Purchased transportation
FedEx Purchased transportation increased by 3.4% to $6.08B in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 8.0%, from $5.63B to $6.08B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Purchased transportation shows relatively stable performance with a 0.1% CAGR. This increase may warrant attention — for this metric, lower values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Higher costs suggest a reliance on third-party capacity to meet demand spikes, whereas lower costs may indicate better utilization of internal assets.
Detailed definition
Purchased transportation costs represent expenses paid to third-party carriers, contractors, or logistics partners to mo...
Peer comparison
Standard for logistics and freight companies; reflects the 'asset-light' vs 'asset-heavy' operational strategy.
other_purchased_transportation_costsHistorical Data
| Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | Q2 '26 | Q3 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $5.63B | $5.66B | $6.24B | $6.27B | $5.95B | $5.77B | $5.67B | $5.40B | $4.96B | $5.04B | $5.40B | $5.35B | $5.15B | $5.28B | $5.50B | $5.63B | $5.36B | $5.49B | $5.89B | $6.08B |
| QoQ Change | — | +0.5% | +10.3% | +0.5% | -5.2% | -3.0% | -1.8% | -4.6% | -8.3% | +1.6% | +7.1% | -0.9% | -3.7% | +2.5% | +4.3% | +2.4% | -4.9% | +2.4% | +7.2% | +3.4% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +5.6% | +1.9% | -9.2% | -13.9% | -16.6% | -12.7% | -4.8% | -1.1% | +3.8% | +4.7% | +1.9% | +5.4% | +4.2% | +4.0% | +7.0% | +8.0% |
Purchased transportation at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is FedEx's purchased transportation?
- FedEx (FDX) reported purchased transportation of $6.08B in Q4 2025.
- How has FedEx's purchased transportation changed year-over-year?
- FedEx's purchased transportation increased by 8.0% year-over-year, from $5.63B to $6.08B.
- What is the long-term trend for FedEx's purchased transportation?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), FedEx's purchased transportation has grown at a 0.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $21.67B to $21.77B.
- What does purchased transportation mean?
- The cost of hiring outside companies to handle shipping and transportation tasks.