[Federal Register: February 18, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 32)] [Proposed Rules] [Page 8154-8156] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr18fe98-45] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 111 Elimination of Mixed BMC/ADC Pallets of Packages of Flats AGENCY: Postal Service. ACTION: Proposed rule. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This notice presents proposed revisions to Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) sections M041 and M045 to eliminate the options for mailers to [[Page 8155]] place packages and bundles of Periodicals Mail on mixed ADC pallets and to place packages and bundles of Standard Mail (A) and Standard Mail (B) on mixed BMC pallets. Mailers will continue to have the options to place sacks, trays, or parcels on mixed ADC or mixed BMC pallets, as appropriate for the class of mail. DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 6, 1998. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be mailed or delivered to the Manager, Business Mail Acceptance, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 6801, Washington, DC 20260-6808. Copies of all written comments will be available at the above address for inspection and photocopying between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Beller, (202) 268-5166. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since the implementation of Classification Reform in July 1996, mailers have had the options to prepare mixed ADC pallets of Periodicals and mixed BMC pallets of Standard Mail. Although these options offer some benefits in the manufacturing and distribution handling processes of mailers by reducing sack usage, they have had a negative impact on service and mailpiece integrity for packages and bundles of flats placed on mixed ADC/BMC pallets. Mixed pallets of packages and bundles are labeled to the origin BMC or ADC serving the 3-digit prefix of the entry office for processing. These pallets may consist of carrier route, 5-digit, 3-digit, ADC, or mixed ADC packages. Studies indicate that more than 90 percent of the packages on mixed pallets are prepared to the carrier route, 5-digit, and 3-digit levels. When the mixed pallets are worked at origin, each package that is for delivery outside the service area of that facility must be handled and sorted individually to the appropriate downstream ADC or BMC facility for further processing and distribution. In many cases, the packages on these pallets could have been placed, by the mailer, in sacks containing multiple packages sorted to the carrier route(s), 5-digit, or 3-digit level. The sacks could have been processed at the origin facility, generally on a sack sorter, to the appropriate downstream facility avoiding the individual package handlings at origin, thus providing greater opportunities to improve service and maintain piece integrity for the mail contained in those packages. Pieces in mixed ADC packages are distributed at an origin ADC or concentration center. Packages of Standard Mail that are placed on mixed BMC pallets are required to meet BMC machinability standards to facilitate processing on BMC parcel sorters. However, in many instances, packages of flat- size mail on these pallets are being handled manually at origin and downstream BMCs and ADCs because they do not maintain their integrity on the parcel sorting equipment. This manual sortation drives more costs and processing time into the system. For the past year, the Postal Service has been advising the mailing industry that the delays in delivery, damage to mailpieces, and additional processing costs to the Postal Service that may result from preparation of these optional mixed pallet levels outweigh the mail production benefits to mailers. The Postal Service was planning to eliminate this option in the future once it expected that a sufficient quantity of sacks would be available on a regular basis to handle any volume that would shift from mixed pallets to sacks. Through the purchase of additional plastic sacks, we are confident that we will have a sufficient quantity of sacks available to handle all volume shifts that are likely to result from this change. Moreover, the implementation of the Mail Transport Equipment Service Centers (MTESC) over the next 24 months will ensure the continued availability of sacks. It should be noted that there are several other efforts under way, including the work being conducted by the Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) Presort Optimization Workgroup, to explore opportunities for reducing the need for mixed pallets without necessarily moving all the mail on these pallets back into sacks. However, for the reasons described above, the