Pony Express Gets Out of East Coast Operations

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Pony Express Delivery Service of Atlanta, in a move to improve profitability, will cease operations in 14 states in the Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.

Pony Express will begin shifting personnel and most of its equipment to other markets within three to four weeks, said company president Dick Williams.

Williams said the corporate office will remain in Atlanta, where the company also maintains a technology center that provides customers with Internet tracking. He said about 700 people will be affected by the change.

Pony Express, which had provided same-day and next-day delivery services in 36 states, will continue to operate in 22 states in the Great Lakes, Midwest and West regions as well as in Florida.

Williams said customers will be given a “suitable timeframe” for transition to other service providers.

Williams said the profitability of operations in the Atlantic and Southeast regions declined after Pony Express decided to move away from carrying checks and other documents for banks to increase its distribution of a wider range of products, including pharmaceuticals, auto parts and electronics.

Deregulation of intrastate trucking in 1995 also hurt the business by stimulating competition in some markets, especially in Texas, he said.

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