[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 18, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8154-8156]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-3952]
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POSTAL SERVICE
39 CFR Part 111
Elimination of Mixed BMC/ADC Pallets of Packages of Flats
AGENCY: Postal Service.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: This notice presents proposed revisions to Domestic Mail
Manual (DMM) sections M041 and M045 to eliminate the options for
mailers to
[[Page 8155]]
place packages and bundles of Periodicals Mail on mixed ADC pallets and
to place packages and bundles of Standard Mail (A) and Standard Mail
(B) on mixed BMC pallets. Mailers will continue to have the options to
place sacks, trays, or parcels on mixed ADC or mixed BMC pallets, as
appropriate for the class of mail.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 6, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be mailed or delivered to the
Manager, Business Mail Acceptance, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 6801,
Washington, DC 20260-6808. Copies of all written comments will be
available at the above address for inspection and photocopying between
9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Beller, (202) 268-5166.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since the implementation of Classification
Reform in July 1996, mailers have had the options to prepare mixed ADC
pallets of Periodicals and mixed BMC pallets of Standard Mail. Although
these options offer some benefits in the manufacturing and distribution
handling processes of mailers by reducing sack usage, they have had a
negative impact on service and mailpiece integrity for packages and
bundles of flats placed on mixed ADC/BMC pallets.
Mixed pallets of packages and bundles are labeled to the origin BMC
or ADC serving the 3-digit prefix of the entry office for processing.
These pallets may consist of carrier route, 5-digit, 3-digit, ADC, or
mixed ADC packages. Studies indicate that more than 90 percent of the
packages on mixed pallets are prepared to the carrier route, 5-digit,
and 3-digit levels. When the mixed pallets are worked at origin, each
package that is for delivery outside the service area of that facility
must be handled and sorted individually to the appropriate downstream
ADC or BMC facility for further processing and distribution. In many
cases, the packages on these pallets could have been placed, by the
mailer, in sacks containing multiple packages sorted to the carrier
route(s), 5-digit, or 3-digit level. The sacks could have been
processed at the origin facility, generally on a sack sorter, to the
appropriate downstream facility avoiding the individual package
handlings at origin, thus providing greater opportunities to improve
service and maintain piece integrity for the mail contained in those
packages. Pieces in mixed ADC packages are distributed at an origin ADC
or concentration center.
Packages of Standard Mail that are placed on mixed BMC pallets are
required to meet BMC machinability standards to facilitate processing
on BMC parcel sorters. However, in many instances, packages of flat-
size mail on these pallets are being handled manually at origin and
downstream BMCs and ADCs because they do not maintain their integrity
on the parcel sorting equipment. This manual sortation drives more
costs and processing time into the system.
For the past year, the Postal Service has been advising the mailing
industry that the delays in delivery, damage to mailpieces, and
additional processing costs to the Postal Service that may result from
preparation of these optional mixed pallet levels outweigh the mail
production benefits to mailers. The Postal Service was planning to
eliminate this option in the future once it expected that a sufficient
quantity of sacks would be available on a regular basis to handle any
volume that would shift from mixed pallets to sacks. Through the
purchase of additional plastic sacks, we are confident that we will
have a sufficient quantity of sacks available to handle all volume
shifts that are likely to result from this change. Moreover, the
implementation of the Mail Transport Equipment Service Centers (MTESC)
over the next 24 months will ensure the continued availability of
sacks.
It should be noted that there are several other efforts under way,
including the work being conducted by the Mailers' Technical Advisory
Committee (MTAC) Presort Optimization Workgroup, to explore
opportunities for reducing the need for mixed pallets without
necessarily moving all the mail on these pallets back into sacks.
However, for the reasons described above, the Postal Service has
decided to go forward at this time with its proposal to eliminate the
mixed pallets for packages and bundles.
Discussions with many mailers have revealed that concerns about
delivery times have caused them to voluntarily eliminate the
preparation of optional mixed BMC and mixed ADC pallets. They were able
to do so because most software used by mailers to palletize mail
already allows them to turn off the optional mixed BMC/ADC sorts and to
sack the packages that would have been placed on these pallets.
Accordingly, in most instances, software will not require modification
to accommodate the proposed changes.
The Postal Service proposes that the revised standards become
effective 45 days from the date that the final rule is published.
