<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/41007253.cms" /><br /> <keyword id="151542" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Deutsche-Post-DHL">Deutsche Post DHL</keyword>, the leading global mail and logistics group, is set to invest over 100 million euros (about Rs 800 crore) in India over the next two years. The company’s aim to become the go-to for services related to e-commerce. According to sources, Blue Dart, a subsidiary of <keyword id="108234" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="DHL">DHL</keyword> will play a major role in creating the e-commerce wave.<br />
<br /> According to <keyword id="180750" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Deutsche-Post">Deutsche Post</keyword> DHL <keyword id="24211" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="chief-executive">chief executive</keyword> <keyword id="305673" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Frank-Appel">Frank Appel</keyword>, Deutsche Post has also chosen India to pilot development of its e-commerce business model for Asia Pacific. He believes that India will soon become the biggest online market in the world.<br />
<br />
"This region is expected to soon surpass North America and Europe as the biggest online market in the world. As the leading logistics company with an unsurpassed global footprint, there is a huge opportunity for us to become the world's leading provider of e-commerce logistics and we have a ready solutions infrastructure in India to pilot our solutions," said Appel.<br />
<br />
As per the company's global online retailing report, e-commerce share of over all trade volume of emerging markets will surge to 30% by 2025. Notably, the share in developed countries will rise upto 40%.<br />
<br /> In a bid to become the leading player of e-commerce services, the German logistics giant is investing through its domestic subsidiary <keyword id="194707" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blue-Dart-Express">Blue Dart Express</keyword> in infrastructure and the development of fulfillment centre, multiple delivery and payment options.<br />
<br />
DHL will set up 15 fulfillment centre across locations, including Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai as well as in tier-2 cities as part of this plan, said Appel.<br />
Blue Dart Express managing director Anil Khanna said e-commerce portals like Flipkart, Amazon among others have shown interest in the proposed fulfillment centres.<br />
(Image: Wikipedia)



DHL To Invest Rs 800 Crore In India To Tap e-commerce Sector

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mike Parra, CEO of <keyword id="108234" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="DHL">DHL</keyword> Express Americas, says the norm of signing for your packages may vanish forever.</li><li>That vanishing will become more noticeable as the pandemic accelerates the shift toward <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/02/online-shopping-officially-overtakes-brick-and-mortar-retail-for-the-first-time-ever.html">more online shopping</a>.</li><li>But customers will still likely need to be present for the dropping off of some packages — even if there's no physical sign off.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>The coronavirus pandemic is set to change everyday life in unusual ways — potentially normalizing <a href="https://qz.com/1824270/coronavirus-is-set-to-change-how-we-dress/">tracksuits at the office</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/04/05/coronavirus-is-changingonline-dating-permanently/#444107483b22">video dating</a>, and <a href="https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/2020/03/26/what-our-cities-will-look-after-coronavirus-pandemic">even more online shopping</a>.</p><p>How we get our packages will change too, according to Mike Parra, CEO of DHL Express Americas. DHL Express is the parcel and express-mail division of Deutsche Post DHL, which is the world's largest logistics company based in Germany. </p><p>Since the outset of the coronavirus, delivery drivers haven't asked customers to sign off on packages. Instead, they'll say hello from six feet away or farther and drop off the goods.</p><p>Previously, some deliveries required a sign off. Parra thinks that norm is done. </p><p>"I think we're going to see many customers say to us that they like the no-contact delivery and they will want that to continue," Parra told Business Insider.</p><p>"Basically, we're not giving them a scanner, having them use a pen, having them sign on our scanner, and then returning the scanner back to us," Parra added. "I think that is probably something that will never return, from what I am seeing."</p><p>A consumer preference toward less contact may be tricky for parcel companies like DHL to navigate. While signing off on packages is a nuisance for many customers, it also ensures sensitive goods end up in the right hands.</p><p>Among those orders that don't require a sign off right now, and are simply left on the consumers' door step, 1.7 million packages are lost every day in the US, according to data from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. That means more than one in 10 packages <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/packages-stolen-in-cities-report-2019-12-1028734206">are vanishing "without explanation."</a></p><p>How DHL is currently managing "no contact" delivery still requires that extra step of the driver knowing that whoever is answering the door is the intended recipient. Being at home on time for your package may be frustrating for some, but, <a href="https://www.martechadvisor.com/news/ecommerce/31-customers-say-they-will-completely-shift-to-online-shopping-due-to-coronavirus-reports-yotpo/">as the coronavirus accelerates customers' preference to buy essential goods or valuables online</a>, it's not likely that portion of the drop-off process will ever completely vanish.</p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dhl-ceo-signing-for-packages-vanish-coronavirus-2020-4">Business Insider</a>

A DHL CEO says you'll probably never have to sign for packages again after the coronavirus

