Updated
Updated · FreightWaves · Aug 8
USPS Lifts Q3 Revenue to $19.9 Billion as 8% Parcel Surcharge Cuts Loss 18.2%
Updated
Updated · FreightWaves · Aug 8

USPS Lifts Q3 Revenue to $19.9 Billion as 8% Parcel Surcharge Cuts Loss 18.2%

3 articles · Updated · FreightWaves · Aug 8

Summary

  • $19.9 billion in fiscal third-quarter revenue helped USPS narrow its net loss by $584 million to $2.5 billion, with management pointing to April parcel surcharges and higher stamp prices.
  • The 8% parcel fee lifted parcel shipping revenue 7.7% even as parcel volume fell 3.4%, while overall revenue rose 6.1% despite declines in mail and package volumes.
  • Operating expenses still increased 2% on higher retiree health payments, wages and fuel costs since the Iran war, leaving a controllable loss of $1.04 billion.
  • David Steiner said regulators' limit of one price increase a year cost USPS $700 million in revenue and renewed calls for Congress to ease pension mandates and fund temporary support.
  • USPS said cash-conservation steps should sustain operations through at least August 2027, but Steiner warned it could face a liquidity cliff in 2031 without reforms, higher prices or service cuts.

Insights

With massive historical losses, will the USPS abandon its six-day delivery mandate, or are drastic stamp price hikes inevitable?
As USPS pauses pension payments to survive a liquidity crisis, what happens to your daily mail if the temporary cash runway ends?
Could thousands of local post offices vanish overnight if the government refuses to fund the postal service's unprofitable rural delivery network?