I don’t like paying $4 a gallon for gasoline – nobody does… But unless you are pilot you probably have not looked at the U.S. Spot price for Jet Fuel.  As of today, it sits at more than $4.00 per gallon for the US Gulf coast.

I am sure the execs at FedEx are looking! 

The reason you might care about the price of jet fuel is that overnight carriers like FedEx pegs its annoying “Fuel Surcharge” to the spot price of jet fuel.  They have a handy calculator on their site that shows customers how much their fuel surcharge will be based on this jet fuel spot price.  Their chart has a starting point with NO fuel surcharge — if Jet fuel is $1.14 per gallon or less.  However, scroll down.. and down..  Their chart literally RUNS OUT at $3.38 per gallon, where they will charge a 28.5% fuel surcharge! Spot fuel on 5/23 was $4.00..  (see it here)

Two things strike me here 1) why don’t they update their chart? It makes them look silly to have it stop short of what the actual price of fuel IS.. They should probably expand their chart to run to $10.00 per gallon because that is where we are headed, and 2) If $3.38 equates to 28% surcharge charge — what the heck will it be at $5.00 a gallon?  $7.50? 

If you are an executive and noticed your shipping bill is going up 28%, what is your hedge to this?  Do you really think fuel prices will go DOWN? 

Here is a recent quote from the FedEx site showing how much it would cost to ship a package from Seattle to New York… $51.19 for Standard Overnight Delivery!  Lots more than last year.  Why? Look at the extra charges.. $10.24 for fuel, and $2.30 to deliver to a residence.  The base rate is a whopping $38.65. It all adds up.

Of course comparing FedEx with its huge fleet of planes and trucks to DocSign is not a fair comparison. DocuSign has zero planes, zero trucks, and as a result ZERO FUEL SURCHARGE. The overnight carriers are in trouble.

So, the punchline here?  Smart companies are turning to DocuSign — literally turning to Internet, and not the Interstate for their overnight documents. They do this because it is one heck of a lot cheaper, it is faster, and of course, it is much more environmentally responsible. Not only is Jet Fuel expensive, it is really bad for the environment.  So is paper.

Here is a comparison of the leading carriers delivery fees for Seattle to New York as of this morning as I write this.  I also found the fastest possible delivery because to compare DocuSign you really need to be instanlty delivered.  The best I found was “Expedited” on UPS: literally putting an envelope on a plane to New York. $428.93, what a bargain, but it gets there Sunday morning…

Let’s compare these to DocuSign:
1. No fuel at all
2. No paper needed
3. It gets there in a few SECONDS
4. It is more secure

AND… It is 8,479% less expensive than the physical carriers fastest delivery. 

So, think about it the next time you get an overnight envelope, or fuel up your car…  Ask yourself – Internet or Interstate?

I know you’ll make the right choice!  Your wallet and our planet depend on good choices.  This one is a no-brainer.

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