Struggling with high shipping costs or delayed deliveries? Discover how Ground Shipping offers affordable, reliable domestic delivery solutions.

High shipping costs and unpredictable delivery timelines can drive your customers away and hurt your profits. For e-commerce businesses, especially those shipping domestically across the U.S., it’s crucial to find a balance between cost and delivery time. That’s where Ground Shipping comes into play.

In this comprehensive guide, we break down everything you need to know about ground shipping, how it works, how long it takes, the top carriers offering it, and most importantly, how you can integrate ground shipping services into your WooCommerce store using the ELEX EasyPost plugin for a smooth, cost-effective shipping workflow.

What Is Ground Shipping?

Ground shipping refers to the transportation of parcels via road (and sometimes rail) networks within a domestic region. Unlike air or ocean freight, ground shipping leverages trucking fleets and rail lines to move goods between origin and destination zones.

Key advantages include:

• Lower Costs
  Compared to expedited air services, ground shipments typically cost 40–60% less, depending on distance and weight.
• Versatility
  From small envelopes to palletized freight, most parcel sizes can be accommodated.
• Accessibility
  Nearly every address in the continental U.S. is reachable via ground carriers.

However, delivery times are longer, ranging from 1–8 business days, making ground shipping ideal for non-urgent shipments and heavy or irregularly sized packages.

How Ground Shipping Works?

1. Pickup & Origin Scan
   The Carrier collects parcels from your warehouse or drop-off point and scans them into the network.
2. Sortation Center Processing
   Packages are routed by regional sort facilities based on zip codes and carrier zones.
3. Linehaul Transport
   Freight moves between sort centers via trucks or rail, often overnight.
4. Last-Mile Delivery
   Local carriers deliver packages to the recipient’s address, completing the transit with Last-Mile Delivery.

Ground Shipping vs. Other Modes 

Mode	Cost Factor	Transit Time	Best For
Ground	Low	1–8 business days	Heavy packages, cost-sensitive
Air	High	1–2 business days	Urgent deliveries, lightweight
Ocean	Moderate	10–30 days	Bulk freight, international routes

Transit Times & Cost Factors

Transit and pricing for ground shipping depend on multiple factors:

• Zone-Based Pricing
  Carriers divide the U.S. into zones; longer distances incur higher fees.
• Weight & Dimensions
  Dimensional (DIM) weight pricing may apply for bulky but lightweight packages.
• Fuel & Surcharges
  Fuel costs, residential delivery fees, and additional surcharges can add 5–15% to base rates.

What is the Difference Between Standard Shipping and Ground Shipping?

Standard shipping is just regular shipping, there are no immediate deliveries or even overnight shipping. These do not offer any special offer to get your shipments delivered quickly. And most of the shipping is done via surface carriers and is cheaper.

Ground shipping, on the other hand, is primarily forwarded via freight services and does take more time. These are cheaper and mostly conducted using road transport options. And again, it does take much longer to deliver.

What are the Rates for Shipping by Road?

If you want to look for the rates for ground shipping, they differ from one carrier to another. The shipping rates depend on the packaging you choose and the distance as well. You can also make use of a shipping calculator to get it done right to find an estimate of your shipping costs.

What Are the Benefits of This Service?

If you consider low-cost or cheaper options to ship, then this is for you. Precisely, there are several benefits of ground shipping:

1. You can send anything from furniture to letters as long as it is not illegal via ground shipping.
2. No size limitations, you can either send heavier ones or even too light ones.
3. Ideally, there should be many delivery delays if the weather conditions are perfect.
4. The easiest option is to send across the country.
5. You can get pick-up and drop-off options.
6. Most of the shipping carriers offer tracking solutions to keep the customers well informed about the package in transit.

Top 3 Ground Carriers

If you see that most of the domestic and international courier services offer Ground shipping services, a few popular ones are:

UPS Ground Shipping

UPS offers cost-effective ground shipping services.

