What Is Ground Shipping? Guide To the Best Ground Carriers

Did you know that ground shipping can reach places airplanes can’t?

Unlike air freight, which relies on airports and expensive infrastructure, ground shipping utilizes existing roads and rails—even in remote areas—making it a reliable and cost-effective choice for timely deliveries. Ensuring reliable delivery of products is essential to maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.

For ecommerce businesses, ground shipping offers a balance between speed and affordability. Learn how ground shipping can help you deliver orders efficiently and cost-effectively to your customers in your home country.

What is ground shipping?

Ground shipping is the transportation of goods by land—typically using trucks or rail instead of air and sea shipping. It’s the most common and affordable domestic shipping option.

Ground shipping primarily serves customers within the same country or region as your business, though it can extend to nearby territories—like a ground shipment from the US to Mexico or Canada. All orders, including those sent via air or sea, eventually rely on ground shipping for last-mile delivery—the final step of moving an item from a warehouse or fulfillment center to the customer’s doorstep.

Why do ecommerce businesses choose ground shipping?

There are several advantages to using ground shipping over other shipping options like air freight services, including:

• Cost-effectiveness. With generally lower rates than air (or sea) freight, ground shipping can help reduce shipping costs. With Shopify Shipping, you can easily compare ground shipping rates and get exclusive perks like discounted rates from major carriers.

• Flexibility. Ground shipping carriers typically offer a range of expedited shipping options for urgent deliveries, including Saturday pickups and two-day deliveries.

• Shipping capacity. Ground shipping is a good option for large packages, as bigger and heavier deliveries cost significantly more with air and sea shipping.

• Fewer restrictions. Ground shipping has fewer restrictions about what can be sent compared to other shipping methods. 

Best ground shipping carriers

• United States Postal Service (USPS)
• United Parcel Service (UPS)
• FedEx
• DHL

Here’s a breakdown of the major carriers that offer ground services for the shipping and fulfillment process:

United States Postal Service (USPS)

The United States Postal Service is a standard option for ground shipping domestic deliveries. Through its Ground Advantage service, USPS offers delivery times from two to five business days for packages under 70 pounds.

Ground shipping rates with Ground Advantage vary based on package weight and destination. Prices start at $5.40 for a four-ounce package. For packages over one pound, rates begin at $8.40 for one pound, around $20 for 20 pounds, and up to $58.30 for a 70-pound package.

Rates also depend on how far you’re shipping and are calculated using a zone system—the further the shipment, the higher the zone number. For example, a shipment within 50 miles is a Zone 1 shipment, while a coast-to-coast shipment is a Zone 8. You can use the USPS Domestic Zone Chart to find out your shipment’s zone by entering origin and destination ZIP codes.

United Parcel Service (UPS)

UPS Ground handles packages up to 150 pounds, with delivery times ranging from one to five business days. According to the company, about 90% of UPS Ground packages arrive within three days. Ground packages cannot exceed 108 inches in length or a total of 130 inches in combined length and girth.

UPS Ground shipping rates start at $11.32 for a one-pound package and increase with weight. For example, they charge $18.11 for a 20-pound package, $29.30 for a 60-pound package, and up to $113.76 for a 150-pound package. Rates can increase further depending on how far packages ship, using a similar zone system to USPS.

FedEx

FedEx’s ground shipping service includes FedEx Ground for weekday business deliveries and FedEx Home Delivery for residential deliveries seven days a week.

FedEx Ground and Home Delivery can deliver packages anywhere in the continental US within one to five days, depending on shipping distance and package weight. FedEx ground delivery rates are similar to UPS, with ground shipping rates starting at $11.32 for a one-pound package and a $5.15 residential delivery fee.

FedEx allows ground shipping for packages up to 150 pounds, 108 inches in length, and 165 inches in combined length and girth.

DHL

DHL is a global logistics company headquartered in Germany, specializing in international shipments in more thn 200 countries. It offers ground deliveries in the US and Canada, with delivery times ranging from three to eight days for packages up to 70 pounds. 

DHL has 18 US distribution centers, and partners with USPS, allowing customers to drop packages off at standard mailboxes and post offices, or even through scheduled pickups. 

Ground shipping rates vary based on the weight and distance, and you can request a quote on DHL’s website. The maximum package size for standard ground shipping is 27 inches in length and 17 inches in combined length and height.