Tag: USA

Tough economic times hurt post office (U.S)

Posted by | Aug 26, 2008 | |

The U.S. Postal Service could lose about USD 2 billion this year due to tough economic times, and it needs to change to meet the demands of the public, Postmaster General John Potter said Monday (25th August).
Potter told the National Association of Postmasters of the United States at their convention in St. Louis that the postal service is grappling with issues that many businesses are facing — like how to handle high fuel prices.
Potter praised postmasters and postal workers for their commitment to service and reliability, but said more needs to be done to reduce bureaucracy, cut costs and embrace technology.
Postage rates rose a penny in May to the current 42-cent price. Another increase is expected next May, with the amount to be announced in February. Any increase is limited to the rate of inflation.
Potter said Monday improvements to the postal service’s Web site and better bar-code technology for mail should yield improved results. He said there are also opportunities to increase the amount of advertising that’s done through the mail, and said working with small and mid-sized businesses was the postal service’s biggest opportunity for growth.

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Postal Service turns to YouTube to promote delivery products

Posted by | Aug 26, 2008 | |

The U.S. Postal Service has produced a series of videos and posted them on YouTube, urging customers to rethink their shipping options.

The direct-to-Internet Webisodes mark the first time the postal service has used nontraditional media to promote its services.

Called “Mark of the Eagle,” the series builds on a print campaign that asks customers to consider Priority Mail, Express Mail and ground packages as delivery options. USPS competes against private shippers.

In the first video, running just shy of nine minutes, an office’s laptop computers, shredders, Ethernet cables and other items come to life and begin revolting against the office staff. A USPS letter carrier learns he must deliver a package to triumph over the machines.

The service is posting the videos weekly on YouTube and www.markoftheeagle.com. The first video was posted Aug. 6. An RSS feed will alert viewers to the latest posting. Segments are available for downloading at the iTunes store and podcasts are available for subscribers.

The Webisodes were shot in high definition and the office machines shown were recycled from existing Postal Service stock.

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FedEx launches capital plan

Posted by | Aug 25, 2008 | |

Having a regional express hub just 20 miles outside the nation’s capital wasn’t quite close enough for FedEx Express.

With postal business now in the mix and a new plane in the fleet, FedEx launched 757 freighter operations into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport this month. The flight gives the tightly packed airport, located just across the Potomac River from downtown Washington, a rare entry into the all-cargo arena, and it gives the carrier the sort of quick reach to business and government offices that makes DCA a bustling passenger site.

The eight-times-weekly flight will operate just a one-hour truck haul from Washington Dulles International Airport, where FedEx has a full-service sort center and has operated narrowbody and widebody flights for several years at facilities next door to UPS and DHL.

The service also marks the “introduction of the 757 freighter to our fleet,” said David J. Bronczek, chief executive officer of FedEx Express. The company expects to introduce 12 757s into revenue service over the next year.

As the replacement for the 727, the 757 offers fuel savings of up to 36 percent over the older three-engine 727, while providing far more capacity per flight. The 757 also is significantly quieter than the 727.

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UPS freight improves transit times to draw major markets closer

Posted by | Aug 25, 2008 | |

UPS Freight announced improved transit times on more than 1,200 traffic lanes originating in the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. This marks the second time in just four months that the heavy freight division of UPS has enhanced its network.

New two-day lanes now in effect include Chicago to Dallas, Boston to St. Louis and Philadelphia to Miami. The enhancements also expand the next-day footprint of UPS Freight. Shipments moving from Cincinnati to Memphis and Columbus, Ohio, to Charlotte, N.C., now will deliver overnight.

Other originating major markets with reduced transit times include Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, New York City and Newark, N.J. The faster transit times will bring cities as far as southern California, Arizona and Utah to within two and three days of these originating cities.

Earlier this year, UPS Freight announced new on-time performance guarantees. Those guarantees will be extended to the enhanced transit times announced today at no additional cost.

In May, UPS Freight announced it had improved transit times on nearly 1,000 traffic lanes originating in metropolitan areas in the Southwest and Southeast to points across the United States.

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U.S. Postal Service tests new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle

Posted by | Aug 25, 2008 | |

In an agreement with General Motors, the Postal Service is participating in a two-year test of the fourth-generation electric vehicle in Irvine, Calif. With a fleet of 220,000 vehicles across the country, the Postal Service is in a good position to help drive the hydrogen market, if the vehicles eventually become commercially viable, said Richard Maher, a USPS spokesman in Irvine.

The ultra-quiet vehicle is a little disquieting for most drivers initially, because they wonder if it’s actually running, he said.

Roz Sell, commercial program manager for General Motors fuel cell commercialization office, says the Postal Service offers an ideal setting for testing. The agency is using the vehicle for regular mail delivery six days a week with lots of starts and stops.

It also helps promote the hydrogen fuel cell concept to the public when they see the vehicle being operated safely and effectively.

Every time the vehicle is refueled, the hydrogen pump collects data about the fuel cell and automatically sends it to General Motors engineers, who monitor the vehicle’s performance remotely, Sell said.

The most limiting factor right now is the hydrogen fuel itself. There are only two pumps in the country that offer public access, one in Washington and one near Los Angeles. “It’s been discouraging how slow energy companies have been bringing [hydrogen] online,” she said.

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