DHL plans to raise its express rates in the United States between 2 and 8 percent in 2006, keeping pace with price increases already announced by FedEx and UPS.

DHL officials told analysts at an investor meeting in New York that it plans to raise the prices even though the company is struggling to recover business it lost because of service problems following the integration of its new hub operations in Ohio.

The company "reiterated its desire to (raise) pricing and reduce the historical discount between its services and those of UPS and (FedEx)," the Morgan Stanley investment firm reported after the meetings with DHL.

DHL says it lost some $280 million worth of annual business in the fallout from its troubled hub integration. The company says it has recovered nearly half of that, with only about 10 percent coming back with added discounting.

A spokesman did not immediately return calls for comment.