[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 12, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 11802-11804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-03902]
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POSTAL SERVICE
39 CFR Part 111
Securing Bundles of Flats
AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Postal Service is amending Mailing Standards of the United
States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]) in sections
to modify the requirements for securing bundles of flats.
DATES: Effective: July 1, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dale Kennedy at (202) 268-6592 or
Doriane Harley at (202) 268-2537.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Postal Service is revising the standards
in DMM section 203.4.4 to include an exemption for mailings of 500
flat-sized pieces or fewer entered at the BMEU from bundle preparation.
Applicable mailings may be prepared loose in flat trays instead of in
bundles. The Postal Service is also revising the standards in sections
203.4.5, 203.4.8, and 203.4.9 to require all bundles of flats to have
two or more cross-strapped bands or be shrink-wrapped with one or more
cross-strapped bands except for newspapers that are placed in a flat
tray and entered as exceptional dispatch. These exceptional dispatch
newspapers can use only one strap around the middle to prevent damage.
Additionally, the Postal Service is eliminating the use of rubber bands
and twine/string for securing bundles of flats except for bundles of
First-Class Mail flats placed in flat trays. Furthermore, section
245.9.5(d) will be revised to reflect that shrink-wrapped multi carrier
route bundles require two or more cross-strapped bands. These changes
will become effective on July 1, 2025.
Comments on Proposed Changes and USPS Responses
The Postal Service received twenty-nine formal comments on the June
14, 2024, proposed rule.
Comment: Original proposed implementation date of January
19, 2025, was too quick and did not allow enough time for purchasing
equipment and modifying product lines.
Response: The Postal Service understands the time element was a
concern and did not proceed with the January 19, 2025, date. To ensure
the revised requirements are achievable, the new implementation date is
July 1, 2025.
Comment: Changes proposed would be too costly to implement
or comply with.
Response: The Postal Service understands the industry's concerns
surrounding potential costs. However, we must take into consideration
the impact bundle breakage is having on the organization, impacting
service, creating additional handling costs to manually process the
broken bundles along with the damage to the mailpieces associated with
the bundle breakage. The Postal Service believes this final rule will
be proved to be less costly than originally proposed and more feasible
for the mailers to implement.
Comment: Mailers were concerned about the impacts to
sustainability created by the additional waste from the extra
strapping.
Response: The Postal Service believes that any additional waste
would be managed by the existing USPS efforts around capture recyclable
materials and
[[Page 11803]]
would not require additional measures to handle beyond those already in
place.
Comment: There isn't enough data to support the need for
changes and that the proposed changes will not address the issues at
hand.
Response: The Postal Service has implemented data tracking that
reflects the ongoing need to address this issue along with the data
provided in recent Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) and Office of
Inspector General (OIG) studies. Mailers are being contacted in many
cases based on this information.
Comment: Several commenters were concerned about the
elimination of string and rubber bands for securing bundles of flats.
Mailers expressed that the Postal Service allow exceptions for First-
Class Mail flats to allow use of either method of securing the bundles
of flats.
Response: Both methods of securing bundles of flats were criticized
in the PRC and OIG studies as not having enough tensions to adequately
secure bundles for long periods of time. Postal Service reports also
reflect increased numbers of incidents related to bundle breakage when
using string or rubber bands. The Postal Service will allow First-Class
Mail flats to continue to use string and rubber bands for flats
prepared in flat tubs that will not be process on bundle/package
sorting machines.
The Postal Service is committed to addressing the ongoing bundle
breakage issue to reduce costs for flats products related to manual
handling, to prevent operational disruptions caused by broken bundles,
and eliminated product damage related to broken bundles.
The Postal Service adopts the described changes to Mailing
Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual
(DMM), incorporated by reference in the Code of Federal Regulations. We
will publish an appropriate amendment to 39 CFR part 111 to reflect
these changes.
List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111
Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service.
Accordingly, the Postal Service amends Mailing Standards of the
United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), incorporated
by reference in the Code of Federal Regulations, as follows (see 39 CFR
111.1):
PART 111--[AMENDED]
0
1. The authority citation for 39 CFR part 111 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 13 U.S.C. 301-307; 18 U.S.C. 1692-
1737; 39 U.S.C. 101, 401, 403, 404, 414, 416, 3001-3011, 3201-3219,
3403-3406, 3621, 3622, 3626, 3632, 3633, and 5001.
