[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 170 (Thursday, September 2, 2004)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 53666-53668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-19992]


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POSTAL SERVICE

39 CFR Part 111


Address Visibility on Bundles of Flat-Size and Irregular Parcel 
Mail

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Postal Service is seeking comments on a proposal that adds 
additional standards for the visibility of address elements and presort 
designation (i.e., optional endorsement lines, barcoded pressure 
sensitive package labels, or facing slips) on bundles of flat-size and 
irregular parcel mailpieces. The proposed new standards apply only to 
bundles that are candidates for processing on automated bundle sorting 
equipment. The standards would require that all elements in the 
delivery address and the presort designation on the top piece of 
carrier route and presort bundles containing flat-size or irregular 
parcel mailpieces, either prepared in sacks or placed directly on 
pallets, be completely visible and readable without the need to 
manipulate the banding or shrinkwrap.

DATES: Submit comments on or before October 18, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Mail or deliver comments to the Manager, Mailing Standards, 
U.S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW. Rm 3436, Washington, DC 
20260-3436. Copies of all written comments will be available for 
inspection and photocopying between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, at the Postal Service Headquarters Library, 11th Floor North, 
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barry Walsh, Operational Requirements 
and Integration, U.S. Postal Service, (202) 268-7595; or Vicki Bosch, 
Mailing Standards, U.S. Postal Service, (202) 268-7277.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To help control mail processing costs, the 
Postal Service uses automated equipment whenever available to process 
mail. Automation reduces manual processing costs and helps maintain 
stable postage rates. The Postal Service has experienced significant 
savings through the use of automated equipment to sort letter-size and 
flat-size mailpieces.
    To further reduce processing costs, the Postal Service started 
deployment of new automated package processing system (APPS) equipment 
to process parcels and bundles. The new APPS equipment will replace 
many of the small parcel and bundle sorters (SPBSs) now used in major 
Postal Service processing facilities. The APPS equipment has optical 
character recognition (OCR) capability that can read the delivery 
information on bundles of mail and subsequently process mail more 
efficiently.
    Bundle address visibility and the visibility of the presort 
designation are essential for automated processing of presort bundles 
with APPS equipment. Banding, shrinkwrap, labels, or facing slips that 
obscure all or part of the delivery address or presort designation on 
the top piece of bundles lower the processing efficiency of the APPS 
equipment. The APPS equipment reads the address on small parcels and 
presort bundles by scanning the address and presort designation on the 
top piece, and then directing the parcels or presort bundles to the 
appropriate sort bin.
    During automated induction, there is no opportunity for a postal 
employee to move strapping, flatten shrinkwrap, or otherwise manipulate 
bundles to assist the OCR. Bundles or parcels that cannot be read 
successfully on the first pass must be routed to a semiautomatic 
induction station, where a postal employee has a limited ability to 
move strapping away from the address block before re-inducting the 
bundle into the machine. If address recognition fails again, APPS will 
reject the bundle or parcel and it will have to be handled manually.

Address Visibility

    Except as explained below, presort bundles prepared in sacks or on 
pallets must have the delivery address information visible and readable 
to the naked eye, including any barcoded pressure-sensitive bundle 
label or optional endorsement line (OEL). When plastic bands, string, 
or rubber bands are used to secure bundles, the mailpiece can typically 
be divided into four areas formed by the crossing of the banding. 
Placing the delivery address in one of these four areas will ensure 
that no part of the address is obscured by the banding material. If the 
address cannot be placed within an area of the mailpiece not covered by 
banding, then mailers may secure their bundles using clear plastic 
banding or clear shrinkwrap, or use an optional bundle label (OBL).
    These standards do not apply to bundles of letter-size mail; 
bundles of First-Class flat-size mail; Customized Market Mail (CMM); 
bundles placed in 5-digit or 5-digit scheme (L001) sacks or pallets, 
carrier route or 5-digit carrier routes sacks; carrier route bundles 
entered at the Destination Delivery Unit (DDU); flats prepared in 
letter trays under DMM M033; or bundles containing an OBL.

Clear Strapping and Shrinkwrap

    If plastic strapping intrudes on any element of the address or 
presort designation, the strapping must be clear to the degree that the 
address and presort designation remains visible and readable to the 
naked eye. The Postal Service recommends that the strapping be clear, 
meeting manufacturing standards of less than 70 percent haze in 
accordance with ASTM D1003, and not contain stripes, bands, seams, or 
texture marks that could obscure address characters despite a level of 
haze that is less than 70 percent overall. If a strap crossing intrudes 
on any portion of the address, the haze is measured through both 
straps.
    The Postal Service recommends any shrinkwrap used to secure bundles 
show less than 70 percent haze, as defined in ASTM D1003, after

[[Page 53667]]

shrinkage. Any seam in the shrinkwrap (including any excess layers of 
the shrinkwrap) must not be located over any part of the address. There 
cannot be any blister, bloom, pimple, weld-mark, wrinkle, or other 
protrusion that would obscure any character in the address block.
    The Postal Service also recommends that any bundle consisting of 
multiple layers of packaging materials show less than 70 percent haze 
through all layers combined.

