Tag: North America

UPS deploys 167

Posted by | Mar 27, 2008 | |

UPS today announced the deployment of 167 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) delivery vehicles in Texas, Georgia and California. The CNG vehicles, part of UPS’s global alternative fuel fleet, will help reduce the company’s carbon footprint and its dependence on fossil fuels.

Of the 167 new CNG trucks, 25 have been deployed in Dallas; 42 in Atlanta, and the remaining 100 in five California cities: 30 to Sacramento, 14 to Los Angeles, five to Ontario, 10 to San Ramon and 41 to Fresno. They join more than 800 CNG vehicles already in use by UPS in the United States. Previous CNG vehicles in UPS’s fleet were converted from gasoline and diesel vehicles in the 1980s to run on alternative fuels. The new vehicles are originally manufactured for alternative fuel use.

“UPS has deployed alternative fuel vehicles for more than 70 years and this CNG deployment is one more step towards the ‘greening’ of the UPS fleet,” said Robert Hall, UPS’s director of vehicle engineering. “Continuing to add CNG delivery trucks to our fleet is a sustainable choice because natural gas is a cost effective, clean-burning and readily available fuel.”

The CNG truck bodies are identical externally to the signature-brown trucks that now comprise the UPS fleet although they will be marked as CNG vehicles. The trucks are expected to reduce emissions by 20 percent and improve fuel economy by 10 percent compared to the cleanest diesel engines available today.

UPS operates the transportation industry’s largest private fleet of alternative fuel vehicles. This deployment brings the UPS “green fleet” total to 1,629 trucks. UPS has deployed CNG, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), propane, electric and hybrid electric vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The company also is working with the Environmental Protection Agency on a hydraulic hybrid delivery vehicle.

UPS began deploying alternative fuel vehicles in the 1930s with a fleet of electric trucks that operated in New York City. The company’s “green fleet” has traveled 143 million miles since 2000.

“Deploying eco-friendly delivery vehicles is one of the many ways UPS demonstrates its commitment to sustainable business practices,” added Hall. “The company plans to continue to expand its ‘green fleet’ and to focus deployments in areas with air quality challenges.”

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USPS reducing Standard Mail barcode discount

Posted by | Mar 27, 2008 | |

In response to the Postal Regulatory Commission’s review of the US Postal Service’s proposed rate change for market-dominant products, the USPS said it will reduce the 1.4-cent discount for using a barcode on mixed automation area distribution center (AADC) Standard Mail letters by 1.1 cents.

The reduced discount will apply to commercial and nonprofit mail that is entered into the mailstream at the mailer’s point of origin or at a destination bulk mail center.

Earlier this month, the PRC determined that the USPS’s proposed rate increases for market-dominant products, which include First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, periodicals, pack­age services and special services, fell within the required Consumer Price Index cap.

The commission also ruled that there was “adequate justification” for 13 out of 14 workshare discounts. The exception was the aforementioned 1.4-cent discount.

Once the commission reviews the USPS’s response, the agency will update its price lists and postage statements.

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Federal Court issues certification decisions (U.S)

Posted by | Mar 26, 2008 | |

FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., reports that today the United States District Court in Indiana in the pending multi-district litigation (MDL) has issued a decision denying class certification in the Montana, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa, Virginia and Illinois cases.

The Court granted class certification for the Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas, Wisconsin, Alabama, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Oregon, Indiana, West Virginia, Florida and Rhode Island cases. The state case in California was certified but a nationwide Family Medical Leave Act claim filed there was denied certification.

Today’s decision was a procedural ruling. It does not determine the proper classification of contractors nor does it have any impact on the company’s contractor model or operating agreement.

“FedEx Ground is proud to be associated with nearly 15,000 owner-operator contractors, all of whom made the decision to be self-sufficient, to be their own boss and to control their professional success,” said Maury Lane, FedEx Corp. spokesperson. “Their right to pursue independence and economic opportunity is now being threatened by efforts on behalf of a few that will jeopardize the future of the majority.”

FedEx Ground believes in the American right to work for oneself and is committed to defending the freedom of the 15,000 independent contractors to make their own professional and business decisions. This court decision will not affect FedEx Ground’s ability to serve its customers in the world-class manner they have come to expect.

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ShipGooder takes shipping to the next dimension

Posted by | Mar 26, 2008 | |

It’s an old question with an interesting twist: Which costs more to ship – a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers? The answer: It depends on the size of the box.

Couriers use package dimensions to determine the “dimensional weight” of a shipment. Large packages cost couriers more to ship than smaller packages. Couriers charge this higher cost to their shipping customers. For example, if a square box measures 24 inches on each side, the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx UPS and DHL count the weight of the box as 72 pounds, even if the box and its contents weigh only 25 pounds.

ShipGooder.com, the market leader for providing courier rate searches across multiple carriers, today announced the launch of a new dimensional weight feature. In addition, ShipGooder.com announced a new function to allow visitors to specify a residential destination for their shipments.

Visitors to ShipGooder.com simply enter their shipping origin and destination zip codes, along with the dimensions and weight of their shipment. Package dimensions can be input when visitors click on the “advanced options” link on the homepage. ShipGooder automatically determines the dimensional weight of the package to calculate the ultimate shipping weight that couriers will charge. Current rates from the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS and DHL are instantly displayed in a simple table along with rates from local and regional carriers.

Once the rates are displayed, ShipGooder’s AJAX technology allows visitors to change any shipping parameter, such as the package weight or destination zip code to see updates to the rates in real-time. Additionally, the free website does not require visitors to register any personal information, and does not clutter its pages with distracting ads.

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USPS offers data table file identifying vacant addresses

Posted by | Mar 26, 2008 | |

In order to help mailers identify vacant addresses, the US Postal Service has developed a new data table file to be used with commercial address matching software.

“What the postal service is attempting to do is provide additional tools to help mailers identify mail that can become undeliverable-as-addressed,” said Jim Wilson, manager of address technology for USPS. “We recognize that mail going to vacant addresses was one of the more common reasons why mail was undeliverable.”

According to the USPS, in 2004 more than 9.7 billion mail pieces were sent to undeliverable addresses, of which over 600 million pieces were sent to “vacant” addresses. An address is considered vacant if that house, apartment, office or building has not been occupied in at least 90 days.

The new “vacant” table is available to the mailing industry Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) address matching software, which incorporates the Delivery Point Validation product, a table of all the valid addresses that the USPS delivers to on a daily basis. By using USPS-approved CASS software, mailers can qualify for automation or postage discounts, Wilson said.

The USPS also offers a “no-stat” table that identifies addresses that are in the process of “being built,” Wilson said. It is typically an address that has been assigned, but the USPS has not yet begun making delivery to it yet, he said.

Mailers should contact their Delivery Point Validation product vendor to find out if the new “vacant” table is incorporated into address matching products they use.

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