Tag: North America

U.S. Postal Service issues report on USO and Postal Monopoly

Posted by | Oct 15, 2008 | |

The Postal Service submitted a report to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on its position related to the Universal Service Obligation (USO) and postal monopoly. The Postal Service confirms its continued commitment of trusted, affordable universal service to the American public. The report supports that no changes to the USO and monopoly are necessary at this time while additional flexibilities will be required to ensure affordable, universal service into the future.
Obligations of the USO include uniform prices, quality of service, access to services, and six-day delivery to every part of the country. To assure financial support for these obligations, the postal monopoly provides the Postal Service the exclusive right to deliver letters and restricts mailbox access solely for mail. Therefore, the USO and postal monopoly are inextricably linked.
The Postal Service said that the USO should continue to be broadly defined and there should be no changes to the postal monopoly. Any changes would have far-reaching effects on customers and the trillion dollar mailing industry.
During hearings held earlier this year, the PRC also heard from mailers, mailing associations, and postal unions and management associations. Comments generally indicated that changes are not currently needed.

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FedEx Freight introduces Canada next-business-day cross-border service

Posted by | Oct 13, 2008 | |

FedEx Freight has started offering next-business-day coverage between key Canadian gateway cities and several regions across the U.S. In addition, the company is further supporting shippers and customers operating fast-cycle logistics by streamlining cross-border processes. FedEx Freight is a leading provider of regional next-business-day, second-business-day and extended LTL freight transportation services and an operating company of FedEx Corp.

Cross-border enhancements include next-business-day service between Toronto and key markets in the Great Lakes region. In addition, next-business-day LTL service has been introduced between Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the Upper Midwest, an area that is gaining more importance to both countries for cross-border trade.

In addition to these cross-border enhancements, FedEx Freight also provides next-business-day LTL service between Vancouver, British Columbia, and key markets in the Pacific Northwest. Next-business-day service is also available between Montreal, Quebec, and points in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions.

As part of its efforts to streamline the customs clearance process, a dedicated FedEx team serves as the direct contact for shipments from the U.S. to Canada via FedEx Freight and FedEx National LTL. This group uses international clearance systems to enable electronic capture of important international shipping information.

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UPS is testing a tool to keep track of truck data

Posted by | Oct 13, 2008 | |

United Parcel Service Inc. is testing a new ruggedized mobile computer in its trucks that can wirelessly log departure and arrival times and provide managers with data on vehicle speed and idle times.
Test versions of Motorola Inc.’s VC6096 Windows Mobile-based system, unveiled last week, have been installed inside long-haul UPS trailer trucks and large trucks that move packages among sorting facilities.
A spokeswoman wouldn’t say how many of the computers Atlanta-based UPS plans to buy, but she noted that it will be a “sizable” number by the time the company’s deployment is completed, which is expected in 2010.
The spokeswoman said UPS has used the system to measure and compile truck speed, RPM, braking and idle-time data. More functions will be tested later.
The 4.8-lb. computer includes a keyboard, a 6.5-in. touch display, 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash memory. It supports Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth wireless specifications.
UPS said its 100,000-plus drivers will continue to use their fourth-generation proprietary handhelds jointly built by Motorola and Symbol Technologies Inc., which Motorola acquired last year.

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Microsoft sues DHL after train dumps 21,600 Xboxes

Posted by | Oct 12, 2008 | |

Microsoft is suing DHL Express for allegedly losing 21,600 Xbox game consoles because of a train derailment in Texas, according to court documents.
In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle, Microsoft said it is seeking more than USD 2 million in damages from DHL for two containers of Xbox consoles that sustained “impact damage, wetting, pilfering and shortage” after a derailment near Duke, Texas.
The Xboxes were en route from a Microsoft office in McAllen, Texas, to Long Beach, California, for eventual delivery to Hong Kong at the time of the loss, which occurred on Oct. 13, 2007, according to court papers. Flextronics Industrial in Hong Kong was the intended recipient.
Microsoft claims that DHL has refused to compensate it for the loss, even though the delivery service “negligently breached its duties as a common carrier, handler, bailee, warehouseman, agent, or in other capabilities,” according to the court papers.
DHL could not be reached for comment.

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International express fuel surcharges drop as oil prices decline

Posted by | Oct 10, 2008 | |

DHL, FedEx, UPS and TNT have significantly reduced their fuel surcharges for international air express shipments around the world this month against a background of a continued sharp fall in oil prices largely driven by the escalating global financial crisis, CEP-Research analysis shows.

Oil prices have declined sharply from a peak of nearly USD 150 a barrel in July to below USD 85 a barrel this week on the various trading exchanges. In September, the integrator’s fuel surcharges were largely stable and did not fully reflect the downward trend. This is because the four leading express carriers calculate their surcharges based on indexes showing the previous month’s oil price level and announce them in advance for the following month, thus resulting in a two-month time lag between prices and surcharge level.

In October, however, surcharges show a clearly recognisable drop around the globe, with the biggest reductions in the USA, significant falls in Asia and moderate reductions in Europe.

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