Looking to reduce the Postal Service’s use of air transportation, and make feasible slower service for First-Class Mail, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy moved significant quantities of mail onto ground transportation routes for all but the greatest distances. Now, looking for ways to reduce the reliance on contractors for that service, the PMG is beginning to insource USPS transportation. As reported…
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Anyone familiar with the Postmaster General’s 10-Year Plan knows that part of the strategy to balance the agency’s books includes not only price increases but cost reductions from improved efficiency in USPS operations. Many readers, particularly noting the changes now underway in the Postal Service’s processing, transportation, and delivery networks, conclude that some of the forecasted efficiency and savings will…
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Continuing steps to move to a more battery-powered delivery fleet, the Postal Service announced on February 28 that, “after a competitive search,” it had awarded a contract to Ford Motor Company for 9,250 Ford E-Transit Battery Electric Vehicles. However, the agency conditioned starting delivery of the trucks, planned for December, on the “successful completion of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement…
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In its 2022 Post-Election Analysis, a document released January 9, the Postal Service reported the service it claimed to have provided “ballots [sent] from voters to local boards of elections” between September 6 and December 6, 2022.” Of the 54.4 million ballots it identified over the period, it claimed to have delivered 98.96% within three days, 99.82% within five days,…
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Though the Postal Service has issued its PQ IV service performance data, it remains questionable whether the reported figures truly represent the service experience of the associated class or category of mail. Significant quantities of mail remain not “in measurement” for any of several reasons, but the leading causes are “long haul,” “no piece scan,” and “no start-the clock.” The…
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Anyone who’s been in or around the Postal Service long enough begins to see annual cycles in service, volume and revenue, and official pronouncements for any and all of it. At this time of year, the agency usually is finishing its ramp-up to the holiday shipping season. This year, the mid-term elections are also underway, meaning the usual high level…
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Documents provided by the Postal Service to its labor groups detail the initial moves to implement the network redesign contained in the Postmaster General’s 10-year Plan. Generally, the redesign would impact the mail processing, transportation, and delivery infrastructure; similarly, sweeping changes are not anticipated for retail facilities. SDCs The focus of the documents is the consolidation in specific areas of…
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In a March 24 press release, the Postal Service announced that it had placed an order for 50,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles with Oshkosh Defense, the contractor it had selected last year. The total cost of the order was stated to be $2.98 billion, or about $60,000 per vehicle, although that average may include costs other than the “sticker price” of each…
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