Please download the chart and print out as many copies as you need for easy reference. Some clients find it helpful to place a copy in each job folder, while others prefer displaying them on their walls or bulletin boards.
Did you know that you can take advantage of additional postage savings ranging from 3% to 6% by participating in USPS promotions?
Let us help you identify the most beneficial promotions and seamlessly implement them into your direct mail program. We’re here to make it easy!
The wildfires sweeping through Los Angeles and surrounding areas have disrupted daily life for residents and businesses. As these fires continue to impact the region, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is experiencing operational challenges that will affect mail delivery and other services.
Post Office Closures and Delivery Interruptions
In the hardest-hit areas, USPS delays and potential suspension of delivery services are impacting mail and package delivery. Residents in evacuation zones or regions with restricted access may experience delays in receiving mail.
USPS is working closely with local authorities to assess the situation and resume services as soon as conditions allow. Several post offices are currently closed due to safety concerns or infrastructure damage.
What You Can Do
Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by the wildfires.
Hurricane Milton is approaching Florida, with landfall anticipated in the Tampa area Wednesday night. The storm is predicted to be very large and powerful, impacting western, central, and eastern Florida. Hurricane Milton is forecasted to bring unprecedented flooding and high winds, which will cause property damage, road closures, and electrical outages.
What We Know Now – Logistics & Post Offices
The hurricane will impact the processing, transportation, and delivery of mail and packages throughout Florida. Please allow additional time for the final delivery of your campaigns.
What To Do
Contact your Account Representative directly if you need assistance or have any questions about your mailings.
Check the USPS Service Alerts page for any postal delay, closing, or re-opening reports in areas affected by Hurricane Milton.
You may also check this page for updated logistics transportation changes as they become available.
We wish for safety and speedy recovery for all impacted by the hurricanes.
Hurricane Helene will make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend area. The strong winds, driving rain, and storm surge will impact nearly all of Florida. As the storm moves inland Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee will feel the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
Significant power outages and flooding will impact local post offices and mail delivery throughout this region. We’re wishing all those affected safety and a speedy recovery.
What We Know Now – Logistics & Post Offices
The storm will impact the processing, transportation, and delivery of mail and packages. Please allow additional time for the final delivery of your items.
What To Do
Contact your Account Representative directly if you need assistance or have any questions about your mailings.
Check the USPS Service Alerts page for any postal delay, closing, or re-opening reports in areas affected by Hurricane Helene.
You may also check this page for updated logistics transportation changes as they become available.
Significant power outages and flooding have impacted the Louisiana region as a result of Hurricane Francine. The hurricane made landfall on Wednesday, September 11th in Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2 storm before being downgraded to a tropical storm. The flooding and power outages are impacting local post offices and mail delivery. We’re wishing all those affected safety and a speedy recovery.
What We Know Now – Logistics & Post Offices
The storm is impacting the processing, transportation, and delivery of mail and packages. Please allow additional time for the final delivery of your items.
What To Do
Contact your Account Representative directly if you need assistance or have any questions.
Check the USPS Service Alerts page for any postal delay, closing, or re-opening reports in areas affected by Hurricane Francine. You may also check this page for updated logistics transportation changes as they become available.
The United States Postal Service recently released its latest plan to save money, proposing to reduce truck trips and slow service to rural customers.
You can find out more – and potentially speak and ask questions – by attending the “USPS Pre-Filing Conference” via Zoom on Thursday, September 5 from 1pm -3pm ET. Space is limited and the registration deadline is September 3rd so sign up asap.
Insights from Stephen Kearney, Executive Director of The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers:
“The proposal is driven entirely by the Postal Service’s goal to make its network more efficient for packages and mail. A large part of the estimated $2.8 to $3.3 billion in annual savings would be from the ‘Regional Transportation Initiative’ that would eliminate picking up mail in the evening from many rural post offices, adding another day’s delivery time to mostly First-Class Mail.
