See video from Automotive Logistics Conference.  

Freight pricing specialists AFMS, CEO Mike Erickson,  gives an inside track on best practices to negotiate best-in-class shipping rates with major carriers in North America and beyond. 
For a copy of the full video, please email info@afms.com or call 800-246-3521. ​

As part of it’s 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence, the United States Postal Service has filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of price changes for shipping products including Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express products to take effect Jan. 9, 2022.  See attached Press Release and Industry Alert.    

Effective March 26, 2020, we suspended the UPS® Service Guarantee for all shipments from any origin to any destination. For all U.S. origin shipments, the Service Guarantee suspension became effective as of March 24, 2020.
The UPS Service Guarantee has been reinstated for the following services only:

​The Service Guarantee remains suspended for all other UPS® shipments not specified in the above sections, from any origin to any destination.

As the effects of the Coronavirus impact our infrastructure, we will continue to seek guidance from local, state, and national government entities to ensure that we fully align with their regulations. We are committed to continue operating globally except where constrained by government restrictions.

Prior to shipping, please check to see if the recipient’s location is open, since many some businesses’ hours may have changed either due to local restrictions or at the business’s discretion. We will make three routine delivery attempts* before returning a package to the sender. Please continue to visit this site for the most up-to-date information regarding the impact of Coronavirus on UPS services.

*Where three routine delivery attempts do not coincide with a recipient’s adjusted (e.g., shortened, or weekend-only) business hours, the package will be returned to sender.

For your convenience, The UPS Store® and UPS Access Point® locations all provide access to your vital deliveries. Where available, you can sign up for free UPS My Choice which enables you to provide more specific delivery instructions such as where to leave deliveries, or redirect deliveries to another location, and also provides you with the ability to receive delivery notifications.
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Service guarantees are subject to change. For further details, see the UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions.

Read Full Article On bestlifeonline.com

THE COMING DAYS COULD BRING A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO THE TERM "SNAIL MAIL."

Even in the age of email and using the internet for practically everything, there's a good chance you still rely on traditional mail to get a few things done. But whether it's your annual holiday cards going out on time or a care package you're hoping makes it to your loved one swiftly, it can still be a helpless feeling whenever you drop something off in a mailbox or at the post office. Now, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced it's making a major permanent change that's going into effect in a matter of days. Read on to see how your daily deliveries are about to get different.
​Read Full Article On bestlifeonline.com

Continued pressure on carrier capacities has led carriers such as FedEx, UPS and now DHL to implement additional shipping surcharges in advance of the traditional peak season.  As this timing is quickly approaching this peak period, planning for this is critical. DHL has now released its peak surcharge schedule as well. 
 
The recently announced USPS increases will primarily be applied to First Class type mail. Parcel Select rates will increase slightly for those shippers dropping parcels upstream in either the DSCF/DBMC. However, shippers who use UPS/FDX for SurePost/SmartPost  get their packages dropped  into the DDU (local Post Office). It looks like USPS will not increase those particular rates. Noteworthy because both UPS/FDX would pass it directly through to both SurePost/Smartpost customers.
 

Effective June 13, 2021, UPS will apply additional Peak increases to those international shipments originating in Japan destined to Canada. Previous increases, that were set to expire on June 12th, will continue to be applied on a per/pound basis. Depending on the service used, expect to see increases ranging from 67.6%-200% (on a per/lb. basis). All other previously announced surcharges will “continue until further notice”.
Although UPS did not take this opportunity to make changes to key Domestic Peak surcharges (as did FedEx several weeks ago), it is the collective wisdom amongst analysts that suggest additional hikes are on their way.
Specific details can be found at:
https://www.ups.com/assets/resources/media/en_US/2021_UPS_Peak_Surcharges.pdf
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Effective September 13th, Canada Post will increase rates to both Domestic, USA and International parcels. Increase ranging from 2.8% (US /International) to 3.5% (Domestic parcels only). Similar to both UPS and FedEx, other increases center around big, bulky and oversize packages flooding into their network.  Surcharges for Oversize/Unpackaged items will increase from $18 to $25 (38.8%) and Out-of-Spec packages will increase from $300 to $400 (33.3%).
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As a side note, any UPS International Mail Innovations or Purolator customers should expect to see increases to their bills as well. Since Canada Post makes many of the final mile deliveries for both UPS International MI and Purolator, rate hikes are typically treated as a “pass through” charge to the customer.

As always, the pricing professionals at AFMS pricing team will continue to monitor for any changes as they arise.