BASIC Quesion..

[Not IN Trace]

Can someone please explain to me in detail how the UPS Basic program works, I ask because this past week I have noticed a large increase in the number of Basic packages being delivered to the USPS. On a given day i have 1-2 going directly to the post office, but noe it's more like 8-10, and I am not in a rural area. Also thr post office must get screwed on this deal, how can they make any money when they are delivering our packages for free?

 

[Old Man Jingles]

Can someone please explain to me in detail how the UPS Basic program works, I ask because this past week I have noticed a large increase in the number of Basic packages being delivered to the USPS. On a given day i have 1-2 going directly to the post office, but noe it's more like 8-10, and I am not in a rural area. Also thr post office must get screwed on this deal, how can they make any money when they are delivering our packages for free?

They are NOT delivering for free.

 

[satellitedriver]

We are going halfies with them.

 

[Dustyroads]

A few years ago the Post Office established a package rate for parcels that are tendered to the Post Office from where they will be delivered, providing that they have a USPS barcode, for a very, very low rate. Their carriers are going to every mailbox every day, so, they could offer a pretty good rate.

UPS and other carriers saw this as an opportunity to simply act as the carrier between the shipper and the delivering Post Office. The Post Office isn't delivering these for free, but for a very low rate. Likewise, we are picking the packages up and delivering them to the Post Office for a very discounted rate, compared to delivering them to residences. However, since we seem to lose money on residential deliveries, we are choosing to deliver a bunch of residentials to the Post Office, hopefully, at a resonable profit.

From the ones I deliver to Post Offices in a very rural area, I can assure you, UPS makes a lot more money on these packages than they do when I hit the gravel.

 

[wornoutupser]

I also have a BASIC question.
My building was told that 5 lbs was the limit- yet I keep delivering pkgs up to 15 lbs to my P.O. I called the union hall and never got a call back. Does anyone know the real limit that is supposed to be observed?

 

[beentheredonethat]

I also have a BASIC question.
My building was told that 5 lbs was the limit- yet I keep delivering pkgs up to 15 lbs to my P.O. I called the union hall and never got a call back. Does anyone know the real limit that is supposed to be observed?

The initial limit for Basic was 5 lbs, but has been changed for some customers to 10 lbs. However, that limit is due to the rate USPS charges UPS for deliverying heavier pkgs. We can give them pkgs up to 70 lbs. However, it becomes very unprofitable for UPS if we did that. Anything beyond 10 lbs, the shipper ends up paying more then if they shipped it ground. This is due to the rate charts USPS charges UPS. So yes, a pkg can be 15 lbs being sent basic, but it's actually more expensive then if they shipped it ground.

 

[Bubblehead]

I also have a BASIC question.
My building was told that 5 lbs was the limit- yet I keep delivering pkgs up to 15 lbs to my P.O. I called the union hall and never got a call back. Does anyone know the real limit that is supposed to be observed?

It's not a contractual thing between the union and the company.
It's contractual between the company and the Post Office.
They may have thought your message was a joke at the union hall, hence the lack of a call back.

 

[satellitedriver]

However, since we seem to lose money on residential deliveries, we are choosing to deliver a bunch of residentials to the Post Office, hopefully, at a resonable profit.That is the reasoning.

From the ones I deliver to Post Offices in a very rural area, I can assure you, UPS makes a lot more money on these packages than they do when I hit the gravel.

Dusty,
As you and I share in delivering to very rural areas, has it not stuck you that the majority of shoppers we deliver to are the majority of our daily deliveries?
Ups has contracts to deliver to USPS for certain companies, to save us money, but it is always to the compulsive shopper. Each given day, I deliver to the PO and I have standard pkg's going to the same persons house. My PO's close by 3:30 and I have to break off to make commit.
Rarely do I not drive by a stop that I delivered to the post office to deliver.
I delivered a pkg to the PO last Monday and the mail carrier delivered it to me the next day.
We had a good laugh.

 

[dilligaf]

Dusty,
As you and I share in delivering to very rural areas, has it not stuck you that the majority of shoppers we deliver to are the majority of our daily deliveries?
Ups has contracts to deliver to USPS for certain companies, to save us money, but it is always to the compulsive shopper. Each given day, I deliver to the PO and I have standard pkg's going to the same persons house. My PO's close by 3:30 and I have to break off to make commit.
Rarely do I not drive by a stop that I delivered to the post office to deliver.
I delivered a pkg to the PO last Monday and the mail carrier delivered it to me the next day.
We had a good laugh.

QVC is the one that gets me. I have delivered so many of those to the post offices around here and then turn around and deliver another QVC to the home. I have delivered my own stuff to the post office but if I catch I will just take it with me after the PO has accounted for it.

 

[Bubblehead]

My route is an urban route, well within the limits of a major US city. Since New Years my PO basic deliveries have went from 1 or 2, to 15 to 2O daily. As we all know, most of our customers are repeated, compulsive online, shoppers. Of the 16 basic packages today for the PO, 14 are to houses that I will be delivering to already today for other shippers. The other 2, I'll drive by. Obviously former regular shippers are switching to this system. What makes this advantageous to UPS or the PO in an urban setting?

