OnTrac will replace its flat-rate Additional Handling and Large Package Surcharges with zone-based pricing structures effective March 7, 2026. Both surcharges will shift from a single per-package rate applied uniformly across all zones to tiered rates that increase with shipment distance. The Additional Handling Surcharge, currently $36.00 per package regardless of zone, will range from $32.00 (Zone 2) to $42.00 (Zone 7–8). The Large Package Surcharge, currently $285.00 per package, will range from $265.00 (Zone 2) to $325.00 (Zone 7–8). OnTrac will also introduce a new weight-based trigger for the Large Package Surcharge: any package with an actual weight exceeding 110 lbs will qualify, regardless of dimensional thresholds. The net effect for shippers: cost decreases on short-zone shipments, cost increases on long-zone shipments, and a broader capture of heavy packages into the Large Package Surcharge category.
Additional Handling
Surcharge The current flat rate of $36.00 per package will be replaced by four zone-based tiers. Zone 2 drops to $32.00 (−$4.00 / −11.1%), Zone 3–4 holds at $36.00 (no change), Zone 5–6 rises to $40.00 (+$4.00 / +11.1%), and Zone 7–8 rises to $42.00 (+$6.00 / +16.7%). Shippers whose Additional Handling volume is concentrated in shorter zones will see modest relief; those shipping primarily to Zones 5–8 will see a meaningful per-package increase. The surcharge criteria themselves — packaging type, length over 48 inches, width over 30 inches, weight over 50 lbs, or cubic size over 8,640 cubic inches — remain unchanged, as does the 40 lb minimum billable weight for eligible packages.
Large Package Surcharge
The current flat rate of $285.00 per package will be replaced by four zone-based tiers. Zone 2 drops to $265.00 (−$20.00 / −7.0%), Zone 3–4 drops to $275.00 (−$10.00 / −3.5%), Zone 5–6 rises to $315.00 (+$30.00 / +10.5%), and Zone 7–8 rises to $325.00 (+$40.00 / +14.0%). Because the LPS applies to the largest, most expensive-to-handle packages, the dollar impact of the zone-based increase is substantial: a $40.00 per-package increase at Zone 7–8 will compound quickly for shippers moving large-format goods cross-network. In addition, OnTrac is introducing a new 110 lb actual-weight trigger. Previously, LPS eligibility was based solely on dimensional criteria (longest side over 72 inches or cubic size over 17,280 cubic inches). Effective March 7, any package exceeding 110 lbs in actual weight will also qualify — expanding the surcharge's reach to heavy, compact packages that may not have triggered LPS under the prior dimensional-only rules. The 90 lb minimum billable weight for LPS-eligible packages remains in place.
These changes will affect any shipper tendering packages that qualify for Additional Handling or Large Package Surcharges. The zone-based structure means the impact will vary by shipper profile: those with shipment distributions weighted toward longer zones (5–8) will absorb cost increases, while those concentrated in Zone 2 will see slight decreases. Shippers should not assume the changes are neutral — the increases at the upper zones outpace the decreases at the lower zones in both dollar and percentage terms.
The new 110 lb weight trigger for the Large Package Surcharge is a scope expansion, not just a rate change. Shippers moving dense, heavy products — such as equipment, industrial goods, or oversized consumer items — may find packages newly subject to the LPS that were previously exempt. At $265.00–$325.00 per package depending on zone, even a small number of newly captured packages will have a material cost impact.
Finance and logistics teams should model the impact against their actual zone distribution and package profile data before March 7. Any cost models, contract benchmarks, or rate-shopping logic built on flat-rate assumptions for these surcharges will need to be updated.
💡 Both Additional Handling and Large Package Surcharges will shift from flat per-package rates to zone-based pricing effective March 7, 2026. The flat-rate structure is being eliminated entirely — no shipments will remain on the prior pricing after that date.
💡 Short-zone shipments get cheaper; long-zone shipments get more expensive. Additional Handling at Zone 7–8 increases 16.7% ($36.00 → $42.00); Large Package at Zone 7–8 increases 14.0% ($285.00 → $325.00). Zone 2 rates decline modestly for both surcharges.
💡 A new 110 lb actual-weight trigger expands the scope of the Large Package Surcharge. Packages that previously avoided LPS because they fell within dimensional thresholds but weighed over 110 lbs will now incur the surcharge — shippers should audit their package weight distributions to identify newly exposed shipments.
💡 The zone-based structure means shippers' cost exposure now depends on their zone mix. A shipper with 80% of volume in Zones 2–4 will experience a very different impact than one with 80% in Zones 5–8. Generic cost assumptions will not capture the true impact — model against your actual shipment data.
