What Is a High-Cost Delivery Area Charge?

When you ship large, heavy items like a tandoor oven, the delivery is handled by LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) freight carriers — the same companies that move commercial goods across the country. Unlike small parcel services like UPS or FedEx Ground, LTL carriers use large trucks that travel set routes between freight terminals.

Some delivery addresses are located in areas that are more expensive for these carriers to reach. The freight industry calls these “High-Cost Service Areas” — and carriers apply a surcharge for deliveries to these locations.

Why does this surcharge exist?

LTL carriers build their networks around major freight corridors and metropolitan hubs. When a delivery falls outside these efficient routes, the carrier incurs additional costs:

• Remote or low-density areas — Locations far from freight terminals or major highways require longer drive times and dedicated trips that can’t be combined with other deliveries.
• Congested urban zones — Dense city centers (like parts of New York City or San Francisco) present challenges with traffic, parking restrictions, narrow streets, and limited access for large freight trucks.
• Island and peninsula locations — Areas that require ferry crossings, bridges with toll restrictions, or routes with limited access add significant time and cost to delivery.
• Areas with limited carrier coverage — Some ZIP codes are only serviced by a single carrier or require “interlining” (transferring the shipment between carriers), which adds handling and cost.

This is an industry-wide practice

High-Cost Delivery Area surcharges are not unique to Luxury Tandoors — they are standard across the freight shipping industry. Major carriers like FedEx Freight, XPO Logistics, Estes Express, and others all publish high-cost area surcharge schedules based on ZIP codes. For example, FedEx Freight’s High Cost Service Area Surcharge ranges from $30 to $300 depending on the destination tier.

These surcharges are determined entirely by the carrier based on the delivery ZIP code, and they apply regardless of the product being shipped.

How we handle it

At Luxury Tandoors, we believe in transparent pricing:

• We pass through the carrier’s surcharge at cost with no markup.
• The surcharge amount is shown clearly during checkout before you place your order — no surprises after the fact.
• The surcharge only applies to tandoor oven deliveries, not to accessories or smaller items that ship via standard carriers.
• If your address is not in a high-cost delivery area, you will not see this charge.

Can the surcharge be avoided?

Unfortunately, we cannot waive or reduce this surcharge — it is set by the freight carrier and billed to us directly. However, you have a couple of options:

• Ship to an alternate address — If you have access to a business address or a friend/family member in a nearby non-surcharge area, shipping there could avoid the fee.
• Local pickup — If you’re near one of our pickup locations, you can pick up your tandoor at no shipping cost.

Questions?

If you have questions about the delivery surcharge for your specific address, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re happy to look up your ZIP code and let you know the exact amount before you order.