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You can have Uber take your packages to the post office now
Uber announced a new feature dubbed ‘Return a Package.’ Customers can have a courier pick up their packages and have them dropped off at a local post office, UPS or FedEx.
UPS tentatively agrees to add air conditioning to its trucks
UPS tentatively agreed to equip its delivery trucks with air conditioning for the first time following union negotiations between the company and the Teamsters. “Air conditioning is coming to UPS, and Teamster members in these vehicles will get the relief and protection they’ve been fighting for,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. However, the agreement only requires AC in new delivery vehicles purchased after January 1st, 2024, meaning it won’t likely spell relief for drivers this summer.
DoorDash can now drop off your packages
DoorDash now picks up your packages from FedEx, UPS and the Postal Service.
EV startup Arrival to refocus business on electric vans for the US market
EV startup Arrival has announced that it has decided to shutter its bus and automotive ventures to instead "refocus its resources on the US market while further advancing its enabling technologies."
Arrival pauses work on its electric bus and car projects
EV startup Arrival is icing its bus and car plans as it tries to manage its dwindling cash pile.
Arrival’s electric van is ready for testing
Arrival's electric cargo van will pop up on streets in the UK and US from this summer.
Amazon buys planes for the first time to expand its cargo air fleet
Amazon is buying 11 used Boeing 767-300 aircraft to expand its air cargo operation.
After Math: Everything is awesome
While the Trump administration spent this past week kneecapping the US Postal Service in an obvious effort to throw the upcoming November election in its favor, other events occurred as well. Well, I guess one solution would be to for you to simply call your elected representatives and tell them in no uncertain terms that this aggression will not stand, man. Call your representatives in Congress and tell them what you think about it.
UPS will use drones to deliver prescriptions to retirees in Florida
Residents of The Villages, Florida will soon be able to get their drug prescriptions delivered to them partly by air.
UPS is developing quieter and more versatile delivery drones
USP has announced a new partnership with Wingcopter, a German aircraft manufacturer, to develop new types of delivery drones. The two companies will work together to certify Wingcopter's existing aircraft for use in commercial delivery flights in the US. They say certification is the first step toward developing drones that can complete a variety of delivery jobs.
Waymo's self-driving vans will carry UPS packages in Phoenix
Waymo is expanding its foray into self-driving delivery vehicles. The Alphabet brand is teaming with UPS on a pilot that will have autonomous Chrysler Pacifica vans carry packages in the metro Phoenix area. They'll be shuttling cargo from UPS Stores to the courier's Tempe processing hub, not directly to customers, but they will drive on their own. A human will stay aboard to keep watch over operations.
UPS will use Arrival’s electric trucks in the US and Europe
Delivery giant UPS has ordered 10,000 electric trucks from Arrival, a technology company based in the UK. Some of the vehicles will be trialed in London and Paris later this year, building on a similar experiment that was run by the two companies in 2018. The pair then hope to deploy the trucks across Europe and North America over the next four years. If everything goes well, UPS has the option to buy another 10,000 vehicles.
CVS starts delivering prescriptions to homes via UPS drones
It didn't take long for UPS and CVS to start delivering prescriptions by drone. The two have confirmed that they completed their first paid home deliveries of prescriptions, hauling medicine to two homes (one of which was a retirement community) in Cary, North Carolina on November 1st. The drones flew autonomously and lowered the packages to the ground with a cable and winch, although there was a human operator ready to take control.
UPS and CVS plan to deliver prescriptions via drone
UPS isn't going to let Wing's team-ups with FedEx and Walgreens go unanswered. The company has reached an agreement with CVS Pharmacy to create a "variety" of drone delivery uses, including delivering prescriptions and other goods to homes. Neither company provided a timeline for when you might see these drones in action, although UPS recently became the first company with FAA approval to operate a drone airline.
UPS delivery drones are on the way after FAA certification
UPS might soon be dropping off packages across the US by drone. The Federal Aviation Administration granted the UPS Flight Forward subsidiary air carrier and operator certification, allowing it to use drones for commercial deliveries.
UPS hybrid trucks automatically switch to EV mode in cities
UPS has unveiled hybrid electric trucks that not only quadruple the range of previous vehicles, but automatically switch to battery-only mode in UK cities and clean-air zones. On top of that, the trucks (built by EV startup Tevva) will have the same cargo capacity as like-sized diesel trucks. The aim, said UPS and Tevva, is to get ready for the UK's strict "Net Zero" laws that will completely cut CO2 emissions by the year 2050.
Bell’s self-flying cargo drone completes its first flight
Bell's multicopter UAV completed a successful first flight today at its testing site near Fort Worth, Texas. Known as the APT 70, the six by nine-foot vehicle has a range of 19 miles and can transport up to 70 pounds. The fully autonomous drone is designed to handle tasks that range from package delivery to the transport of medical supplies or food during a natural disaster.
UPS is testing self-driving trucks in Arizona
UPS has been secretly hauling cargo back and forth between Phoenix and Tuczon, Arizona for over three months, courtesy of their minority stake in automated trucking startup TuSimple. The tractor trailers are outfitted with nine cameras, as well as LiDAR sensors, those spinning contraptions often attached to the roofs of self-driving vehicles to help them "see."
Fast delivery may negate the environmental benefits of online shopping
Many will tell you that online shopping is more eco-friendly since you don't have to drive as often, but just the opposite might be true in recent years. Axios has warned that the increasing number of super-fast delivery options may be leading to more CO2 emissions, not less. Annual emissions have increased at FedEx, UPS and the US Postal Service, and academics have blamed it on people making many small-but-fast orders through the likes of Amazon Prime and Walmart instead of bundling a bunch of products into one shipment. If you can get candy in minutes, why would you wait to include it with a bigger purchase?
UPS launches a drone 'airline' to deliver medical samples
Autonomous delivery drone networks are coming to the US in earnest. UPS and Matternet are launching a drone "airline" that will use the robotic aircraft to carry medical samples between WakeMed's health care facilities in Raleigh, North Carolina. The drone of choice (an M2 quadcopter) can only carry up to 5lbs at distances as long as 12.5 miles, but it should still be faster, cheaper and more consistent than the current system of driving samples across town using cars. They won't have to deal with traffic snarls, after all.