The first regulatory step is a remote “pre-filing conference” where a panel of USPS staff will explain their proposal, answer questions, and sometimes respond to comments.
In a sense, this is not a surprise. We had heard something like this was coming. More importantly, this action is another natural response to an agency mandated to operate as a self-funding business under a statutory monopoly with a weak regulator. This is USPS operating more like Amazon, FedEx, and UPS than a government agency attempting to serve all Americans well and equally.
USPS leadership wants to improve service for anyone near a processing facility while diminishing it for rural citizens and the mailers that interact with them.”
MailSmart Logistics and members of The PMG Family will be attending the USPS Pre-Filing Conference on September 5 to learn more and express our concerns. Please join us!
Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Monday, July 8th on Texas’ Gulf Coast as a Category 1 storm resulting in mass power outages with impacts to local post offices and mail delivery. We’re wishing all those impacted safety and a speedy recovery.
What We Know Now – Logistics & Post Offices
Beryl as well as other weather events in the South, Southeast, and Central U.S. are impacting the processing, transportation, and delivery of mail and packages. Please allow additional time for final delivery of your item.
What To Do
Check this page often as we will update any logistics transportation changes as they become available and check the USPS Service Alerts page for any postal delay, closing, or re-opening reports in affected areas of Hurricane Beryl as it moves through the mid-west.
This week, the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers released the new postage rates that will take effect starting January 21, 2024. The new rates proposed by the USPS are currently awaiting Postal Regulatory Commission approval. Approval is just a matter of time based on past rate increases.
The expected increases are in the 1-3% range overall, depending on the type of mail. You can find current and proposed rates by clicking here.
At MailSmart Logistics, we advocate for our clients every day. Stay tuned for our upcoming blog on postal savings opportunities. If you have January mailings planned, please note these cutoff dates for the current rates:
MailSmart Logistics is a proud Corporate Sponsor of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, a grassroots organization of nonprofits working to preserve affordable, reliable U.S. Mail so our Nation’s nonprofits can continue to fulfill their vital missions.
Got questions? Contact your MSL representative. We are standing by to help in any way that we can.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall early Wednesday on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a powerful Category 3 storm resulting in road closures and power outages impacting local post offices and mail delivery.
What We Know Now – Logistics & Post Offices
USPS has suspended operations in the Southeast US: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/residential/welcome.htm
Trucking and rail companies are suspending service to impacted areas in order to protect the mail.
Mandatory evacuations have caused the temporary closure of many postal offices which will delay delivery.
What To Do
Check this page often as we will update any logistics transportation changes as they become available.
Contact your MailSmart Logistics representative to discuss your individual mailings so that we can develop a unique strategy to get your campaigns to recipients in a timely manner while ensuring mailpiece safety. You can call us directly at 443.539.2640.
We’re wishing all those impacted safety and a speedy recovery.
It is time to prepare for impacts to your mailings scheduled for summer and fall. The USPS rates go into effect on July 9, 2023. To view the updated USPS Rate Chart, please click here.
The increases are substantial and we strongly urge you to take advantage of the discounts offered by the USPS Promotions and Incentives Programs. Looking to next year, the 2024 USPS Promotions were also approved and all promotions will be returning.
2023 Promotions and Incentive Programs:
Be sure to work closely with your mail service provider, agency, or production partner to assist you with the implementation process for all these promotions. Please note, you can only participate in one promotion at a time per campaign. However, there is one caveat, the Reply Mail IMbA promotion because it applies to incoming mail rather than outgoing mail.
As always, MailSmart Logistics stands ready to help you get the absolute best rates possible by utilizing commingling, drop shipping, or a combination of the two. We analyze every mailing for our clients to determine the most cost-effective delivery strategy to help you meet your delivery and budget goals.
Please let us know if we can answer any questions or assist in any way. Feel free to reach out to your representative or drop us a line below and we’ll get in touch with you.
