How prepared is the U.S. Postal Service for a sudden increase in the price of diesel fuel? When diesel climbed by $2.03 a gallon from March 2009 to March 2012, the USPS’s fuel tab soared by $341 million.
It’s what happens when you operate one of the biggest vehicle fleets in the country: 7,600 of its own in addition to almost 16,000 contract vehicles. In fiscal year 2016 alone, USPS bought about 251 million gallons of diesel at a cost of over $570 million.
Service might be in its name, but transportation is a major part of its game. If there was ever any doubt about how essential transportation is to the U.S. Postal Service’s operations, take a look at the list of the USPS’ top suppliers for fiscal year 2016.
Knowing exactly where your package is and when it will arrive has the edge over how long it will take when it comes to what consumers want in cross-border delivery of online orders. That’s one of the key findings of the most recent survey from the International Post Corporation (IPC) on cross-border ecommerce shopping.
Often when you make a charitable donation in response to a direct mail campaign, you’re asked to put a stamp on the prepaid envelope. It’s another way to help the organization save on costs. And for a nonprofit, those savings can add up.
The prepaid envelope is known as business reply...
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This fiscal year (FY) appears to be unlike any other. In December, just two months into FY 2016, the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors lost its last remaining presidentially appointed governor when his holdover term expired. The Board, which operates much like a corporate board of directors...
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It seems the pricing of parcels in today’s market is a lot like the story of Goldilocks and the three bears (with the U.S. Postal Service playing the role of Goldilocks): If USPS sets prices too high, it opens the door for the big retailers to come in and make their own deliveries. If it prices...
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The rapid growth in ecommerce and expansion of the package delivery market has created opportunities for the Postal Service, helping drive double-digit growth in package volume since 2015. To expand package processing capacity, the Postal Service plans to purchase and install an additional seven...
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The Postal Service uses competitive fixed-price contracts to hire Highway Contract Route (HCR) contractors to transport mail between post offices and other designated stops. In fiscal year 2016, the Postal Service spent about $3 billion for about 8,664 HCR contracts, making them the largest...
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The post office lobby is the principal business office of the Postal Service and often the only close-up view customers get of postal operations. The lobby’s appearance and maintenance directly affect the Postal Service’s image and are essential to its business. A bright, clean, and welcoming...
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