USPS to Trim Air Service, Shift More Mail to Trucks

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img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>The U.S. Postal Service said it would cancel $25 million of regional airmail contracts in 2003 and put the mail on trucks, but regional airlines have formed a group to lobby Congress to thwart those plans.

"We found we were flying a lot of mail that we just didn't have to," said Paul Vogel, USPS vice president of network operations management. "Plain and simple, trucks could do the job with service levels as responsive or better at considerably less expense."

Vogel said in an interview with Transport Topics that the plan to cancel many regional airmail contracts in May was part of a larger switch to trucks that has seen 4% of the Postal Service's mail volume shift to highways since the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

For the full story, see the Dec. 23-30 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.