Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

newsworthy

FedEx unit rolls out flat-rate shipping option in U.S.

Service appears to mirror USPS's Priority Mail offering.

Mark Solomon
By Mark SolomonOct 25, 2013
Mark Solomon
Mark Solomon joined DC VELOCITY as senior editor in August 2008, and was promoted to his current position on January 1, 2015. He has spent more than 30 years in the transportation, logistics and supply chain management fields as a journalist and public relations professional. From 1989 to 1994, he worked in Washington as a reporter for the Journal of Commerce, covering the aviation and trucking industries, the Department of Transportation, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to that, he worked for Traffic World for seven years in a similar role. From 1994 to 2008, Mr. Solomon ran Media-Based Solutions, a public relations firm based in Atlanta. He graduated in 1978 with a B.A. in journalism from The American University in Washington, D.C.
See Full Bio

The phrase "if it fits, it ships" now has a Tennessee twang.

FedEx Express, the largest unit of Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx Corp., introduced on Monday a service providing its U.S. customers with what the company called a "simple, predictable, flat rate" shipping option for express packages.

Under the service, called "FedEx One Rate," a customer selects an eligible domestic shipping service, the destination, and the type of packaging. The price is then calculated based on the packaging type (but not its weight), service selected, and distance.

Although FedEx won't publicly acknowledge it, the service appears to mimic the characteristics of the U.S. Postal Service's "Priority Mail" offering, where a shipment is assessed a single rate regardless of its destination or how much is stuffed in the packaging. Several years ago, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) coined the phrase "If it fits, it ships" to describe the service.

"I have not seen the rates yet or the discounting schemes, but it's an obvious attempt to thwart the effect of the changes the USPS has put in," Jerry Hempstead, a long-time parcel executive who runs an Orlando, Fla.-based consultancy bearing his name, said in reference to the FedEx service.

Priority Mail over the summer underwent its most dramatic operational makeover in about 30 years. The changes included next-day delivery in short-haul markets, free tracking, and free insurance up to a certain per-package dollar value. Historically, Priority Mail deliveries have been made in a two- to three-day window.

HOLIDAY VOLUMES
Separately, FedEx announced today that it expects to see its busiest day in company history when it moves more than 22 million shipments around the world on Dec. 2, popularly known as "Cyber Monday." The estimated volumes would represent an 11-percent year-over-year increase, FedEx said.

During its busiest week of the year, Dec. 1 through 7, FedEx expects more than 85 million shipments to move through its global networks, a 13-percent increase over last year's busiest week. A large portion of those volumes will come from e-commerce transactions funneled through the company's delivery networks.

Archrival UPS Inc. is likely to discuss upcoming holiday-season volumes tomorrow when the Atlanta-based giant releases third-quarter results.

ArticleTruckingTransportation
usps - united states postal servicehempstead consultingfedexups
ArticleTruckingTransportation
usps - united states postal servicehempstead consultingfedexups

The Latest

speakers at cscmp edge conference nashville
Article

East and Gulf Coast port strike would send ripples across U.S.

FE4C50 65 Lithium 4 Wheel Cushion Forklift from Noblelift
DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed

FE4C50 65 Lithium 4 Wheel Cushion Forklift from Noblelift

CBT33 Series Stand Up Counterbalance Forklift Noblelift
DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed

CBT33 Series Stand Up Counterbalance Forklift Noblelift

FD4P50N-70N Diesel Pneumatic Forklifts from Noblelift
DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed

FD4P50N-70N Diesel Pneumatic Forklifts from Noblelift

More Stories

power outage map after hurricane

Southeast region still hindered by hurricane power outages

States across the Southeast woke up today to find that the immediate weather impacts from Hurricane Helene are done, but the impacts to people, businesses, and the supply chain continue to be a major headache, according to Everstream Analytics.

The primary problem is the collection of massive power outages caused by the storm’s punishing winds and rainfall, now affecting some 2 million customers across the Southeast region of the U.S.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

express parcel delivery worker on moped
Shipping Software

Shipsi plans to expand its express delivery reach after acquisition

NOAA weather map of hurricane helene
Article

Florida braces for impact of Hurricane Helene

map of hurricane forecast track
Article

Helene threatens Florida as storm nears hurricane strength

Kuehne+Nagel opens 1.4 million square foot DC for Adidas
Article

Kuehne+Nagel opens 1.4 million square foot DC for Adidas

trailer pool truck trailers
Article

Kodiak Robotics to hitch Wabash trailers to its self-driving trucks

Survey: In-store shopping sentiment up 21%

Survey: In-store shopping sentiment up 21%

E-commerce activity remains robust, but a growing number of consumers are reintegrating physical stores into their shopping journeys in 2024, emphasizing the need for retailers to focus on omnichannel business strategies. That’s according to an e-commerce study from Ryder System, Inc., released this week.

Ryder surveyed more than 1,300 consumers for its 2024 E-Commerce Consumer Study and found that 61% of consumers shop in-store “because they enjoy the experience,” a 21% increase compared to results from Ryder’s 2023 survey on the same subject. The current survey also found that 35% shop in-store because they don’t want to wait for online orders in the mail (up 4% from last year), and 15% say they shop in-store to avoid package theft (up 8% from last year).

Keep ReadingShow less
containers stacked in a yard

Reinke moves from TIA to IANA in top office

Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.

Reinke will take her new job upon the retirement of Joni Casey at the end of the year. Casey had announced in July that she would step down after 27 years at the helm of IANA.

Keep ReadingShow less
Driverless parcel delivery debuts in Switzerland
Loxo/Planzer

Driverless parcel delivery debuts in Switzerland

Two European companies are among the most recent firms to put autonomous last-mile delivery to the test with a project in Bern, Switzerland, that debuted this month.

Swiss transportation and logistics company Planzer has teamed up with fellow Swiss firm Loxo, which develops autonomous driving software solutions, for a two-year pilot project in which a Loxo-equipped, Planzer parcel delivery van will handle last-mile logistics in Bern’s city center.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dock strike: Shippers seek ways to minimize the damage

Dock strike: Shippers seek ways to minimize the damage

As the hours tick down toward a “seemingly imminent” strike by East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers, experts are warning that the impacts of that move would mushroom well-beyond the actual strike locations, causing prevalent shipping delays, container ship congestion, port congestion on West coast ports, and stranded freight.

However, a strike now seems “nearly unavoidable,” as no bargaining sessions are scheduled prior to the September 30 contract expiration between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) in their negotiations over wages and automation, according to the transportation law firm Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary.

Keep ReadingShow less
Copyright ©2024.