U S Postal Service

News Release 28 June 2024

the CEP Group Makes Strategic Shift in USPS Shipping

Effective this week we are shifting ALL our US Postal Service shipping to FedEx. The most recent USPS shipping failure left us no alternative. On June 10th we shipped ICT equipment to a former teammate and current associate, via USPS Ground Advantage, insured, direct signature required. After three weeks of tracking updates showing the shipment travelling a circuitous route between Florida and PR, including multiple arrival scans on different dates in processing facilities; on Tuesday this week, June 25th, the USPS emailed us a notification of proof of delivery stating “We regret to inform you that we were unable to locate any delivery information in our records for your item.”

Subsequent to this we reached out to Linda K. Crawford, Southern Area vice president, US Postal Service for an explanation. As of this evening neither she nor her office has responded.

At close of this week if there is no resolution we are considering advising our shipping clients that we will provide reviews of their shipping profiles to assess their supply chain risk exposure to USPS shipping.

And when the US Postal Service has lost your shipment, at least they are good enough to tell you –

Notification of Proof of Delivery_Redacted – Copy (2)Download
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UPU Emergency Information System Message – Canada Post Shutdown of Major Exchange Office and Key Domestic Hub Imminent

We expect Canada Post Corporation (CPC) to shutdown its international office of exchange (IEO) and one of its three domestic operations hubs in Toronto this week due to COVID-19 pandemic impact on the workforce.

Message n° 36/2021

26 January 2021 / 26 janvier 2021 à 13h32( CET)

Further to EmIS 638/2020, the designated operator of Canada, Canada Post, asks us to inform other Union member countries and their designated operators that a number of cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in one of the three shifts at its Gateway East processing plant in the Greater Toronto Area. 

Following guidance by the regional health authority, Canada Post has temporarily closed this shift to prevent further spread of the virus. The Toronto exchange office, located in a separate area of the Gateway plant, continues to operate, albeit with a reduced workforce. Given this situation, disruption to normal operations and reduced processing capacity and clearance within customs operations are to be expected.

As further staff shortages are expected during this time, in addition to measures to protect the health and safety of workers, member countries can expect delays in the processing and delivery of both inbound and outbound mail items.

Canada Post is evaluating and adapting existing contingency plans to keep postal items flowing with minimal delay, triaging where appropriate, and will keep member countries updated via EmIS as this situation evolves. Unless designated operators are specifically requested to dispatch to the Montreal or Vancouver offices of exchange, Canada Post requests that dispatches not be diverted or rerouted.

Canada Post has operated with safety protocols in place following the guidance of public health officials since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and will continue to follow their expert guidance and recommendations.

Canada Post thanks all Union member countries and their designated operators for their understanding during this very difficult time.

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Climate Change, Electric Vehicles

Biden to Sign Buy American Order for Government Procurement

Will this knock Turkish automotive firm Karsan out of contention for the USPS delivery vehicle fleet contract? The bigger question mark is – can Workhorse deliver?

1. Biden administration campaign promises to accelerate U. S. climate change initiatives – They are Big! – http://reut.rs/3qQvtFL

2. The USPS delivery fleet is in “Zombie mode’!

3. The Postal Service has a very strong history as a technology innovator and adopter, especially for the sorting and transportation of the U S Mails, e.g., the US Airline industry was built on the US Air Mail service, Rural Free Delivery, RFD, the Railway Mail Service and Parcel Post services drove the expansion of B2C commerce in the US. And the Postal Service was an early pioneer in the development of Optical Character Reader, OCR, technology for high-speed mail sorting in the 1970’s. Yes, the 1970s! We saw them in operation in NYC. You can view and download a video of an early OCR here.

The headwinds are also strong –

1. No proven track record in delivering large scale fleets of commercial delivery vehicles

2. No proven track record in delivering viable Electric commercial delivery vehicles that can operate in all climates and delivery environments on the scale that the US Postal Service requires.

3. No proven track record in pre-market maintenance training and support

4. No proven track record in providing aftermarket support for parts and service

5. The vested interests of the U. S. petroleum and automotive sectors to maintain status quo are very big!

Automotive sector Annual lobbying – http://bit.ly/3a4vUFA

Automotive sector Annual campaign contributions – http://bit.ly/2LUKxn7

Petroleum sector lobbying – http://bit.ly/3iLTI58

Petroleum sector campaign contributions http://bit.ly/2KMJiFT

BUT! Do NOT Ignore History…

Whether it’s Workhorse, or another eVehicle newcomer, just as the US Air Mail Service was the foundation for the U S Airline industry, we believe a 180,000+ Electric delivery vehicle fleet order will jumpstart the United States’ transition to electric, and other alternative, environment friendly transportation modes.