<p><em><span>Welcome to <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">Transportation</keyword> &amp; Logistics Briefing, a new M-W-F </span><span>morning email providing the latest news, data, and insight on how digital technology is disrupting transportation and delivery, produced by BI Intelligence.</span></em></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/top-5-disruptive-trends-shaping-transportation-and-logistics?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=content_marketing&amp;utm_term=content_marketing_subscription_text_link_transportation-and-logistics-briefing-gms-first-self-driving-car-model-new-regulatory-guidelines-for-self-driving-cars-thermal-sensors-for-fully-driverless-vehicles-2017-9&amp;utm_content=content_marketing_subscription_text_link&amp;utm_campaign=content_marketing_subscription_link&amp;vertical=transportation">Get the free Top 5 Disruptive Trends Shaping Transportation &amp; Logistics report and start receiving our brand new Transportation &amp; Logistics newsletter.</a></p><p><em>Have feedback? We'd like to hear from you. Write me at:<span> </span><a href="mailto:jcamhi@businessinsider.com">jcamhi@businessinsider.com</a>.</em></p><hr /><p><strong>GM BUYS LIDAR MANUFACTURER TO ACCELERATE SELF-DRIVING PUSH: </strong>GM <a href="http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/vehicles.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2017/oct/1009-lidar1.html">announced</a> it will purchase Los Angeles-based LiDAR sensor manufacturer Strobe for an undisclosed amount. LiDAR is an image-sensing technology that uses lasers and infrared cameras to help create a virtual map of all the objects around a self-driving car, including pedestrians and street signs. The automaker expects the deal to close sometime before the end of the calendar year. </p><p><strong>GM will fold Strobe into its Cruise Automation subsidiary that houses all of its self-driving technology efforts. </strong>Self-driving cars are typically outfitted with multiple LiDAR sensors placed around the vehicle, but three-year-old Strobe has patents for a LiDAR sensor stack that only requires a single chipset that fits in the palm of a hand, which is what Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt said was so attractive about the company. About half of Strobe's employees will stay on and work with with Cruise engineers to integrate this chipset into the rest of the self-driving systems, including the AI, software, and cameras, that the business unit is developing.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong>The deal will allow GM to manufacture very inexpensive LiDAR in-house, which is a huge boon to its ability to mass produce self-driving cars. </strong>Cruise had previously worked on a LiDAR sensor stack in-house, but the company couldn't find a way to mass produce it inexpensively. Manufacturing Strobe's LiDAR chipset in-house will allow Cruise to cut its LiDAR costs by 99%, Vogt argued on a conference call with reporters and analysts. The vast majority of LiDAR sensor stacks on the market from companies like Velodyne and Quanergy cost tens of thousands of dollars, making it ill-suited for self-driving cars designed to be produced en masse. That's why Tesla no longer uses LiDAR in its semi-autonomous Autopilot system at all, and Waymo <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/alphabet-inc-s-self-driving-car-unit-creates-its-own-sensor-package-1483912457?tesla=y">built</a> its own LiDAR sensor stack earlier this year to lessen its reliance on Velodyne. GM, Tesla, and Waymo all intend to put self-driving vehicles on the market before 2020, earlier than most other auto players, and have either abandoned LiDAR or started producing the technology in-house.</p><p><strong>This will likely accelerate GM's efforts to produce self-driving cars en masse. </strong>The automaker has previously <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/02/17/gm-lyft-chevy-bolt-fleet/">laid out</a> plans to produce autonomous vehicles for commercial purposes, including ride-hailing and delivery fleets. A recent Deutsche Bank <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/25/gm-developing-autonomous-vehicles-at-a-fast-pace-deutsche-bank-says.html">report</a> predicted that GM will do so in only a few quarters.  Lowering its production costs - potentially by tens of thousands of dollars per vehicle - could allow GM to scale up these commercial fleets of self-driving cars more quickly than potential competitors like Ford and Daimler.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="BII" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58c2c782402a6b35008b55d6-960/self driving cars forecast.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58c2c782402a6b35008b55d6-700/self driving cars forecast.jpg" alt="Self Driving Cars Forecast" data-mce-source="BII" /></a><p class="source"><span>BII</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong>DEUTSCHE POST DHL AND NVIDIA TO START TESTING AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY TRUCKS: </strong>Deutsche Post DHL, the world's largest logistics provider, is partnering with chipmaker Nvidia to test a fleet of self-driving delivery trucks in the next year, Fortune <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/10/10/dhl-nvidia-self-driving-delivery-trucks/?utm_source=fortune.com&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=data-sheet&amp;utm_content=2017101013pm'">reports</a>. </p><p><strong>The two companies will outfit some of DHL's <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/08/17/ford-deutsche-post-dhl-electric-van/">StreetScooter</a> electric delivery trucks with Nvidia's <a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/self-driving-cars/drive-px/">Drive PX</a> computing system for self-driving cars.</strong> The trucks will feature a package of camera, radar, and LiDAR sensors from auto supplier ZF that will feed data about the vehicle's surroundings to the PX computing platform for analysis. Nvidia is a leading provider of computing technology for self-driving cars because its Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) can quickly process large volumes of visual data. DHL and Nvidia did not provide details about how many trucks will be involved in the tests, when exactly they will begin, or where they will take place.</p><p><strong>The self-driving technology will not replace delivery truck drivers - instead, the technology is meant to enhance their productivity,</strong> a Nvidia executive told Fortune. For example, a delivery courier could park their truck at an apartment complex, deliver mail and packages to different addresses there, and then summon the truck to pick them up once finished. That would allow the courier to speed up delivery runs, and ultimately deliver more packages more quickly. Additionally, self-driving trucks could potentially deliver packages 24 hours per day, enabling later cut-off times for same-day delivery, which is an increasingly popular perk for online shoppers. One quarter of US shoppers <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/same-day-shipping-key-to-fighting-amazon-2017-2">surveyed</a> earlier this year by research firm L2 said they would abandon an online shopping cart if same-day delivery wasn't offered. McKinsey <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-transport-and-logistics/our-insights/how-will-same-day-and-on-demand-delivery-evolve-in-urban-markets">forecasted</a> earlier this year that same-day delivery would grow to account for $200 billion in online sales - about 25% of the US e-commerce market - by 2025. This growth has pushed logistics firms, including DHL competitor <a href="https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2017/10/05/fedex-ramps-day-delivery-service/">FedEx</a>, to expand their same-day delivery capabilities. Altogether, DHL has more 3,400 StreetScooter delivery trucks, and, if the tests prove successful, will likely start rolling out Nvidia's and ZF's self-driving systems to more of those vehicles.