As freight transportation moves into the 21st century, margins are tighter than at any time in the history of the industry, insurance premiums are sky high, competition is fierce, and clients are demanding... View More

Since the dawn of guaranteed service refunds in the ground parcel industry over four years ago, a number of issues have arisen. Some issues have been good, some bad and some have been downright ugly. Before... View More

As James Williams knew there had to be a better way. As Domestic Transportation Planner for telecommunications giant Alcatel, Williams oversees, among other things, the company�s shipping and receiving... View More

Every time the United Parcel Service/Teamster labor contract comes due for renewal, the memories come rushing back, and I laugh to myself. Not because those two organizations have to square off again (although... View More

A federal court has certified shippers who paid an excess value charge to UPS from January 1, 1984 to the present as a class for the purpose of a class action suit against United Parcel Service and related... View More

Editors Note: On December 11, 2002, President George W. Bush authorized the establishment of a Presidential Commission on the future of the U.S. Postal Service. The Commissions mission is to study and... View More

Were all aware of the tight economy and especially the severe impact on the transportation industry. Many parcel carriers are now adding upcharges for services as they try to compensate for the sputtering... View More

It remains to be seen whether shippers will do anything about this new provision. United Parcel Service has never been known for its flexibility in contracting with its customers, regardless of the... View More

For the average parcel shipper, venturing into the world of LTL shipping feels like diving blindly off a cliff into waters that may contain rocks, shoals and sharks. Or at least thats what it used to feel... View More

One of the circumstances under which corporations waste substantial amounts of money on transportation is when their sales personnel and other officials need to return packages back to their offices or... View More

At least Jesse James robbed with a gun! Thats always my first response when I am asked the question, Why does my carrier (read UPS and FedEx Ground) charge me so much to deliver oversized packages? The... View More

We all know that postal rates went up as of June 30, 2002. But more important to our industry is the big change in Priority Mail, which could affect both how you ship Priority Mail parcels and the cost... View More

Has your company ever received a bill from an express carrier for a past shipment, claiming that it believes you shipped more packages than were billed? These additional bills have been known to appear... View More

Suffice it to say, FedEx Ground struggled with the decision. No doubt great debate occurred before marching orders were given. But, alas, service (a.k.a. the customer) came second. A very close second,... View More

In 1995, Congress enacted legislation deregulating the trucking and airline industries� intrastate operations. At the time, very few, if any, shippers (and probably few carriers) fully comprehended... View More

For more than 200 years, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has been responsible for safeguarding the customers of the U.S. Postal Service. As the criminal investigative arm of the U.S. Postal Service,... View More

Since the introduction of guaranteed service for ground commercial parcels, I am constantly being questioned about the logic behind carrier service standards. Its clear distribution managers throughout... View More

The status quo doesnt cut it anymore. A significant transformation is needed in the rate-setting process. Some very interesting developments are occurring that will have a long-term impact on domestic... View More

The recent announcement by UPS to reduce its transit times in key lanes sparked interest in many of the people I have spoken with recently. At first glance, it would appear that UPS has launched a salvo... View More

United Parcel Service (UPS) and FDX have added a new battleground in their fight for your business. While their sales forces can still be seen in a shipping managers office and on the shipping dock, they... View More