UPDATE – And while Workhorse looks like the obvious choice, could the USPS scrap the solicitation and re-solicit it opening the door to new vehicle companies that have come on the scene since the original RFP? Stay tuned – https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/biden-administration-usps-ev-electric-mail-carriers-grumman-llv/

Payments, U S Postal Service, Walmart, Western Union

Western Union Partners With Walmart!

January 19, 2021

Western Union services will roll out in more than 4,700 Walmart stores starting this spring. A leapfrog over the competition, or a ‘Hail Mary pass’? – https://bit.ly/3pbAfgo

And further to the discussion where in the world is the US Postal Service’s “Sure Money® (DineroSeguro®)”. Yes, the service has been around since the mid 1990’s but have you seen it advertised lately? The USPS has about 30,000 retail outlets versus Walmart’s 4,756 stores.

And why didn’t USPS partner with Walmart? Walmart’s footfall and customer demographic are a natural fit. “Has the USPS lost its business development mojo?” Stay tuned for the next installment – “Retail Self Service Kiosk – What Took So Long?” #USPSLostBizDevMojo

Autonomous Vehicles, Last Mile, Research, The Postal Industry, Value Chains

the CEP Group Joins MDPI

 the CEP Group Joins MDPI

the CEP Group has joined MDPI, a pioneer in scholarly open access publishing based in Basel, Switzerland. MDPI fosters open scientific exchange across all disciplines through 209 diverse, peer-reviewed journals supported by over 35,500 academic editors.

The CEP Group will focus on logistics including last mile delivery models and returns, integrated supply chains, remote sensing, robotics, and vehicles, aircraft and vessels including autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), and alternative fuels, and customer value chain analysis (CVA). We will provide the latest research and thought in these areas for our clients.

Announcements, The Postal Industry

the CEP Group Continues U.S. Federal Government System for Award Management (SAM) Support in CY 2021!

the CEP Group is pleased to announce our continued participation in the U.S. Federal Government’s System for Award Management (SAM) for CY 2021. SAM is the official website of the U.S. government that companies must actively register in to do business with the Federal Government. 

Our expertise in national postal operator (NPO) contracting spans four decades including work on US Postal Service Contract Postal Units (CPUs), USPS fleet purchasing for the national accounts program, multiple projects for www.usps.com including development and launch of the Post Office Locator, the re-engineering design contract for the USPS website, development of the affiliate marketing program for www.usps.com, and special reports for the USPS office of Inspector General, OIG.

Beyond the US Postal Service, the CEP Group principals have led extensive alliance projects for commercial integrators with national postal operators (NPOs) for co-branded products, integrated cross border and domestic first mile – last mile delivery networks, and global mail transportation networks

We are proud to continue our tradition of expert consultation, special projects, and custom research for the Courier, Express, and Postal sector worldwide

Drones

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao Announces Proposal Covering Drone Operations

WASHINGTON — January 15 2019

The U.S. Department of Transportation is prepared to issue a new proposed rule that will allow more freedom for people operating drones, according to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

Secretary Chao delivered her remarks at the January 14th Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting. She announced that the forthcoming proposed rule would allow drone operators to fly their machines at night, and over the heads of people without special waivers with certain conditions. Conditions include the operator a.) Has received appropriate training, b.) Has completed approved testing, and c.)  Has equipped the drone with anti-collision lighting.

The proposed rules will be published soon in the Federal Register for public comment.

Source: Transport Topics

Customs

Austria to end De Minimis as of 1 January 2020

The Austrian Government has decided that online orders from third countries will be fully taxable, with no de minimis.

Currently, the import tax exemption limit is €22, which is used in particular by Asian online retailers. The new regulation should come into force from 2020, anticipating the entry into force as part of the EU VAT Ecommerce Reform.

By 1 January 2021, a new simplified customs and VAT procedure will be introduced for all postal items with a value of less than €150 (i.e. “Low Value Consignment [LVC]”).

This procedure will be applied to all economic operators (designated/national postal operators, as well as non-designated operators). To send commercial items cross borders, the use of electronic advanced data will be mandatory when sending the items.

According to figures made public by the Austrian retail association (Handelsverband), every year 560 million cross-border parcels from China are sent via dominant Chinese mail order companies to the European Union. 97% of these shipments are fully customs and VAT free in the EU and a large part of the remaining 3% enters the EU without customs fees.

source: Ecommerce Europe

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the CEP Group Welcomes our newest Associate – Philip Warker

10 February 2026

We are excited to announce that Philip Warker has joined the CEP Group as our newest Associate Consultant effective this month.

Mr. Warker, an innovative international logistics and business professional, brings his extensive experience in intelligence acquisition, analysis, risk assessment and program development and management in international supply chains, customs operations and logistics for governments, international regulatory agencies, shippers, commercial carriers and 3PLs to our team.