Although exempt from the notice and comment requirements of the
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553 (b), (c)), regarding
proposed rulemaking by 39 U.S.C. 401(a), the Postal Service invites
comments on the following proposed revisions of the Domestic Mail
Manual, incorporated by reference in the Code of Federal Regulations.
See 39 CFR part 111.
List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111
Postal Service.
PART 111--[AMENDED]
1. The authority citation for 39 CFR part 111 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 39 U.S.C. 101, 401, 403, 404, 3001-
3011, 3201-3219, 3403-3406, 3621, 5001.
2. Amend the Domestic Mail Manual as set forth below:
M Mail Preparation and Sortation
M000 General Preparation Standards
* * * * *
M020 Packages and Bundles
* * * * *
1.0 BASIC STANDARDS
[Amend the third sentence in 1.4 by removing the reference to mixed BMC
pallets to read as follows:]
1.4 Palletization
* * * Packages and bundles on BMC pallets must be shrinkwrapped and
machinable on BMC parcel sorters; machinability is determined by the
USPS * * *.
M040 Pallets
M041 General Standards
* * * * *
5.0 PREPARATION
5.1 Presort
[Amend 5.1 by revising the last sentence and adding new sentences to
read as follows:]
For sacks, trays, or machinable parcels on pallets, the mailer must
prepare all required pallet levels before any mixed ADC or mixed BMC
pallets are prepared for a mailing or job. Packages and bundles
prepared under M045 must not be placed on mixed ADC or mixed BMC
pallets. Packages and bundles that cannot be placed on pallets must be
prepared in sacks under the standards for the rate claimed.
5.2 Required Preparation
[Amend 5.2 by removing the second and third sentences and revising the
fourth sentence to read as follows:]
[[Page 8156]]
Mixed pallets of sacks, trays, or machinable parcels must be
labeled to the BMC or ADC (as appropriate) serving the post office
where mailings are entered into the mailstream. The processing and
distribution manager * * *
* * * * *
5.6 Sacked Mail
[Amend 5.6 by revising the first sentence to read as follows:]
Mail that is not palletized (e.g., the mailer chooses not to
prepare BMC pallets, or the packages do not meet the machinability
standards in M020) must be prepared under the standards for the rate
claimed.
* * * * *
M045 Palletized Mailings
* * * * *
2.0 PACKAGES OF FLATS
2.1 Standards
[Amend 2.1 by revising the second sentence to read as follows:]
The palletized portion of a mailing may not include packages sorted
to mixed ADC or to foreign destinations.
* * * * *
2.4 Size--Standard Mail (B)
* * * * *
[Amend 2.4c by revising the second sentence to read as follows:]
Packages at other rates must be sorted to 5-digit, 3-digit,
optional SCF, and ADC destinations, as appropriate.
* * * * *
3.0 OPTIONAL BUNDLES--PERIODICALS AND STANDARD MAIL (A)
3.1 Standards
[Amend 3.1 by revising the second sentence to read as follows:]
The palletized portion of a mailing may not include bundles sorted
to mixed ADC or to foreign destinations.
* * * * *
4.0 PALLET PRESORT AND LABELING
4.1 Packages, Bundles, Sacks, or Trays
* * * * *
e. As appropriate:
[Amend the beginning of (1) by adding ``(sacks and trays only)'' to
read as follows:]
(1) Periodicals (sacks and trays only): mixed ADC: optional; * * *
[Amend the beginning of (2) by adding ``(sacks and trays only)'' to
read as follows:]
(2) Standard Mail (sacks and trays only): mixed BMC: optional; * *
*
* * * * *
5.0 PALLETS OF PACKAGES, BUNDLES, AND TRAYS
* * * * *
[Amend 5.3 to eliminate references to mixed BMC pallets to read as
follows:]
5.3 BMC and Mixed BMC Pallets
Packages and bundles placed on BMC pallets must be machinable on
BMC parcel sorting equipment. Line 2 on pallet labels must reflect the
processing category of the pieces. A BMC or mixed BMC (trays only)
pallet may include pieces that are eligible for the DBMC rate and
others that are ineligible if the mailer provides documentation showing
the pieces that qualify for the DBMC rate.
* * * * *
Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 98-3952 Filed 2-17-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P