not trying to return to the 1950s, just exploring possibilities.
aware of the problems and the history
I think Amtrak should bring the rolling highway system into the states it would help bring revenue and would shorten the journey for medium haul truckers i.e. New York to Chicago with an intermediate stop (if shown successful) in a Cleaveland or Indianapolis.
Here are a couple examples
I disagree with most of the naysayers here of course and I think some part of your proposal is workable. What I think needs to happen first is FedEx or UPS or perhaps both need to open up and form a partnership with the USPS whereas the FedEx and or UPS stores can take in and ship via USPS. Maybe even take on some of their sorting abilities for first class mail.
The naysayers are wrong about Class I railroad interference. If I have a large freight customer and said customer says they wan
Quoting CMStPnP: " USPS wants no part of Fed Ed or UPS" I receive packages with this on the labels: UPS SUREPOST Ship to USP–with my zip code and street address; they travel UPS and are delived by my mail carrier. I track them through the UPS system, which has as the final entry–“out for delivery at such and such a time on such and such a date.”
How does anyone know that USPS wants no part of FedEx or UPS? Maybe it is the other way around.
The Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) Return on Equity (ROE) for FedEx was 15.23 per cent, and the TTM Return on Investment (ROI) was 10.53 per cent.
The TTM ROE for UPS was 52.15 per cent. The ROI is not shown.
Why would two financially healthy, competitive businesses want to join up with USPS on anything?
USPS had an operating loss of nearly $5 billion in 2013, even after its annual infusion of the $3.1 billion that it gets annually from Congress for unidentified services. However, it is an improvement over 2012, when USPS lost $15.9 billion.
Since it was reorganized USPS has lost approximately $43 billion. Even Amtrak has not been able to lose that kind of money.
In addition to what Sam said thier would be push back from railroads that scream that they have capacity issues. They want huge sums to up grade right of way to allow additional passenger service. I would love to see more passenger service, but it didn’t work for the railroads the first time around, they paid big money to Amtrak in 1971 to join and dump thier existing trains. Don’t see any interests from them today.
Hauling express (or Dave’s latest notion, mail) in some joint venture between Amtrak and the freight lines isn’t going to happen here. It does not happen in Europe, either.
Tell you what, more and more UPS and FedEx are taking advantage of the post office’s universal, daily network for last-mile delivery. (You can google the news stories.)
As for me, give me the post office every time. Unlike UPS and FedEx, they don’t just dump the parcel on your doorstep (for the convenience of birddogging thieves) and run.
If they don’t make money, so what? (Name me the government or quasi-government business that does.) Free them from interference by Congress in all their business decisions and they could make money, all right – but how much would we like the reductions in service that would come with that?
(Not much, based on reaction to modest proposals such as an end to Saturday service and closure of the least rural post offices.)
The last two FedEx ground shipments I received were delivered to the local post office for further delivery to my place. Despite the presence of FedEx delivery trucks in the neighborhood, they have apparently decided that it is the cheaper delivery method for non time critical items.
For about two years my experience has been the same as Dakguy’s for routine (not time-critical) on-line purchases. When the package doesn’t originate with USPS – and it often does – they get the final handling.
Yes we know that UPS and fed ex uses the post office for some end point deliveries. A good arrangement that benefits all three carriers. It doesn’t mean that either company has any interest in taking over the post office or expanding thier current relationships.
Oops! Look at what I did, I restarted the conversation…lol.[:D]
Well in my remarks I didn’t see Amtrak expanding passenger train frequency because the revenue increase from such service would only go towards closing PART of the Amtrak deficit not flushing out the company with so much cash they would have a new financial and passenger train empire. I am a former businessman myself…it takes a long time to build a revenue curve upwards and one client usually isn’t going to do it by themself.
I just learned about that and read up on it. Theory is that the Post Office is not charging what it actually costs for the last mile delivery and both UPS and Fed Ex are using that system to save money. By USPS financial calculation they have letter and junk mail carriers already out there in the field so the WSJ theory goes that the USPS is only charging the incremental cost for the service. So the USPS is growing it’s package business this way and they say they are increasing the revenues by the same method BUT is it actually going to pay for new trucks and capacity. Now one thing I read which is nice is that both UPS and FED EX via their own automation I believe is pre-sorting prior to delievery to the USPS which does save the USPS some of the handling costs.
Anyways this is not the kind of partnership I was referring to in my Email. I was speaking of more of a 50/50 partnership where each partner takes on equal risks. Not a partnership where one firm takes advantage of anothers stupidity.
What percentage of FedEx and UPS last mile deliveries are made by the USPS? What is your authoritative source, i.e. govermment figures, tables, etc.?
Also, what percentage of USPS packages are handled part way by FedEx and UPS?
Sam your 100% correct, money losing or not the USPS provides a higher level of service and a essential service. Maybe at some point with enough technology it can be eliminated, but for now I like my mail box outside as much as I do on my computer.
You’re agreeing with me, not with Sam.
[quote user=“Sam1”]
dakotafred
Sam1
How does anyone know that USPS wants no part of FedEx or UPS? Maybe it is the other way around …
Why would two financially healthy, competitive businesses want to join up with USPS on anything?
Tell you what, more and more UPS and FedEx are taking advantage of the post office’s universal, daily network for last-mile delivery. (You can google the news stories.)
As for me, give me the post office every time. Unlike UPS and FedEx, they don’t just dump the parcel on your doorstep (for the convenience of birddogging thieves) and run.
If they don’t make money, so what? (Name me the government or quasi-government business that does.) Free them from interference by Congress in all their business decisions and they could make money, all right – but how much would we like the reductions in service that would come with that?
(Not much, based on reaction to modest proposals such as an end to Saturday service and closure of the least rural post offices.)
What percentage of FedEx and UPS last mile deliveries are made by the USPS? What is your authoritative source, i.e. govermment figures, tables, etc.?
[quote user=“dakotafred”]
Sam1
dakotafred
Sam1
How does anyone know that USPS wants no part of FedEx or UPS? Maybe it is the other way around …
Why would two financially healthy, competitive businesses want to join up with USPS on anything?
Tell you what, more and more UPS and FedEx are taking advantage of the post office’s universal, daily network for last-mile delivery. (You can google the news stories.)
As for me, give me the post office every time. Unlike UPS and FedEx, they don’t just dump the parcel on your doorstep (for the convenience of birddogging thieves) and run.
If they don’t make money, so what? (Name me the government or quasi-government business that does.) Free them from interference by Congress in all their business decisions and they could make money, all right – but how much would we like the reductions in service that would come with that?
(Not much, based on reaction to modest proposals such as an end to Saturday service and closure of the least rural post offices.)
What percen
Delivering to residential addresses is a nitemare for courier companies. More often than not , nobodies home. Not surprising they hand it off to the postal service, who go by every house daily regardless.
Given we know that , if Amtrak wanted to expand thier express business, It should be possible for them to offer a station to door service, using USPS to deliver.