His range includes the

US Postal Service International Operations and Relations (USPS)

Program Manager, International Operations and Relations overseeing international mail operations, Customs processes, aviation security, and bi-lateral agreements for specialized services

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Chief, manifest, conveyance and export control including implementation of the Automated Export System (AES) for the United States, supporting the U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Strategic Plan and the CBP’s international mail program

Chief international advisory programs for the EU, as the US lead for USCBP customs cooperation initiatives and programs with the EU, and the Container Security Initiative (CSI) for feeder ports.

Chief, cargo control programs including foreign trade zones, bonded warehouses, in-bond movements, supply chain security, and hazardous materials

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

            Senior Advisor, Cargo and Trade Security Recruited by DHS Office of Policy to formulate national and international strategies and policies for U.S. air cargo and supply chain security, serving as key advisor to senior DHS leadership and the National Security Council

Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)

            Senior Technical Security Officer Led the development of advanced cargo containers with intrusion detection, created cost-effective methods for foreign port security analysis, and represented DHS in supply chain security initiatives with the logistics sector.

U S Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

            Senior Analyst, Trade Policy Oversaw coordination between DHS Policy and DHS Intelligence and Analysis on cargo and trade intelligence, developed international policies addressing e-commerce, trade security, and pandemic-related transportation challenges.

Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)

            Federal Partnership Program Manager Managed ODNI’s relationships with non-Title 50 federal departments and agencies.  Streamlined intelligence sharing and access processes. Developed standard operating procedures and a data access guide to improve integration with federal senior intelligence officials

U S Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

            Deputy Director, Economic Security –Drove department-wide policy on economic security, foreign investment screening, and the information communications technology and services supply chain. Support policy and regulatory analysis in conjunction with the interagency to ensure alignment with DHS equities

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People ask us from time to time


People ask from time to time what our banner graphic represents. Some have said it seems barren and off putting. This is good. Engaging a discussion about its meaning opens the door to our vision. Every day we go out, scan the landscape for data, information and events, and weave narratives. And while they may seem counterintuitive or too far outside the current temporal realm, they form the basis for our  approach to our clients “What’s over your horizon?”.

Disruption, Postal Change, U S Postal Service

United States Postal Service

Privatization, or strategic asset?

Since the 1980s, the ever-present debate has been what to do with the United States Postal Service. Like a tug of the war the struggle has shifted from side to side – from ‘it’s a government monopoly that restrains trade in the private sector by locking out private delivery companies from lucrative access to the home mailbox while being heavily subsidized by taxpayer dollars, …’ to it’s a ‘strategic asset of the United States of America’.

And while the debate continues to this day, with citations of how the Continental Post Office, then the Post Office Department, and now the independent US Postal Service has served this nation are known knowns, there numerous lesser-known facts about the organization. Two notable ones – if there was no Post Office there would be no mail order industry, i.e., no Rural Free Delivery to deliver the Sears Roebuck and Mongomery Wards catalogs that launched the B2C fulfillment of millions packages via Parcel Post service; if there was no Post Office there would be no commercial airline service transporting millions of kilos of US Mail, and passengers daily. Yes, the US Post Office actually spun off its airline to the commercial sector in 1927. The Post Office, and later the US Postal Service was a pioneer not only in logistics and transportation, but technology as well. The Post Office Department began research and development of optical character recognition [OCR] technology in the 1950’s leading to equipment capable of sorting up to 36,000 piece of mail per hour. Other R&D projects led to hybrid mail systems, global fax networks, and electronic funds and payment systems. All the while still delivering personal and business correspondence whose unique feature is that it cannot be hacked. Today the USPS has over 1,560 patents.

So, the current news bites that a recent investment bank research paper has triggered today about what is the value of a privatized Postal Service’ brings to the debate into very sharp focus. The paper, reported on by MSNBC makes some bold assertions about the monetization of a series of spun-off businesses, but in doing so it opens the door to intense scrutiny about the true value of the United States Postal Service. We leave you this thought and look forward to returning in the next weeks with some outside the box (and envelope) observations. – – “What’s over your horizon?”

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ADVANCE NOTICE – USPS International Service Alert

Effective November 1, 2024, the Postal Service will suspend international mail acceptance to Mongolia and Turkmenistan until further notice due to unavailable transportation.

Customers are asked to refrain from mailing items addressed to the following countries, until further notice:

  • Mongolia
  • Turkmenistan

This service disruption affects Priority Mail Express International® (PMEI), Priority Mail International® (PMI), First-Class Mail International® (FCMI), First-Class Package International Service® (FCPIS), International Priority Airmail® (IPA), and M-Bag® items.

Unless otherwise noted, service suspensions to a particular country do not affect delivery of military and diplomatic mail.