Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

Postal Service taps 1-800-Flowers.com as launch customer for same-day delivery service

Pilot program launches today in San Francisco.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) said today that florist and gift shop giant 1-800-Flowers.com is the launch customer for the USPS' same-day delivery service, which starts today in pilot form in San Francisco.

The service, called "Metropost," will run in test mode for a year and only in a 49-mile radius in and around San Francisco. After that time, USPS can apply to expand its scope or kill it altogether if demand doesn't meet expectations.


Based in Carle Place, N.Y., 1-800-Flowers.com will utilize the service to offer same-day deliveries of foods and gift baskets and towers, USPS said in a statement. The company has offered same-day floral deliveries since its founding in 1976. John G. Friess, a USPS spokesman, said more companies are preparing to sign up for the program.

No more than 10 e-commerce companies can participate in the pilot. Each participant must have at least 10 physical locations of some type nationwide, with one or more in the San Francisco area. Through the end of December, only 200 packages a day can be tendered. The package restrictions can be lifted if USPS decides to increase its capacity supporting the service.

Users must live within the area designated for delivery. Cutoff times for orders are between 2 and 3 pm, with packages to be picked up after 3 pm and delivered between 4 pm and 8 pm. USPS has developed a separate delivery network dedicated to the implementation.

Due to laws governing a USPS service rollout, annual revenue during the test phase cannot exceed $50 million. USPS' total annual revenue is approximately $66 billion.

The pilot program launches the day that UPS Inc., which is both a USPS competitor and partner, is expecting an all-time one-day record for deliveries. Atlanta-based UPS expects to deliver 28 million packages worldwide, nearly doubling its average daily delivery count of 15.6 million packages.

The Latest

More Stories

chart of GenAI effect on workforce

Gartner: GenAI tools create anxiety among employees

Generative AI (GenAI) is being deployed by 72% of supply chain organizations, but most are experiencing just middling results for productivity and ROI, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc.

That’s because productivity gains from the use of GenAI for individual, desk-based workers are not translating to greater team-level productivity. Additionally, the deployment of GenAI tools is increasing anxiety among many employees, providing a dampening effect on their productivity, Gartner found.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

warehouse worker driving forklift between racks

German 3PL Arvato acquires two U.S. logistics firms

The German third party logistics provider (3PL) Arvato this week acquired the U.S.-headquartered companies Carbel LLC and United Customs Services, saying the move would grow its client base, particularly in the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle segments.

According to Arvato, it made the move in order to better serve the U.S. e-commerce sector, which has experienced high growth rates in recent years and is expected to grow year-on-year by 5% within the next five years.

Keep ReadingShow less
photo collage of warehouse tech

Supply chain pros are wary of inflation and labor woes

The top worries that supply chain leaders hope to address with new innovations this year include inflationary concerns (68%) and labor shortages (50%), according to a survey on innovation from the third-party logistics provider (3PL) Kenco.

And many of them will have a budget to do it, since 51% of supply chain professionals with existing innovation budgets saw an increase earmarked for 2025, suggesting an even greater emphasis on investing in new technologies to meet rising demand, Kenco said in its “2025 Supply Chain Innovation” survey.

Keep ReadingShow less
volvo and waabi self driving truck

Volvo deepens partnership with Waabi for self-driving truck tech

Volvo Autonomous Solutions will form a strategic partnership with autonomous driving technology and generative AI provider Waabi to jointly develop and deploy autonomous trucks, with testing scheduled to begin later this year.

The two companies said they will integrate Waabi's virtual driver system, the Waabi Driver, into the Volvo VNL Autonomous, Volvo’s autonomous truck with redundant systems for enabling safe autonomous operations. The Volvo VNL Autonomous will be produced at Volvo’s New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Virginia, and be designed to support diverse operational needs, use cases, and Volvo Group truck brands.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of women's portion of transport and storage jobs

Women hold only 12% of transportation and storage jobs worldwide

Women are significantly underrepresented in the global transport sector workforce, comprising only 12% of transportation and storage workers worldwide as they face hurdles such as unfavorable workplace policies and significant gender gaps in operational, technical and leadership roles, a study from the World Bank Group shows.

This underrepresentation limits diverse perspectives in service design and decision-making, negatively affects businesses and undermines economic growth, according to the report, “Addressing Barriers to Women’s Participation in Transport.” The paper—which covers global trends and provides in-depth analysis of the women’s role in the transport sector in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA)—was prepared jointly by the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the International Transport Forum (ITF).

Keep ReadingShow less