</p><p><strong>FLEXPORT'S MOVE INTO TRADE FINANCING:</strong> Freight forwarding startup Flexport confirmed a recently reported $110 million round of financing, and said that it now plans to move into offering trade finance to its freight customers, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/06/a-social-network-for-trade/">according to</a> Tech Crunch. Wells Fargo Strategic Capital, one of the new investors in the financing round, will team up with the startup to provide trade financing on shipments arranged through Flexport. </p><p><strong> Flexport will be able to leverage all the data that it collects on companies' shipments in order to provide them with financing.</strong> Flexport's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/transportation-and-logistics-briefing-uber-banned-from-london-logistics-startup-flexport-scores-110-million-in-funding-walmart-partners-with-deliv-august-2017-9">value proposition</a> is built on digitizing the middle man work of booking transportation for goods across land, sea, and air that freight forwarders have long performed manually with paperwork and spreadsheets. Flexport collects and analyzes all of the information involved in arranging shipments - including their size, route, shipping rates, and customs information - to find ways to ship goods faster and cheaper. The startup now intends to analyze that same data to determine credit-worthiness for trade financing that will be funded by Wells Fargo, and will take a cut of revenue from the loans.</p><p><strong>Flexport said that it could offer financing much more quickly than a traditional financial services provider,</strong> helping solve a significant pain point for its customers. Companies usually have to pay their manufacturing partners up front to produce inventory that could take months to ship and sell. Obtaining financing for those up-front payments can be a weeks- or months-long process that traditionally involves sending loads of paperwork back and forth between multiple parties. This is why many predict that the $40 billion global trade financing market is ripe for disruption through new technologies - like <a href="http://usblogs.pwc.com/emerging-technology/blockchain-to-disrupt-trade-finance/">blockchain</a> - that can store and share the necessary customs and shipping information digitally. With the data it already possesses from its freight forwarding platform, Flexport can shorten the whole process to meet its customers' financing needs more immediately, while turning itself into a one-stop online shop for all of their shipping and supply chain needs.</p><p><strong>In other news…</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving car company, has started an advertising campaign designed in conjunction with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the National Safety Counsel, and the Federation for Blind Children to help consumers view autonomous vehicles more favorably, </strong>according to <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-selfdriving/alphabet-launches-u-s-ad-campaign-to-promote-driverless-car-safety-idUSKBN1CE24I?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amp;utm_content=59dbdea404d3013eb418e4fb&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=tw">Reuters</a>. The campaign, which argues that autonomous vehicles will eliminate alcohol-related driving deaths and give the blind greater mobility, kicked off earlier this week in Arizona, where Waymo is currently operating a pilot self-driving taxi service. A lack of consumer confidence in self-driving cars' safety <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=4&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjl-ovD1-bWAhUE9IMKHQ_kA30QFgg4MAM&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Faaa-survey-americans-fear-driverless-cars-2017-3&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ifJSEdxUNx5zwzh7Vt7n">remains</a> arguably the largest barrier to mass adoption and use of the vehicles.</li><li><strong>Softbank's potential $10 billion investment in Uber has reportedly hit a roadblock because existing shareholders, including Benchmark Capital, are refusing to waive their right of first refusal and approve the investment, </strong>according to the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4c69725e-ad0b-11e7-aab9-abaa44b1e130">Financial Times</a>. The Japanese telco had previously agreed to invest $1 billion directly in the company, and would purchase the remaining $9 billion in shares from existing shareholders and company employees. In addition, the investment would increase the size of the ride-hailing giant's board of directors from 10 to 17 members.</li><li><strong>German industrial giant Siemens has purchased a minority stake in Wi-tronix, an Illinois-based provider of hardware and software for predictive maintenance solutions for locomotives and other trains,</strong> according to <a href="http://www.progressiverailroading.com/supplier_spotlight/news/Siemens-acquires-minority-stake-in-Wi-Tronix--52994">Progressive Railroading</a>. As part of the investment, Siemens will give Wi-tronix access to its global distribution channels, and the companies will work together to expand the services that Wi-tronix offers. About 12,000 locomotives around the world are currently equipped with the company's offerings, which help predict when maintenance may be required to prevent major malfunctions.</li></ul><p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo"><p><h2><span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/top-5-disruptive-trends-shaping-transportation-and-logistics">Click here to receive a FREE download of <em>The Top 5 Disruptive Trends Shaping Transportation and Logistics</em> from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service.</a></span></h2><script src="//load.sumome.com/" data-sumo-site-id="ad2d02bb34b81e60382fbf1fd2c2e4d9230918d0b8ccae68c9d7bac17d286fa5" async="async"></script></p></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-stores-scott-galloway-iphone-samsung-stores-profits-2017-10">This 'crazy, irrational decision' Apple made 20 years ago turned out to be the key to its outrageous success over Samsung</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/AD9P62Mj-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS BRIEFING: GM acquires Strobe for self-driving car push - DHL and Nvidia to test self-driving delivery trucks - Flexport expands into trade financing

