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UPS Inc. (NYSE:UPS) said it will increase rates by 24 cents on all parcels moving under its SurePost parcel-induction product with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), effective Oct. 18.

The per-parcel increase matches a 24-cent peak-season holiday surcharge imposed by USPS, the first time the agency has ever levied surcharges during the holiday season. The USPS charges will be levied on large commercial customers like UPS, which under the SurePost program dumps massive volumes deep into the postal infrastructure for last-mile residential deliveries. However, large postal users are expected to pass on the USPS increases in much greater magnitude, thus creating profit centers for that traffic.

Did you know that, at one time, UPS (United Parcel Service) ran a passenger airline? What was it like, and what happened? Let’s explore.

UPS is a freight airline, running older aircraft like the Boeing 727 and others, overnight delivering freight around the world. However, back in the mid-90s, the team at UPS ran a program called the “Asset Utilization Experiment.”

Essentially, while the cargo aircraft were profitable and ran a tight operation, many planes sat idle over the weekends during the day as the package operation didn’t run. The team realized that they could use the aircraft to fly something else during the weekends, such as passengers.

Delivery fleet operators face regulatory pressure in California and other states to buy electric vehicles, but a surge in package deliveries thanks to coronavirus lockdowns has major firms itching to switch to electric right now.

Delivery fleet operators face regulatory pressure in California and other states to buy electric vehicles, but a surge in package deliveries thanks to coronavirus lockdowns has major firms itching to switch to electric right now.

And they want far more than just battery-powered versions of diesel- or gas-guzzling trucks and vans.

Fleet operators such as United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N) hunger for computers on wheels that can harvest data and upgrade safety or autonomous features overnight to save money and boost profit.