Optional Bundle Label

    Consultation with industry representatives indicated it may be 
difficult to ensure address visibility on some existing packaging lines 
that use shrinkwrap or strapping. In these cases, mailers may use 
optional bundle labels (OBLs) to ensure machine readability. OBLs must 
include the correct optional endorsement line for the bundle, the words 
``OPTIONAL BUNDLE LABEL,'' and the city, state, and ZIP Code of any 
mailpiece that could properly be in the bundle. To illustrate, if the 
OEL designates a 3-digit bundle, then any city, state, and ZIP Code 
combination within that 3-digit area will serve equally well to 
designate the 3-digit bundle destination. The OBL may be a permanent 
label or a removable label affixed to the bundle. Any removable label 
must remain securely attached during normal mail processing. The label 
cannot cover any portion of the delivery address unless it is attached 
to the outer shrinkwrap of the bundle. OBLs must not be affixed to the 
smallest surface of the bundle.

Bundle Height

    The APPS equipment has cameras with OCR capability to read the 
address information on four sides of the bundle or parcel. These 
cameras are focused on only the top, bottom, left, and right sides of 
the bundle or parcel, and not on the leading end or trailing end of the 
bundle or parcel as it proceeds through the machine. The bundles or 
parcels are automatically inducted and routed through the machine, with 
the smallest surface of the bundle or parcel entering first, and will 
not be read by a camera if the address block of the top mailpiece is on 
that side. This process makes the dimension of the bundle or parcel and 
the location of the delivery address critical for processing on the 
APPS.
    Currently, parcels must have the delivery address located on one of 
the larger sides of the parcel. Since APPS inducts the mailpiece with 
the smallest surface first, it is important that the addresses on 
bundles of flats and irregular parcels also be located on one of the 
larger surfaces of the bundle or have an OBL affixed to one of those 
larger surfaces of the bundle. Some packages of small, thick flats or 
irregular parcels placed in bundles of 10 or more pieces contain the 
delivery address on the smallest surface of the bundle. To ensure that 
bundles of thick flats or irregular parcels can be processed on APPS, 
the height of the bundle must be at least 1 inch less than the longest 
dimension of the individual mailpiece, unless an OBL is affixed to one 
of the larger surfaces of the bundle. For example, a mailpiece 
measuring 7 inches long, 5 inches high, and \1/2\ inch thick must be 
placed in bundles less than 6 inches high unless an OBL is used.

Bundle Integrity

    The above restriction on bundle height is expected to improve 
bundle integrity. Nevertheless, bundle integrity remains critical for 
carrier route and presort bundles processed on the new high-speed APPS. 
Bundles breaking apart can create serious operational disruptions, and 
the debris from broken bundles, such as banding or shrinkwrap material, 
may block the optics or other mechanisms on the equipment and require 
manual intervention to clear the debris before resuming machine 
operation.
    Presort bundles must be able to withstand normal transit and 
handling without breakage or injury to employees. Even though string, 
twine, and rubber bands continue to be permitted at this time as an 
option to secure bundles, plastic strapping and shrinkwrap are the 
preferred methods for ensuring the integrity of bundles of irregular 
parcels and flat-size pieces. With today's standards, banding tension 
must be sufficient to tighten and depress the edges of the bundle so 
that banding does not shift and obstruct address information, as well 
as ensuring that mailpieces in the bundle do not slip out of the 
banding during transit and processing. As a rule of thumb, a bundle 
should withstand normal handling if it can be dropped on a corner of 
the bundle from a height of approximately 4 feet without breaking or 
becoming so deformed that pieces are likely to escape from the bundle. 
If the bundle breaks or the deformed bundle would cause the pieces to 
escape during processing, additional measures should be taken to 
maintain the bundle integrity.

Proposed Implementation

    Recognizing that the mailing industry may have to change some 
procedures to ensure address visibility, the proposed implementation of 
these standards is April 1, 2005. Deployment of APPS began in August 
2004 and will continue through October 2005.
    Although exempt from the notice and comment requirements of the 
Administrative Procedure Act [5 U.S.C. of 553(b), (c)] regarding 
proposed rulemaking by 39 U.S.C. 410(a), the Postal Service invites 
public comment on the following proposed revisions to the Domestic Mail 
Manual (DMM), incorporated by reference in the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR). See 39 CFR 111.1.