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dfa6332acb8fb1bdc182447-2400/ap09121118978.jpg" alt="upu" /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini</span></p><p class="caption">Rod Beckstrom, then president and CEO of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers exchanges a document with French Edouard Dayan, then Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) after they signed a contract, in 2009.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>The Universal Post Union, founded in 1874 as an agency of the United Nations, governs how the world's postal rates are set.</li><li>Unlike other specialized agencies within the UN, the UPU does not count any companies among its members. Its 192 members are exclusively sovereign nations.</li><li>But for the first time, the leadership of that shadowy agency is considering admitting private enterprise to its membership, too. </li><li>Director-General Bishar Hussein invited public and private sector players to a forum in Berne, Switzerland set for January 28, 2020 to discuss the role of corporations in the UPU. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/fedex">FedEx</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/ups">UPS</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/amazon">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://businessinsider.com/category/dhl">Deutsche Post DHL Group</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/stampscom">Stamps.com</a> confirmed to Business Insider that they plan to send representatives to the January conference.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>The United States Postal Service has been infamously slammed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-fedex-first-usps-volume-drop-2019-8">by the decline of letter mail</a>.</p><p>So, too, has the Universal Post Union - a specialized agency within the United Nations that sets the world's postal rates. It has 192 members, all of whom are sovereign nations. The UPU is crucial for directing the flows of international mailing and e-commerce, but it's not well understood outside of the international shipping industry and the companies who rely upon it. </p><p>The UPU's leader, director-general Bishar Hussein, is aware of the decreasing relevance of national postal offices as the companies that power e-commerce become increasingly profitable - like UPS, FedEx, DHL, and even increasingly logistics-savvy retailers like Amazon and Shopify. </p><p>In an about-face for the 145-year-old agency, Hussein has proposed that the UPU "opens up" to these corporations. He invited public and private sector players to a one-day forum in Berne, Switzerland, set for January 28, 2020, to discuss the role of corporations in the UPU, according to several invitees and internal documents viewed by Business Insider. </p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dfa83d4acb8fb36fa3496f3-910/gettyimages-1170683836.jpg" alt="Universal Postal Union Director general Bishar Abdirahman Hussein." /><p class="source"><span>Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP</span></p><p class="caption">Universal Postal Union Director general Bishar Abdirahman Hussein.</p><p>Amazon, FedEx, UPS, Deutsche Post DHL Group, and Stamps.com confirmed to Business Insider that they plan to send representatives to the January conference. Many of these corporate postal stakeholders are part of the UPU Consultative Committee - a nonvoting organization that represents the private sector.</p><p>The US Postal Service had no comment, and the UPU did not respond to multiple inquiries for comment. </p><p>The shift to increase UPU private-sector participation will band together warring parties. One particular alliance among the private sector is likely Amazon and FedEx, which have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fedex-amazon-one-day-delivery-2019-6">alternatively</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-bans-third-party-sellers-fedex-delivery-2019-12">slammed</a> each other in 2019 as the retailer <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ups-fedex-usps-morgan-stanley-report-2019-12">throws itself into the transportation sector</a>.</p><p>And it highlights the rapidly transforming nature of how people connect and do business: Fewer letters, more online orders. E-commerce <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/global-ecommerce-2019">is expected to jump from</a> 10% of worldwide retail sales in 2017 to 22% in 2023 - and many of those purchases aren't domestic. "It's exciting times and, for some people, nerve-wracking," Amine Khechfe, chief strategy officer at Stamps.com, told Business Insider. </p><h2>A changing environment</h2><p>The post offices of the UPU's 192 member nations once dominated their countries' letter and parcel movements, Hussein wrote in an internal memo.</p><p>The post office's market share has decreased in recent decades. Post offices went from having a virtual monopoly to claiming 72.8% of letter market share, 39.3% of express mailings, and 37.8% of packages, according to the UPU memo. </p><p>"At the international level, post offices are increasingly engaged in competitive e-commerce services rather than traditional letter delivery services," Jim Campbell, an attorney and postal policy consultant, told Business Insider.</p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dfaa74f855cc2037b2afd83-2216/gettyimages-1191515191.jpg" alt="usps amazon" /><p class="source"><span>Justin Sullivan/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Postal agencies globally are carrying more packages than letters. But, it's companies like UPS, FedEx, and Amazon who have truly seen a boon from e-commerce and the explosion of parcel volumes.</p><p>Everything that isn't a post office increasingly dominates global shipping - even though those entities aren't part of the transnational shipping organization that determines how packages are moved around the globe. </p><p>"In spite of these transformations, stakeholders from the wider postal sector are not yet fully represented at the UPU, thus potentially restraining the organization from retaining its universal nature," Hussein wrote in the memo. </p><p>Industry insiders who spoke to Business Insider said companies like UPS, FedEx, and Amazon, as well as smaller e-commerce fulfillment players like Shopify and ShipStation, are interested in increasing their engagement with the UPU.</p><p>Granting companies the ability to vote would potentially even out the playing field between the private and public sector; the latter has lower <a href="http://www.upu.int/en/activities/terminal-dues-and-transit-charges/2018-2021-cycle/terminal-dues-rates-of-countries-in-the-target-system-as-of-2020.html">terminal dues</a> and, some say, undergo less customs enforcement. </p><p>"We all access the network," Kate Muth, who is executive director of the International Mailers Advisory Group, told Business Insider. "If the UPU is setting rules and regulations that impact the sector, shouldn't they have a better seat at the table? And how do you ensure the rules and regulations aren't overly favorable to the postal operators?"