0
2. Revise the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service,
Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) as follows:
* * * * *
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail
Manual (DMM)
* * * * *
200 Commercial Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
* * * * *
203 Basic Postage Statement, Documentation, and Preparation Standards
* * * * *
4.0 Bundles
* * * * *
[Revise the title of 203.4.4 to read as follows:]
4.4 Exception to Bundle Preparation--Full Letter and Flat Trays and
Small Flat Mailings
[Add a sentence at the end of 4.4 to read as follows:]
* * * In mailings of 500 or fewer flat-sized pieces, mailers are
not required to prepare bundles and may place said pieces loose in flat
trays.
4.5 Securing Bundles of Flats
Bundles must be able to withstand normal transit and handling
without breakage or injury to USPS employees, and are subject to the
following requirements:
[Revise the text of item (a) to read as follows:]
a. Bundles must be secured with two or more cross-strapped bands or
shrink-wrapped with one or more cross-strapped bands. Banding includes
plastic bands, and similar material. Use of string, rubber bands, wire
or metal banding is not permitted except as provided in (c) below.
[Delete current item (b) in its' entirety]
[Renumber item (c) as item (b); then revise the text to read as
follows:]
b. Bundles without polywrap materials must be cross-strapped
(encircle the length and girth of the bundle at least once). Additional
bands may be used if none lies within 1 inch of any bundle edge.
[Add a new item (c) to read as follows:]
c. With the exception of First-Class Mail flats placed in flat
tubs, rubber bands and twine/string are not permitted to use as banding
materials to secure bundles.
* * * * *
[Revise the text of item (e) to read as follows:]
e. Newspapers that are placed in a flat tray and entered as
exceptional dispatch may use only one strap around the middle to
prevent potential damage.
* * * * *
4.8 Preparing Bundles in Sacks and Flat Trays
In addition to following the standards in 4.5 through 4.7, mailers
must prepare bundles placed in flat trays and sacks as follows: * * *
[Revise item (d) to read as follows:]
d. Bundles of pieces with covers of ``coated stock'' (glossy
covers) that are not individually enclosed in an envelope or mailing
wrapper must be secured with at least two plastic straps or with
shrinkwrap plus two plastic straps and must not exceed 6 inches in
height.
* * * * *
4.9 Preparing Bundles on Pallets
In addition to general bundling standards in 4.1, bundles on
pallets must meet the following standards:
[Revise item 4.9(a) to read as follows:]
a. Bundles without polywrap coverings must be secured with be
cross-strapped (encircle the length and girth of the bundle at least
once) or shrink-wrap supplemented by one or more bands. Banding
includes plastic bands (recommended) or similar material.
* * * * *
5.0 Letter and Flat Trays
5.1 General Standards
Letter-size mailings must be prepared in letter trays with sleeves.
First-Class Mail flat-size mailings must be prepared in flat trays with
green lids under 235.7.0 and 235.8.0, unless prepared in extended
managed mail (EMM) trays under 5.7. Periodicals and USPS Marketing Mail
flat-size mailings must be prepared in flat trays with white lids under
207.22.7, 207.25.5, 245.8.7, and 245.10.4.3, and strapped under 5.6.2e.
* * * * *
[Revise the text of 5.1(c) to read as follows:]
c. Flat trays used in a First-Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail, or
Periodicals flat-size mailing may be nested into each other on a pallet
without lids and the pallet then shrink-wrapped.
* * * * *
245 Mail Preparation
* * * * *
[[Page 11804]]
9.0 Preparing Enhanced Carrier Route Flats
* * * * *
9.5 Multi Carrier Routes Bundle
A mailer may combine individual eligible bundles of USPS Marketing
Mail Enhanced Carrier Route basic price mail into a multi carrier
routes bundle of the same 5-digit ZIP Code under these conditions: * *
*
[Revise the text of item 9.5(d) to read as follows:]
d. The multi carrier routes bundle must be secured with at least
two cross-strapped bands, one around the length and one around the
girth, or shrink-wrapped with one or more cross-strapped bands.
* * * * *
Colleen Hibbert-Kapler,
Attorney, Ethics and Legal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2025-03902 Filed 3-11-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P