Major national parcel carriers in the United States delivered higher on-time performance during the 2025 holiday peak shipping season, even as total parcel volume rose and network capacity shifted. According to logistics analytics from ShipMatrix, the sector successfully absorbed a 5 % year-over-year increase in parcel volumes, with key carriers posting stronger punctuality metrics.
Despite industrywide efforts to manage costs and capacity — including adjustments to delivery commitments and the presence of more independent carriers raising overall freight capacity — service improved across the board. During December, the U.S. Postal Service achieved an on-time delivery rate of 94.1 %, up from 90.4 % in the previous year.
Among private carriers, FedEx Express increased its on-time performance to 95.3 % — an improvement of 3.5 percentage points — while UPS posted the highest rate at 97.2 %, up from 96.5 % in 2024. ShipMatrix attributed some of the differences between FedEx and UPS to variance in delivery commitments and timing allowances used during the peak period, including adjusted delivery windows that accounted for peak conditions.
Analysts say that improved performance was supported by wider market capacity and more flexible delivery practices compared with previous peak seasons, helping carriers maintain on-time reliability even as consumer e-commerce spending set new records and holiday parcel volumes climbed.
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