Does approaching your carrier for contract negotiations make you feel like you are stepping into the ring with a 500-pound gorilla? If you feel outmatched, chances are, you're probably right. T... View More
On September 20, FedEx announced its 2017 general rate increase (GRI). UPS announced its 2017 GRI earlier on September 1. This year’s GRI actually shows the carriers going in different directi... View More
A couple of weeks ago, I sat down with Rob Martinez and Krish Iyer to discuss the FedEx 2017 rate changes. In the wake of UPS's Friday announcement, I chatted with these experts again to get their take... View More
During a discussion about the various iterations of dimensional weight in our presentation at the 2016 PARCEL Forum in Dallas, I made the (ahem… dare I say, "bold") prediction that at some point
We have all heard that knowledge is power. This could not be truer when it comes to managing your transportation expense. In today’s world, the carriers have made it difficult for shippers to... View More
You’re likely just getting back into the swing of things after attending Parcel Forum 2015, trying to determine what great idea to implement first… or, perhaps you’re still evaluating... View More
In basic terms, the standardized (and ultra-frank) formula for negotiating contracts is this: Company A wants to renegotiate its carrier agreement. Company A compares its basic shipping profi... View More
Apparently, UPS didn’t like drop shipping. But, since they’ve recently figured out a way to drive additional revenue from every company that uses UPS to drop ship anything, UPS will now love
The news coming out of Wall Street continues to be dire. Businesses are watching the markets carefully, looking for any sign that an economic recovery will begin and Americans will start spending. In no... View More
In the May and October issues of PARCEL, we discussed unique strategies for taking advantage of great parcel rates, including how to create a world-class contract and optimizing your overall network. But... View More
Perhaps you negotiated your small parcel contracts awhile back. So you think those negotiations are in the past for now. Well, it’s quite possibly time to think again. With an economy that hasn’t... View More
Negotiating pricing with a carrier is similar to buying a car. There is the notorious sticker price. You expect to get a discount, and you assume that you have negotiated well after several rounds of having... View More
I hear it all the time: I have great rates from my parcel carrier. But what I find when I probe a little deeper is that most shippers have focused on only half of the equation. Getting great rates from... View More
It is that time of year again where the small parcel carriers outline the new rates and charges for the coming year. The rate increase/surcharge and accessorials increases are detailed in the links... View More
I had the opportunity for over three decades to be a peddler of Parcel Services. I can recall one day getting a call from Dick Ward, the corporate traffic manager of Burroughs Corporation, headquartered... View More
In this final part of our series on common frustrations shippers experience with their carriers, we will discuss relationships with carrier representatives. Although shippers are generally pleased with... View More
Prices continue to escalate in the parcel/express industry at an unprecedented rate. Last fall, PARCEL published a survey conducted by Morgan Stanley stating that only 11% of major shippers utilized consultants.... View More
Back in the last century, the Internet was going to be the great leveler in the mail order industry (if you remember the term Mail Order, you may be older than some of the new start-ups!). And in many... View More
Question: The trade journals report about the new rate increases being published by parcel express carriers, but they never tell us about rule changes. Are parcel express shippers bound by rule changes... View More
