Ep 231: USPS strategy and new delivery vehicles

John Callan, founder and CEO of Ursa Major Associates, joins me to discuss recent news and developments at the US Postal Service: DeJoy's recent appearance before the House Committee Service failures Proposals to amend letter delivery standards Rate increases Air carriage of letters The legendary USPS strategic plan - again! Focusing on last mile capabilities, and reducing cost in the middle mile Frequency of delivery (6/7 days per week) Last mile capacity for parcels and letters USPS Board of Governors - President Biden's nominees New USPS delivery vehicle Why have one supplier instead of multiple vehicle suppliers? Electric delivery vehicles Consultation with unions on the USPS strategic plan USPS delivering last mile for Amazon, FedEx, and UPS (Parcel Select) Delivering to cluster boxes (community mailboxes) and what it means for USPS's delivery advantage Amazon and FedEx pulling parcels out of Parcel Select Letter pricing and impact on marketing mix Options available to postal operators to reduce costs in letter delivery Developing rate structures that encourage customers to use the US Postal Service