Postal Service has decided to go forward at this time with its proposal to eliminate the mixed pallets for packages and bundles. Discussions with many mailers have revealed that concerns about delivery times have caused them to voluntarily eliminate the preparation of optional mixed BMC and mixed ADC pallets. They were able to do so because most software used by mailers to palletize mail already allows them to turn off the optional mixed BMC/ADC sorts and to sack the packages that would have been placed on these pallets. Accordingly, in most instances, software will not require modification to accommodate the proposed changes. The Postal Service proposes that the revised standards become effective 45 days from the date that the final rule is published. Although exempt from the notice and comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553 (b), (c)), regarding proposed rulemaking by 39 U.S.C. 401(a), the Postal Service invites comments on the following proposed revisions of the Domestic Mail Manual, incorporated by reference in the Code of Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR part 111. 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, 3001- 3011, 3201-3219, 3403-3406, 3621, 5001. 2. Amend the Domestic Mail Manual as set forth below: M Mail Preparation and Sortation M000 General Preparation Standards * * * * * M020 Packages and Bundles * * * * * 1.0 BASIC STANDARDS [Amend the third sentence in 1.4 by removing the reference to mixed BMC pallets to read as follows:] 1.4 Palletization * * * Packages and bundles on BMC pallets must be shrinkwrapped and machinable on BMC parcel sorters; machinability is determined by the USPS * * *. M040 Pallets M041 General Standards * * * * * 5.0 PREPARATION 5.1 Presort [Amend 5.1 by revising the last sentence and adding new sentences to read as follows:] For sacks, trays, or machinable parcels on pallets, the mailer must prepare all required pallet levels before any mixed ADC or mixed BMC pallets are prepared for a mailing or job. Packages and bundles prepared under M045 must not be placed on mixed ADC or mixed BMC pallets. Packages and bundles that cannot be placed on pallets must be prepared in sacks under the standards for the rate claimed. 5.2 Required Preparation [Amend 5.2 by removing the second and third sentences and revising the fourth sentence to read as follows:] [[Page 8156]] Mixed pallets of sacks, trays, or machinable parcels must be labeled to the BMC or ADC (as appropriate) serving the post office where mailings are entered into the mailstream. The processing and distribution manager * * * * * * * * 5.6 Sacked Mail [Amend 5.6 by revising the first sentence to read as follows:] Mail that is not palletized (e.g., the mailer chooses not to prepare BMC pallets, or the packages do not meet the machinability standards in M020) must be prepared under the standards for the rate claimed. * * * * * M045 Palletized Mailings * * * * * 2.0 PACKAGES OF FLATS 2.1 Standards [Amend 2.1 by revising the second sentence to read as follows:] The palletized portion of a mailing may not include packages sorted to mixed ADC or to foreign destinations. * * * * * 2.4 Size--Standard Mail (B) * * * * * [Amend 2.4c by revising the second sentence to read as follows:] Packages at other rates must be sorted to 5-digit, 3-digit, optional SCF, and ADC destinations, as appropriate. * * * * * 3.0 OPTIONAL BUNDLES--PERIODICALS AND STANDARD MAIL (A) 3.1 Standards [Amend 3.1 by revising the second sentence to read as follows:] The palletized portion of a mailing may not include bundles sorted to mixed ADC or to foreign destinations. * * * * * 4.0 PALLET PRESORT AND LABELING 4.1 Packages, Bundles, Sacks, or Trays * * * * * e. As appropriate: [Amend the beginning of (1) by adding ``(sacks and trays only)'' to read as follows:] (1) Periodicals (sacks and trays only): mixed ADC: optional; * * * [Amend the beginning of (2) by adding ``(sacks and trays only)'' to read as follows:] (2) Standard Mail (sacks and trays only): mixed BMC: optional; * * * * * * * * 5.0 PALLETS OF PACKAGES, BUNDLES, AND TRAYS * * * * * [Amend 5.3 to eliminate references to mixed BMC pallets to read as follows:] 5.3 BMC and Mixed BMC Pallets Packages and bundles placed on BMC pallets must be machinable on BMC parcel sorting equipment. Line 2 on pallet labels must reflect the processing category of the pieces. A BMC or mixed BMC (trays only) pallet may include pieces that are eligible for the DBMC rate and others that are ineligible if the mailer provides documentation showing the pieces that qualify for the DBMC rate. * * * * * Stanley F. Mires, Chief Counsel, Legislative. [FR Doc. 98-3952 Filed 2-17-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7710-12-P