eff. Aug 4, 2025
20% upcharge of net linehaul charges, $62.60 absolute minimum
R+L Carriers
Standard charges plus 30% upcharge, min $125.40; delivery by 12:00 PM
eff. Aug 4, 2025
30% upcharge of net linehaul charges, $125.40 absolute minimum
R+L Carriers
Standard charges plus 40% upcharge, min $160.90; delivery within 1-hour minimum window
eff. Aug 4, 2025
40% upcharge of net linehaul charges, $160.90 absolute minimum
Of charges
AAA Cooper
ACTION Guaranteed Day; 20% of net linehaul, min $20.00
eff. Dec 22, 2025
20%
TForce Freight
25% surcharge on discounted freight charges, $75 minimum.
eff. Jun 6, 2022
25%
Estes
By 5PM: 30% ($60 min); by noon: 40% ($100 min); by 10AM: 50% ($140 min)
eff. Nov 17, 2025
30% net class rate ($60 min) by 5; 40% ($100 min) by noon; 50% ($140 min) by 10
XPO
25% of net linehaul, minimum $60.00; guarantees delivery within standard transit time
eff. Jan 15, 2024
25% of net linehaul charge, $60.00 minimum
Saia
Guarantee for shipments to Walmart/Sam's DC locations for eligible customers
eff. Oct 21, 2024
30% of net freight charges, $68.00 minimum
Roadrunner
Guaranteed delivery service; 35% upcharge on linehaul + LHS, $85 min
eff. Sep 22, 2025
35% upcharge, total linehaul + LHS, $85 min
Dayton Freight
Delivery before 12:00 Noon on scheduled day; limited to certain zip codes.
eff. Jan 27, 2025
35% of net line haul charges, $90.00 minimum
XPO
10% of total invoice, minimum $134.00; delivery one business day faster than standard
eff. Jan 15, 2024
10% of total shipment invoice, $134.00 minimum
Saia
Delivery by 12 p.m. on published service standard day
eff. Oct 21, 2024
35% upcharge of net line haul charges, $179.50 minimum
XPO
35% of net linehaul, minimum $368.00; delivery by noon within standard transit
eff. Jan 15, 2024
35% of net linehaul charge, $368.00 minimum

Amounts are each carrier's published tariff figure — negotiated contracts may override them. Carriers price this fee in different shapes (flat charge, per-cwt rate), so the table groups like with like — a low per-cwt rate is not a low fee once its minimum charge applies. Click a carrier for the citation, tariff language, and history.

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Frequently asked

Why does guaranteed delivery cost so much more with some carriers than others?
Most carriers price it as a percentage upcharge on net linehaul charges — commonly in the 20%-to-40% range — subject to a flat-dollar minimum, so the charge scales with shipment value. Others bill a flat per-shipment fee instead; both structures are set out in the tariff item cited per carrier on this page.
Do carriers offer more than one guaranteed-delivery tier?
Several publish tiered guarantee levels under the same tariff item — for example, delivery by 5:00 PM, by noon, and by a specific morning time — with the upcharge or minimum rising as the window tightens.

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