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, 414, 
416, 3001-3011, 3201-3219, 3403-3406, 3621, 3626, 5001.

    2. Amend the following sections of the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) 
as set forth below:

M Mail Preparation and Sortation

M000 General Preparation Standards

M010 Mailpieces

* * * * *

M013 Optional Endorsement Lines

* * * * *
    [Add new 4.0 to read as follows:]
4.0 OPTIONAL BUNDLE LABEL

4.1 Definition and Use

    An optional bundle label (OBL) is an adhesive label that provides 
presort destination information. When used, the label must be affixed 
to any surface other than the smallest surface of a presorted bundle.

4.2 Label Characteristics

    The bundle label must be at least 1\1/4\ inches high by 3\1/2\ 
inches long. The label must be created with permanent adhesive or 
removable adhesive. Removable adhesive must not seep beyond the label 
and must be sufficient to keep the label affixed to the bundle without 
curling or peeling during normal mail processing. Labels must be white 
with printed information in black ink. The single-spaced lines of 
printed information must be in a non-narrow variant of Arial or 
Helvetica, in a range of 10- to 12-point type regardless of the font 
used in the delivery address on the mailpiece. The information must 
maintain a clearance of at least \1/25\ inch from the top and bottom of 
the label and \1/8\ inch from the left and right sides of the label.

[[Page 53668]]

4.3 Required Information on Labels

    The OBL must show the following three lines:
    Line 1: Optional endorsement line (OEL), without ACS, following the 
formats in 2.0 and Exhibit 1.1.
    Line 2: ``OPTIONAL BUNDLE LABEL.''
    Line 3: City, state, and 5-digit ZIP Code of any mailpiece that 
could properly be in the bundle.

4.4 Placement

    The label must be placed parallel to an edge of the bundle without 
covering the address of the top mailpiece unless affixed over 
shrinkwrap securing the bundle. The label must not be placed on the 
smallest surface of the bundle or obscured by any material.
* * * * *

M020 Bundles

1.0 BASIC STANDARDS

1.1 Facing

    [Revise 1.1 to read as follows:]

    Except as noted in 1.3, all pieces in a bundle must be ``faced'' 
(i.e., arranged with the addresses in the same read direction), with an 
address visible on the top piece.

    [Renumber current 1.2 through 1.9 as new 1.3 through 1.10. Add new 
1.2 to read as follows:]

1.2 Address Visibility

    Effective April 1, 2005, presort bundles prepared in sacks or on 
pallets must have the delivery address information visible and readable 
to the naked eye, including any barcoded pressure-sensitive bundle 
label or optional endorsement line. These standards do not apply to 
bundles of letter-size mail; bundles of First-Class flat-size mail; 
Customized Market Mail (CMM); bundles placed in 5-digit or 5-digit 
scheme (L001) sacks or pallets, or carrier route or 5-digit carrier 
routes sacks; carrier route bundles entered at the Destination Delivery 
Unit (DDU); bundles prepared in letter trays under M033 and all bundles 
containing an optional bundle label under M013.4.0. Except as provided 
in 1.5g, bundles of flats or irregular parcels with the delivery 
address on the smallest surface of the bundle must have an optional 
bundle label (OBL) affixed to a larger surface. Banding, shrinkwrap, 
barcoded pressure-sensitive package labels, or facing slips must not 
obscure any part of the delivery address on bundles covered by this 
standard.
* * * * *

1.4 Labeling

    [Revise the fourth sentence in 1.4 to clarify that the delivery 
address must not be obscured by the presort bundle label, to read as 
follows:]

    * * * Bundle labels must not obscure the delivery address and must 
not be obscured by banding or shrinkwrap. * * *
* * * * *

1.5 Securing Bundles--General

* * * * *
    [Add new item g to read as follows:]

    g. The height of a bundle of flats or irregular parcels must be at 
least 1 inch less than the longest dimension of the addressed side of 
any individual mailpiece in the bundle unless an optional bundle label 
(OBL) is affixed to a larger surface of the bundle.
* * * * *

1.8 Bundle Size--Other Mail Classes

    [Revise the introductory sentence to replace ``either'' with 
``any'' and add new item c to read as follows:]

    Except for Bound Printed Matter, an individual package may be 
prepared with fewer than the minimum number of pieces required by the 
standards for the rate claimed without loss of rate eligibility under 
any of these conditions:
* * * * *
    c. The height of the bundle would not be at least 1 inch less than 
the longest dimension under 1.5g.
* * * * *
    We will publish an appropriate amendment to 39 CFR part 111 to 
reflect these changes if the proposal is adopted.

Neva R. Watson,
Attorney, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 04-19992 Filed 9-1-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P