FAST FOR PERIODICALS

ACCELERATING YOUR BUSINESS

MailPro
News for Mailing Professionals

FYI
The Postal Service currently is conducting focus groups with Postal Customer Council (PCC) members. Feedback from customers helps improve programs and support for the important partnership between USPS and PCCs. If your PCC would like to participate in a focus group in 2008, send an e-mail to pcc@usps.gov.

By this fall, Postal Service facilities will require advance notification of Periodicals mailings through the Facility Access and Shipment Tracking (FAST) application.

With the inclusion of Periodicals mailings in FAST, business mailers, including mail owners, preparers and schedulers, will have enhanced visibility of their scheduled Periodicals drop shipments at each facility. Mailers will be able to track their drop shipments, receive advance notification of redirections, submit and manage recurring appointment requests online, and use joint scheduling capabilities.

USPS facilities will be able to use the additional information they receive regarding Periodicals appointments to better forecast the quantity of trips and volume expected at their location on a given day. This added visibility will allow USPS facilities to increase staffing efficiency and reduce unload wait times for those delivering and transporting Periodicals mailings.

For information on registration and training, go to fast.usps.com. Without logging in, you can click on "Resources" (in the blue navigation bar), then "Reference Documents." Job aids and training are available for download. To be added to our mailing list, send an e-mail to fastperiodicals@usps.com.

Get ready to go … FAST for Periodicals!

KEEPING PALLETS POSTAL

The misuse and theft of postal pallets and flat tubs is a growing problem - and an expensive one. Despite spending more than $77 million for pallets in the past three years, the Postal Service is challenged to keep enough on hand to satisfy plant and customer needs. Pallets represent the largest loss in inventory of mail transport equipment each year.

The Postal Service's Mail Transportation Equipment group and the Postal Inspection Service are working together to promote awareness of this problem. From storing office equipment or transporting freight to recycling for revenue or just sitting in foreign warehouses, these pallets and flat tubs are turning up in a lot of places that aren't USPS.

Customers are encouraged to report misuse or theft of pallets or flat tubs. Contact your local postal facility to arrange for recovery of this mail transport equipment. Or, send an e-mail to hqmte@usps.gov. The appropriate office will be contacted for a prompt recovery. If you see the sale of postal property online or at a reseller's business, contact Postal Inspectors or your local Post Office.

Whether paid for in higher postal rates or interfering with the ability to present mail in a timely manner, all customers are affected by misuse and theft of mail transport equipment. Theft of postal property is a federal crime.