</p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dfaa773855cc2038267724a-1200/carrier%20revenues.png" alt="carrier revenues" /><p class="source"><span>Andy Kiersz/Business Insider, annual filings</span></p><p class="caption">The USPS has not benefitted from the boon in e-commerce as much as UPS and FedEx has.</p><p>The demands from the private sector contrast with the economic reality seen by national post offices - and that contrast is particularly remarkable in the US. </p><p>From 2000 to 2019, UPS and FedEx have seen their fiscal year revenues jump by 149% and 282%, respectively. But the US Postal Service's revenue bumped by just 10% in that same time period. The USPS <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/USPS_A_Sustainable_Path_Forward_report_12-04-2018.pdf">hemorrhaged some $69 billion</a> from 2007 to 2018. </p><p>And this fall, the USPS saw its first volume decline since 2010, a drop that industry watchers attributed to FedEx and Amazon <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-fedex-first-usps-volume-drop-2019-8">increasingly in-housing their own parcels</a>. As Morgan Stanley analysts <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-deliveries-usps-rural-morgan-stanley-2019-12">wrote in a recent report</a>, Amazon is outsourcing its lowest margin shipments to USPS while keeping lucrative deliveries in its internal network. </p><h2>The UPU is 145 years old, but you probably haven't heard about it until this year</h2><p>The UPU recently enjoyed a rare news cycle in the mainstream media. President Donald Trump threatened to pull out of the UPU in October 2018, forcing the organization to mend its rules in October 2019 to be more favorable to US manufacturers. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said the reform in postal dues <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/business/universal-postal-union-withdraw.html">would save Americans $300 to $500 million annually</a>. </p><p>The Trump administration challenged the UPU's sliding-scale fee structure, which granted highly-subsidized rates to developing countries. But as e-commerce exploded, retailers in China, in particular, were able to send goods to US households for ultra-cheap rates. Chinese manufacturers could sometimes access rates that are even lower than what American manufacturers can access in shipping domestically. </p><p>Those complaints by the Trump administration are similar to the gripes that private carriers have with the UPU - certain countries benefit from lower terminal dues, while postal offices on the whole are able to circumvent certain customs regulations, these companies say. </p><p>"Private carriers believe that, at least with respect to international e-commerce services, postal operators enjoy some unfair advantages because of the UPU," Campbell said. </p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dfa9231acb8fb43c21c4814-2400/gettyimages-1170676217.jpg" alt="NAVARRO" /><p class="source"><span>FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">White House trade advisor Peter Navarro (2L) leaves during a break an extraordinary congress of the Universal Postal Union on September 24, 2019</p><p>An emergency meeting this fall prevented what an industry expert described to TIME as <a href="https://time.com/5687134/trump-universal-postal-union-deal/">"Trump is having his own Brexit."</a> Hussein said the decision to reform <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/business/universal-postal-union-withdraw.html">those UPU rules comprised</a> "the most remarkable day in the history of the union."</p><p>The news cycle likely educated Americans about the important yet shadowy agency. But it also forced executives at retailers and transporters to see how the rules that impacted US manufacturers also may be affecting their own companies. </p><p>"Up until this point, the greater private enterprise community may not have thought a lot about the UPU and what the dynamic is around the world and what the impact is," Krish Iyer, who is the director of strategic alliances at shipping solution company ShipStation, told Business Insider. </p><p>"I think that now with more private enterprise eyes on it, they realize the importance of it and therefore will try to engage both the UPU as an organization and the posts that are in question," Iyer added.</p><p>And what they're learning, according to an industry expert familiar with the viewpoints of major private-sector players, is surprising them. "The UPU has kept everything non-transparent and non-complex," the expert, who spoke on background, told Business Insider. "And finally, that is now being exposed and the world is learning about them." </p><h2>It differs from other specialized agencies</h2><p>The UPU has lacked corporate membership since it was established in 1874. However, Hussein wrote in the internal memo that that's unusual compared to other UN agencies. </p><p>"This is at odds with the transformations undertaken by other sectorial agencies in the United Nations system, which have all expanded their representativeness to a wide range of stakeholders operating in their respective industries," Hussein wrote.</p><p>The model the UPU would likely mimic is that of the International Telecommunication Union, which oversees global information and communication technologies.</p><p>The ITU counts more than 700 private-sector members, along with academics and almost 200 participating countries. These include companies ranging from the Afghan Wireless Communication Company to Apple. Only the countries can vote, but the nongovernmental members are still afforded some influence in what happens. </p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dd83195fd9db22b86659e97-907/gettyimages-973337334.jpg" alt="fedex ups air" /><p class="source"><span>aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">International parcel movements are increasingly carried out by private enterprise, not national post offices. And more are questioning why those companies aren't involved in international postal decision-making.</p><p>This large membership is also seen at UN industry organizations like the World Tourism Organization, which has some 500 affiliate members from local tourism associations and elsewhere in the private sector.</p><p>"The Union has been criticized by some on the outside as being too slow, bureaucratic and political," a Deutsche Post DHL spokesperson told Business Insider. "So, looking at <a href="https://www.iata.org">International Air Transport Association</a> or <a href="https://www.icao.int/Pages/default.aspx">International Civil Aviation Organization</a>, or the ITU, an increased participation of non-postal organizations could potentially enhance the reputation or even the importance of the UPU - in Hussein's view."