Watch out for USPS announcements late on Friday afternoons or during holiday weeks, when many folks aren’t in the office. On Monday, December 22, at 3:47 PM, the Postal Service sent out an Industry Alert stating that it had filed a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission for new rules on marketing dominant rates.
“You know what would be great? If we just set prices wherever we want without getting bogged down by rules and stuff,” was the essential message delivered by USPS, although I may be paraphrasing.
If the PRC doesn’t like that idea, then USPS would look for a rate “reset” with at least a 22% increase of additional pricing authority.
The plan is to implement new pricing in January 2027, with an expected average increase of 7.4% in January 2027. This would somehow give the Postal Service more time to pursue other means of narrowing its losses. It is a long, complicated filing that mostly consists of crossing out anything that may limit rate increases. It also includes calculations like this:
But I suppose that goes without saying.
There will be a great deal of discussion on this proposal in the coming year, and it will not take effect, if ever, before January 2027. We’ll have more details in upcoming issues.
In the meantime, if you hate the holidays, you can go here and read the details for yourself while frowning at your computer.: https://prc.arkcase.com/portal/filings/138893