• Base Rate: From US$7.57 per lb (residential surcharge US$3.60 + fuel surcharge US$0.67) = US$11.84 total minimum.
• Transit: 1–5 business days
• Tracking: Detailed scan events and estimated delivery dates.

USPS Retail Ground

USPS Retail Ground was initially called a standard post, but it’s now the road shipping service for USPS.

• Base Rate: From US$7.35
• Transit: 2–8 business days (up to 14 days)
• Tracking: Included for all packages

FedEx Ground

This FedEx Ground service is the most affordable, convenient, and fast ground shipping service.

• Base Rate: From US$9.35 (depending on DIM weight)
• Transit: 1–5 business days
• Tracking: Real-time updates via web and mobile app.

How to integrate UPS, USPS, and FedEx services into your WooCommerce store?

To integrate the UPS, USPS, and FedEx shipping services to your WooCommerce store, you can make use of the ELEX EasyPost (FedEx, UPS, Canada Post & USPS) Shipping & Label Printing Plugin for WooCommerce. The plugin can easily let you make use of these popular shipping options on your WooCommerce store and effortlessly offer several features that will ease your shipping process.

• Access real-time rates from FedEx, UPS, and USPS and display them on your WooCommerce store.

• Print WooCommerce FedEx, UPS, and USPS shipping labels as well as return labels for the orders.
• Display the estimated delivery date for all shipping options.

• The plugin helps to track FedEx, UPS, and USPS  shipments efficiently.
• Using the plugin, you can apply price adjustments on shipping options for the chosen carriers.

• Offer exclusive, customized Parcel packing options for shipping.

• Choose different shipping options for packages when multiple packages are present.
  
• Added security options for the packages using the EasyPost Shipping insurance.
• There are add-ons to help generate bulk shipments and labels for the same.
• Automate the process of generating your shipping labels, also possible for all shipping options available.

Last Shot

If you’re facing rising shipping expenses or cart abandonment due to a lack of delivery transparency, ground shipping is your most practical answer. It’s not only affordable but also reliable for most domestic e-commerce operations in the U.S.

By integrating ground shipping services from FedEx, UPS, and USPS into your WooCommerce store using the ELEX EasyPost Shipping & Label Printing Plugin, you empower your store to offer real-time rates, label generation, accurate delivery estimates, and parcel tracking all while keeping operational costs low.

Nowadays, optimizing your shipping strategy isn’t just smart, it’s necessary. Ground shipping gives you the leverage to stay competitive while keeping customers satisfied. Ready to supercharge your shipping?

Download the ELEX EasyPost Plugin and start optimizing your ground shipping today!

FAQ’S

1. What makes ground shipping better than air or expedited shipping?
   If you’re not on a tight delivery deadline, ground shipping is a cost-effective and reliable alternative to expensive air options perfect for domestic deliveries.
2. Can I offer free shipping using ground shipping methods?
   Yes! Since ground shipping is cheaper, you can offer free shipping promotions without drastically reducing your profit margin, ideal for boosting conversions.
3. How do I enable ground shipping on my WooCommerce store?
   Use the ELEX EasyPost (FedEx, UPS, USPS & Canada Post) Plugin to access real-time rates, print labels, and display delivery dates directly on your store.
4. Is ground shipping reliable for e-commerce businesses?
   Absolutely. Ground shipping is reliable for domestic orders and is widely used by major e-commerce brands. It ensures cost-efficiency, package tracking, and timely delivery within a few days.
5. Can customers track their ground shipments in real-time?
   Yes. With services like FedEx Ground, UPS Ground, and USPS Ground Advantage, customers receive tracking numbers that allow them to monitor their shipments from dispatch to delivery.

Further Reading

• UPS Ground and UPS Freight – Uncovering the Top 7 differences
• How to Print UPS Shipping Label from Your WooCommerce Store Using ShipEngine?
• All about UPS Drop Off Locations and Services
• Retail Ground vs Priority Mail: Which USPS Shipping Option is Right for You?