</p><p>Increasing the corporate power at the UPU would likely enable massive transportation companies like UPS and FedEx, as well as retailers like Amazon and Shopify, to engage in policies like determining how addresses are formatted globally, worldwide postal rates, how postal barcodes should appear, and a slew of other policies that private players are increasingly engaged in.</p><p>"You have this postal network that's used by a lot of the private sector, and a large, bureaucratic organization that moves slowly - the UPU," Muth said. "But the market is changing so fast."</p><h2>Read the agenda for the Jan. 28, 2020 meeting</h2><p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/40-big-tech-predictions-for-2019?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=amazon&amp;itm_campaign=40-big-tech-predictions-for-2019-2"><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5d371804a13c9573827f1cb9" alt="Exclusive FREE Slide Deck: 40 Big Tech Predictions for 2019 by Business Insider Intelligence" style="width: 100% !important" /></a></p>  <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6588466/UPU-agenda.pdf">UPU agenda (PDF)</a>  <br /><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6588466/UPU-agenda.txt">UPU agenda (Text)</a>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-max-airplane-crash-incidents-recover-lawsuits-scrutiny-2019-7">Boeing 737 Max production is being halted. Will the aviation giant recover from the 737 Max crisis?</a></h3>                    <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/rHzNUlFN-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;"></iframe>            

A powerful United Nations agency is quietly considering allowing companies into a 145-year-old international mailing pact - and it could give Amazon, UPS, FedEx, and a slew of e-retailers unprecedented shipping power

New Delhi, Apr 9 () Express logistics services provider Blue Dart Express on Thursday said it has reduced retail tariff prices by 25 per cent, aiding the country in its fight against the coronavirus crisis.<p> Blue Dart Express, part of Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL), operates six dedicated Boeing 757 freighters each with a capacity of 34 tonnes.</p><p> These aircraft have been operating during the lockdown period across Indian cities enabling essential shipments like medical equipment and pharmaceutical products reach the first responders in hospitals and medical institutions with the promise of secure and timely deliveries.</p><p> "In order to provide customers with a solution for their shipping needs during these trying times and to further use our Air Express Logistics service to keep the essential supply chain continuity, Blue Dart Express has reduced its Retail Tariff Prices by 25 per cent. This will be applicable to all local retail customers as well as all MSMEs," the company said in a statement.</p><p> Ketan Kulkarni, CMO and Head Business Development, said: "Blue Dart's 'FIGHT COVID 19 – PRICE (FC19-P)' is a unique initiative and our duty towards the nation in these times of crisis. We have always stepped up as a 'FIRST IN LAST OUT' organisation whenever a disaster has struck the nation. Our aircrafts are the life line of the nation &amp; our nation is grappling with a situation never experienced earlier &amp; this has a widespread impact on the economy. Businesses across sectors and geographies are disrupted due to mobility suspension."</p><p> He further said the FC19-P is an effective platform to offer a speedy and hassle-free experience, when dispatching &amp; delivering testing kits, reagents, enzymes, medical equipment (ventilators), masks, respirators, surgical masks, gloves, &amp; other items, some of which are manufactured by the MSME sector and delivering them to the point of consumption was a challenge for them.</p><p> Significantly, former civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu had last week said that freight rates were increased by airlines for exports of agriculture, horticulture an marine products and called for fixing of cargo rates appropriately.</p><p> "Freight rates have increased by airlines for exports of #Agriculture #Horticulture #MarineProducts.Fully appreciate challenges of #Aviation sector.If #Cargo rates fixed appropriately volumes can increase for them,farmers-Exporters can benefit too. It would be a win win situation," Prabhu had said in a tweet.</p><p> Blue Dart has also listed itself on the dedicated Medical Air Cargo website www.civilaviation.gov.in.</p> During the year ending March 31, 2018, Blue Dart handled over 196 million domestic shipments, 0.92 million international shipments and over 697,000 tonnes of documents and parcels across the nation and 220 countries and territories worldwide.  NAM IAS  MKJ

Blue Dart cuts retail tariff rates by 25% amid coronavirus crisis

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ccc0b59021b4c04022d9493-800/shutterstock542246743.jpg" border="0" alt="Fake handbags" data-mce-source="Shutterstock/Vietnam stock photos" /><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock/Vietnam stock photos</span></p><p class="caption">Counterfeit selling is no longer confined to underground black markets.</p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/instagram">Instagram</a> is increasingly being used as a platform to buy and sell fake designer goods, according to a report by analytics firm Ghost Data.</strong></li><li><strong>The number of counterfeit accounts active on Instagram has grown by 171% since 2016, the report showed.</strong></li><li><strong>Features such as Instagram Stories are helping counterfeit sellers to market products more easily without leaving a long-term trace.</strong></li><li><strong>The findings come at an awkward time for Instagram which has set out plans to become the future of shopping online.</strong></li><li><strong>Instagram said: "We have a strong incentive to aggressively remove counterfeit content and block the individuals responsible from our platform."</strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></strong></li></ul><p>Instagram has a fake fashion problem, and new data shows that it is only getting worse.</p><p>A report from analytics firm <a href="https://ghostdata.io/report/Instagram_Counterfeiting_GD.pdf">Ghost Data</a> delves into the shady world of counterfeit fashion selling on Instagram, revealing that since 2016, sales of counterfeit fashion items on the platform have grown significantly.</p><p>According to Ghost, the number of counterfeit accounts active on Instagram has risen by 171% in the past three years. In 2016, counterfeit accounts published a total of 14.5 million posts. In 2019, they published more than 64 million posts - a growth rate of more than 341%, according to the report.