After the House Subcommittee on Government Operations heard from the Postal Regulatory Commission on June 4, and the Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs reviewed two nominees to be governors of the Postal Service on June 17, the postal trifecta was completed when Postmaster General David Steiner appeared before the Senate committee on June 24. Statements Neither the PMG’s opening remarks…
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In recent years, the process for commercial mail acceptance, payment, and entry has become entirely automated by a complex web of interrelated Postal Service data systems. Generally, the mail producer uploads data describing the content, preparation, and postage payment for a mailing and the Postal Service processes this to confirm payment and authorize entry of the mail. Meanwhile, the mail…
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After last week’s Congressional hearing, anyone reading the statements and hearing the comments by the Postal Regulatory Commission’s four commissioners has a thorough summary of the PRC’s perspectives about the Postal Service. Collectively, their observations about USPS finances, operations, and service were not positive, and generally traced the source of their concerns to the 10-Year Plan initiated five years ago…
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Watching PMG David Steiner testify before the House Subcommittee on Government Operations last week made some impressions, good and bad, and perpetuated concerns over conditions not being addressed. The hearing was in a large room with the subcommittee leadership sitting on the top row, above many other empty rows, looking at the witnesses some distance below. The more unusual element…
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The practice of regime change – one way or another – has gained a certain popularity of late. Usually the initial change is replacement of the person at the top, followed by a winnowing of those in subordinate positions until holdovers from the prior regime have left – one way or another. Fortunately, the US had an orderly process for…
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On March 2, the White House sent to the US Senate three nominations to fill vacant positions on the Postal Service’s Board of Governors. No details about the nominees’ education, professional experience, or qualifications were included with the nominations, so any such information had to be gleaned from internet searches. The recent nominees join a fourth whose name was originally…
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Management training essential for small business success. Management training is a game-changer for small businesses because it strengthens the very backbone of the company – its current and future leadership. In a small business, every decision, process, and relationship has a direct and often immediate impact on performance, so having skilled managers isn’t just “nice to have,” it’s mission-critical. Despite…
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In an example of what’s-old-is-new-again, the Postal Service announced on December 17 that it will be taking bids from shippers who want the agency to provide last-mile delivery. Details of the program will be disclosed “in the coming months,” with winning bidders being selected “in the second calendar quarter” of 2026 and service beginning the quarter after that, i.e., in…
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Apparently as yet unable to reach a satisfactory deal with the Postal Service, Amazon reportedly is making plans to ditch the agency and instead build out its own rural delivery network. According to an article by Jacob Bogage in the December 4 Washington Post, “Amazon is preparing to expand its nationwide delivery network and give up its long-standing partnership with…
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There’s an old expression to the effect that “If you’re a hammer, every problem is a nail.” In other words, people tend to view a problem, and approach its solution, in the context of their own experience. Applying this to the Postal Service, former postmaster general Louis DeJoy was a trucking guy, experienced in moving full trucks of boxes from…
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