Category: Industry News

The government says drones will need to address new safety and security concerns.

Someday soon, you may not be waiting for packages delivered by a truck — instead, they’ll come overhead, by drone. But they might look a little different from what you’ve seen before.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced new rules Monday for what it calls “unmanned aircraft” that weigh more than 0.55 pounds (or 0.25 kilograms) to operate around people during the day and night.

Among the new rules, the FAA said drones will need to broadcast their identification through a new system called Remote ID, which will help the government track both the drones and their base “control” stations. Drones operating at night will also need to have anti-collision lights and it must have no “exposed rotating parts” (like the flight blades) that could cut human skin. And those who manage the drones will need to have a drone pilot’s license with them whenever operating the aircraft.

UPS lowers residential surcharges; FedEx ends them entirely

For decades, an immutable law of business has been that whenever FedEx Corp. changed its pricing or related terms and conditions, rival UPS Inc. would soon follow suit. Or vice versa. However, a few changes to peak-season delivery surcharges that the two carriers announced within a week of each other signal that the long-held duopoly bond continues to fray.

There are still similarities: Both carriers will reduce their levies to $3 per package to cover the “additional handling” of shipments that are difficult to manage. UPS will reduce its per-package charge on oversize shipments to $31.45 per piece from $50, not far from FedEx’s revised charge to $30 from $52.50. The effective date of the new UPS levies is Jan. 17, just one day before the revised FedEx surcharges kick in. All the revised charges will stay in effect until further notice, both carriers have said.

But there are differences. For example, UPS, which disclosed its surcharges in a website post yesterday, will maintain its U.S. ground residential surcharge but cut it to 30 cents per piece from surcharge tiers of $1 to $3 per package that expire Jan. 16. FedEx’s residential delivery surcharges, which ranged from $1 to $5 a parcel and were imposed Nov. 2, will disappear entirely on Jan. 17.

As UPS and FedEx are in the middle of a massive vaccine distribution operation, the carriers are getting affairs in order for their core business come the new year.

This time, UPS’ surcharges are based on flat volume, rather than relative volume surge as they were in May, meaning it’s possible more shippers may be subject to surcharges come January. And shippers should view “until further notice” to mean “forever,” at least for planning purposes, according to Matt Hertz, co-founder of e-commerce consultancy Second Marathon.

FedEx made a similar announcement last week, extending surcharges beyond January, but the surcharges and the services they cover are slightly different.

Those who are essential in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine should be a priority.​

Truck drivers were certainly essential enough to society that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration lifted restrictions on the number of hours that drivers could work back on March 13—the first time they had done so since the restrictions were put in place in 1938.

“We’ve been working long days and long weeks since March,” said Dale Pink, a 50-year-old UPS driver in Harrington, Delaware. “It’s been peak season for nine months.”

“These workers have been on the front lines from the very beginning, working long hours to keep the supply-chain running, and continue to do so,” said Denis Taylor, the Director of the Teamsters Package Division.

President Trump on Friday tweeted his thanks to the “great men and women” at FedEx and UPS for delivering millions of doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine across the country — even during deadly snowstorms.

“THANK YOU to the GREAT men and women of @fedex and @UPS for driving through the storms this week to deliver millions of doses of the vaccine across the country. Two Great American Companies!” Trump wrote.

Both companies were tapped by the administration to help with the complicated delivery of the drug — which is shipped in 50 pounds of dry ice to keep the vaccine stable at minus 70 degrees Celsius — as part of Operation Warp Speed.

THANK YOU to the GREAT men and women of @FedEx and @UPS for driving through the storms this week to deliver millions of doses of the vaccine across the country. Two Great American Companies!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2020