 

[Dustyroads]

I deliver in a very rural area, I don't have a single town with more than 500 people living in it. The post offices on my area all have pretty limited window hours, three of them close for a couple hours for lunch, one of them is only open for a couple hours in the morning.

It became a situation where I was having to break off trace, often driving 10-20 miles each way to get to a post office to drop a BASIC package. The financial advantages of the BASIC service disappear if a driver has to break trace to make it to the Post Office. My center team instructed me to, if I saw fit, simply deliver the BASIC package to the residence it was ultimately destined, if that were going to save me miles and time. When the diad asks, was this delivered to a post office, I simply reply, no. It works pretty good. If I see some packages for the post offices, I will look at them before entering that part of my area and see what will be in UPS's advantage and act accordingly.

 

[tarbar66]

I deliver in a very rural area, I don't have a single town with more than 500 people living in it. The post offices on my area all have pretty limited window hours, three of them close for a couple hours for lunch, one of them is only open for a couple hours in the morning.

It became a situation where I was having to break off trace, often driving 10-20 miles each way to get to a post office to drop a BASIC package. The financial advantages of the BASIC service disappear if a driver has to break trace to make it to the Post Office. My center team instructed me to, if I saw fit, simply deliver the BASIC package to the residence it was ultimately destined, if that were going to save me miles and time. When the diad asks, was this delivered to a post office, I simply reply, no. It works pretty good. If I see some packages for the post offices, I will look at them before entering that part of my area and see what will be in UPS's advantage and act accordingly.

Thank you for being a good UPSer. I'm sure someone on BC will blast you for doing this.


I would keep track of these deliveries just for some money in the bank if someone tries to hang you.

Is NDPPH still a flavor of the month? If it is you are helping the effort, then you must be a superstar!

 

[Bubblehead]

I deliver in a very rural area, I don't have a single town with more than 500 people living in it. The post offices on my area all have pretty limited window hours, three of them close for a couple hours for lunch, one of them is only open for a couple hours in the morning.

It became a situation where I was having to break off trace, often driving 10-20 miles each way to get to a post office to drop a BASIC package. The financial advantages of the BASIC service disappear if a driver has to break trace to make it to the Post Office. My center team instructed me to, if I saw fit, simply deliver the BASIC package to the residence it was ultimately destined, if that were going to save me miles and time. When the diad asks, was this delivered to a post office, I simply reply, no. It works pretty good. If I see some packages for the post offices, I will look at them before entering that part of my area and see what will be in UPS's advantage and act accordingly.

Thank you for being a good UPSer. I'm sure someone on BC will blast you for doing this.


I would keep track of these deliveries just for some money in the bank if someone tries to hang you.

Is NDPPH still a flavor of the month? If it is you are helping the effort, then you must be a superstar!

I'm going to guess this guy isn't using the PAS system yet. Either way we are losing revenue.

 

[Dustyroads]

We've been on PAS for quite a while. It's just that it makes little sense to drive 30-40 miles to get to a post office when I am often within sight of the final destination. If I have several packages for the Post Office, well, I just have to break off and run those miles up. But, if I can save the company 30 or 40 miles a day, I try to. It minimizes the losses.

 

[Bubblehead]

So the Post Office gets payed for doing nothing.
UPS loses less money at best.
Neat.
It appears to me that you're just masking the problem by doing what your doing.
I'm not doubting your motives, but the system now seems to be flawed in both rural and urban settings.
Unfortunately at this company we have to fail miserably to get the attention and prudent decisions from the higher ups.

 

[Bubblehead]

My route is an urban route, well within the limits of a major US city. Since New Years my PO basic deliveries have went from 1 or 2, to 15 to 2O daily. As we all know, most of our customers are repeated, compulsive online, shoppers. Of the 16 basic packages today for the PO, 14 are to houses that I will be delivering to already today for other shippers. The other 2, I'll drive by. Obviously former regular shippers are switching to this system. What makes this advantageous to UPS or the PO in an urban setting?

Per my lunch time post, I could have delivered all 16 pieces today at a total expense to the company of about 6 extra minutes at the most.
Instead we give a piece of the pie to the Post Office?
Hell, Dusty's delivering them for the Post Office for free.
All but 1 package today was from a formally dedicated catalogue shipper.
These are Roamans, Brylane, Kingsize, Woman Within, to name a few, presumably owned by the same company.
More will follow??
A good idea in limited circumstances has been taken to far and needs to be reevaluated immediately.

 

[29th Christmas]

In our center we have many small POs in the area that have very limited hours. Without question, drivers reroute the small POs basic pkgs to a larger PO that has normal operating hours.

 

[LED]

For anyone who delivers these packages to the post office.

Do you have to get a signature for BASCIC packages at the post office?

We are instructed to leave all basic packages. Even to businesses that are closed.

 

[Not IN Trace]

To follow up I had 8 more today going to the usps, looks like UPS is abusing the BASIC setup to divert volume to justify keeping routes off the road, and by the way I thought BASIC packages were only going to be delivered by the usless post office only in very rural areas to save money?

 

[Channahon]

UPS basic and the post office is all a matter of economics and the shippers preference for the lowest shipping charges. Although a UPS driver may past the stop, the shipper opts to have the Post Office deliver the package at a lower rate and not a guaranteed ground delivery by UPS.