WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Postal Service said today that the international delivery company DHL will leverage an existing agreement to give the Postal Service exclusive delivery services to the last-mile in certain locations.  The expanded agreement will build on the existing arrangement through a combination of the Postal Service’s Priority Mail and Parcel Select products.

“I am pleased DHL has chosen to expand its existing relationship with the Postal Service, giving us the opportunity to deliver more of their packages the last-mile,” said Jim Cochrane, acting vice president of ground packages. “This new volume is a natural extension of the delivery service we already provide to DHL and further recognizes the inherent value of the delivery reach of the Postal Service. Last-mile delivery remains a fundamental strength of the Postal Service.”

Since 2003, the Postal Service has provided last-mile delivery for DHL in over 20,000 ZIP Codes nationwide through its Parcel Select service. This expansion makes USPS the exclusive provider of delivery service to DHL for 3,600 of the nation’s 46,000 ZIP Codes through use of Priority Mail and Parcel Select service.

“Partnering with us has economic as well as environmental benefits because it reduces the number of different trucks in the neighborhood serving the same locations--locations we visit every day already,” Cochrane added.

Parcel Select
Parcel Select is a reliable, low cost way for businesses to ship packages to residential customers. Postal Service business partners, including traditional competitors like FedEx, UPS and DHL, pick up packages from large retailers then transport and deposit these packages at a Postal Service facility near the customer’s address. From there, Postal Service carriers deliver the packages the last mile to their final destinations.

Parcel Select provides special features that are important to shippers such as up-front estimates of delivery times, email notification to customers and end-to-end tracking with electronic data interchange.

Priority Mail
Priority Mail is an expedited mail service with 2 to 3 day delivery to every address in the United States — including PO Boxes and military addresses. Other features include: Saturday and residential deliveries at no extra cost and free shipping supplies; maximum weight is 70 pounds and the maximum size is 108 inches in length and distance around the thickest part combined. Customers can print a shipping label online and receive Delivery Confirmation™ service at no additional cost.

DHL@home
DHL@home service is designed for business-to-residence shippers who desire a secure, cost-effective shipping solution. Shipments are picked up by DHL and delivered the last-mile to customers at their home, business or Post Office Box by the local Post Office using Parcel Select. Standard delivery is 2 to 4 days. Deferred delivery is 2 to 7 business days. Shipments of up to 70 lbs. are accepted and the sender can track packages door-to-door.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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