</p><p>This trend has "gained strong traction," Ghost wrote in the report. "The online sale of counterfeit products and fake luxury goods has grown to a multi-billion dollar underground economy particularly eager to exploit Instagram's success and features." Overall, the counterfeit <a href="https://ghostdata.io/report/Instagram_Counterfeiting_GD.pdf">market draws in approximately $1.2 trillion a year,</a> and this is on the rise.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ccc0fc9021b4c03452ce593-900/screenshot 2019-05-03 at 105333.png" border="0" alt="Ghost Data" data-mce-source="Ghost Data" /><p class="source"><span>Ghost Data</span></p><p class="caption">Ghost pointed to examples of accounts selling fake items in its report.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The findings come at an awkward time for Instagram, which has unveiled plans to become a top destination for shopping on the internet.</p><p>The Facebook-owned company recently rolled out a new <a href="https://business.instagram.com/blog/new-to-instagram-shopping-checkout">checkout button, which allows customers to easily buy products in its feed without leaving the app. A </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deutsche-bank-shopping-on-instagram-worth-10-billion-in-2021-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">group of analysts from Deutsche Bank estimated that this new feature could draw in $10 billion in revenue in 2021 alone.</a></p><h2>Hidden in plain sight</h2><p>Instagram Stories, which enables users to post short video clips with a 24-hour lifespan, have made it easier for counterfeit fashion sellers to advertise products without leaving a permanent paper trail.</p><p>These sellers are no longer "hidden in some far-away "souks" or confined in a rough neighborhood market," the report said - they are hidden in plain sight.</p><p>An Instagram spokesman told Business Insider:</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"We want our community to have great experiences with businesses on Instagram and we take IP rights, including issues around counterfeiting, very seriously.</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"We have a strong incentive to aggressively remove counterfeit content and block the individuals responsible from our platform. We have devoted more resources to our global notice-and-takedown program to increase the speed with which we take action on reports from rights owners.</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"We now regularly respond to reports of counterfeit content within one day, and often within a matter of hours. Additionally, we continue to proactively fight against bad content, including content that may offer counterfeit goods, with sophisticated spam detection and blocking systems."</p><p><em><strong>Reads more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-marketplace-fake-designer-scammers-2018-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Our mission to buy a fake Rolex on Facebook reveals how the company is playing host to countless criminal enterprises</a></em></p><p>These problems aren't confined to Instagram. An <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-marketplace-fake-designer-scammers-2018-3?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigation by Business Insider last year revealed that Facebook faces similar challenges on its own Marketplace platform</a>, where users have free rein to buy and sell almost anything they want. This has given rise to the sale of fake designer goods.</p><p>Moreover, these sellers are also using other apps to communicate with customers and to request payment. According to Ghost, WhatsApp, WeChat Pay, PayPal, and Venmo were most favored for this by Instagram sellers. The vast majority then use EMS Global Delivery Network or DHL to ship items to customers.</p><p>China came out as the top country of origin for Instagram counterfeiters in the report, followed by Russia, Indonesia, Ukraine, Turkey, and Malaysia. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, and Nike were the most counterfeited fashion brands.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facial-recognition-technology-regulation-creepy-future-2019-4">Facial recognition is almost perfectly accurate - here's why that could be a problem</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/dUhcuqIL-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Instagram wants to become the future of shopping, but it has a massive fake fashion problem

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bed6611381507138b2bf7ab-861/gettyimages-586217422.jpg" border="0" alt="Prime Air plane" data-mce-source="Stephen Brashear / Stringer / Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Stephen Brashear / Stringer / Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Some pilots feel "disenfranchised," according to one captain.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/amazon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon</a> Air relies upon cargo airliners like Atlas Air, Southern Air, and ABX Air to transport its packages.</li><li>But pilots from those airlines say they're getting fed up with pay and benefits that they say are below industry standards.</li><li>A survey of pilots at those carriers, conducted by the Teamsters Local 1224 union of the Airline Professionals Association, found that 60% of respondents said they plan to leave their current airline.</li></ul><p>Pilots working for the group of airlines responsible for making <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/amzn-stock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon</a> Air deliveries aren't happy, a recent union survey found.</p><p>And a lot of them are considering leaving the airlines that Amazon Air relies upon, according to a recent survey from the Teamsters Local 1224 union of the Airline Professionals Association.</p><p>The survey, which wrapped up on Monday and featured responses from more than 1,200 pilots, found that 60% said they plan to leave their current airline. The survey was sent out to all 2,170 crew members at Atlas Air, Southern Air, and ABX Air, via email.</p><p>These pilots don't work for Amazon directly.</p><p>Amazon Air is a brand that operates through cargo airline subsidiaries of Atlas Air Worldwide and the Air Transport Services Group, including Atlas Air, Southern Air, and ABX Air. As part of the arrangement between these companies and the tech giant, pilots from these airlines operate Amazon Air's branded aircraft in order to make deliveries. Those airlines also cater to DHL, a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post DHL.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bf2fbd6b73c2866fe2c3098-1549/prime air.jpg" border="0" alt="prime air" data-mce-source="Ted S. Warren / AP Images" /><p class="source"><span>Ted S. Warren / AP Images</span></p><p class="caption">"They have to start all over again at the carrier they go to," Captain Robert Kirchner told Business Insider.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Switching airlines can set back a pilot's career</h2><p>This isn't the first rumble from the pilots, though. There have been a number of <a href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2018/04/09/pilots-behind-amazon-dhl-delivery-protest-cvg-airport/499568002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strikes</a> and <a href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2018/04/09/pilots-behind-amazon-dhl-delivery-protest-cvg-airport/499568002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protests</a>. But the fact that so many pilots are considering quitting is still striking, according to Captain Robert Kirchner, Atlas pilot and executive council chairman of Teamsters Local 1224.</p><p>That's because the airline industry operates on a seniority-based system, he said.</p><p>"When a captain leaves here after 10 or 15 years, he or she is leaving 15 years behind," Kirchner told Business Insider. "They have to start all over again at the carrier they go to."</p><p>Kirchner said that even though a captain "may be the most experienced person at the airline," they must start from the bottom when they join a new carrier. Moving around can therefore be detrimental to a pilot's career.</p><p>Kirchner said that quitting an airline could amount to a "big sacrifice" and that he's seen captains with 18 years of experience walk away from Atlas.</p><p>"If you're a doctor or a business person, then you can go to another company and get your current job or higher," he said. "In the airline industry, you can't do that. There's less pay, you don't get the schedules you want, you don't get the vacation you want, until you start getting higher up."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bf2fbead1e84408a2147ec7-1840/atlas air.jpg" border="0" alt="atlas air" data-mce-source="Michael Sohn / AP Images" /><p class="source"><span>Michael Sohn / AP Images</span></p><p class="caption">The survey indicated that morale is low among pilots at ABX Air, Atlas Air, and Southern Air.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Pilots are feeling 'disenfranchised'</h2><p>He said that Atlas' partnership with Amazon brought about an expansion that the airline couldn't keep up with. Amazon, which <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2018/07/02/amazon-prime-air-cargo-jets-atlas-air-boeing-767.html">owns a 20% stake in Atlas</a> and is one of its most important clients, could fix the problem by telling the airline to up its standards, according to Kirchner.</p><p>A spokesperson for Amazon Air told Business Insider referred questions about the working environment at Atlas Air, Southern Air, and ABX Air to the airlines themselves, and said that the company was pleased with the carriers' performance and ability to scale.</p><p>But Kirchner described an atmosphere of frustration and apathy among pilots.</p><p>"A lot of the pilots coming in here, because of that, feel disenfranchised and aren't committed to the business or to the company," Kirchner told Business Insider. "They say, 'I'm only going to stay for a couple of years until I get my qualifications up. And then I'm going on to FedEx, UPS, United.'"</p><p>He said that Atlas currently has a "tremendous turnover rate" because the airline offers salaries and benefits that pilots say are beneath the industry standard. He said that 72% of Atlas pilots have been with the carrier for less than five years.</p><p>When asked in the survey if they felt that morale was high among their fellow pilots, 86% of ABX pilots, 76% of Atlas pilots, and 51% of Southern pilots said they "strongly disagreed."</p><p>"I've had crew members on my flights, and they'll just come out and tell me that they really don't care," Kirchner said. "'I don't care about this company. I don't care if it survives. I don't care if Amazon's packages get to where they're supposed to go. I just don't care.' And that's a sad situation."</p><p>A spokesperson at Atlas Air Worldwide said that the company valued its pilots right to express their opinions.</p><p>"The commentary from the pilot union, however, is part of an overall campaign to put public pressure on the company with respect to our next labor contract," the spokesperson said. "The union's campaign has included the dissemination of false and/or misleading statements."</p><p>A spokesperson for Air Transport Services did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bf2fbf90591f27e533c14fb-1809/amazon air.jpg" border="0" alt="amazon air" data-mce-source="Ted S. Warren / AP Images" /><p class="source"><span>Ted S. Warren / AP Images</span></p><p class="caption">"There's nothing like experienced employees," Kirchner said.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Pilots worry about their airlines' ability to recruit and retain talent</h2><p>The survey also found that 80% of the pilots strongly disagreed when asked if they were happy with their pay and benefits, while 91% said they felt their airline's pay and benefits didn't meet industry standards.</p><p>Kirchner said that in 2015, about 100 pilots quit Atlas. That number jumped to 198 in 2017. This year, Kirchner estimated that the number would approach 300.</p><p>"They tried to hire 379 pilots in 2018," he said. "They only got 285 to show up to class, which is unheard of in the industry."</p><p>At ABX, Atlas, and Southern, 81% to 87% of pilots reported that they strongly agreed that they were worried about their carrier "being able to recruit and retain experienced pilots."</p><p>In the survey, 65% of respondents said they'd been asked to fly on their off-days in the past year. And Kirchner said that Atlas pilots receive fewer vacations than pilots at their competitors to start with.</p><p>"We've never seen this much flying on days off at the airline, which is further proof of how short they are in the pilot ranks," Kirchner said.</p><p>Kirchner said that he didn't believe that the situation at Atlas Air or Air Transport Services would erode industry standards across the board. He singled out UPS and FedEx for providing their pilots with appropriate compensation and time off. And in the survey, 83% to 74% of respondents said they'd like to fly for FedEx or UPS.</p><p>"There's nothing like experienced employees," Kirchner said. "Companies like Amazon and DHL need on-time, reliable service - and we're already seeing that deteriorate. As long as they keep turning a blind eye to this, the problem is going to get worse and worse and worse."</p><p>Here's the full statement from Atlas Air Worldwide:</p><blockquote><p>"We value the service of our pilots and appreciate their right to express their opinions. The commentary from the pilot union, however, is part of an overall campaign to put public pressure on the company with respect to our next labor contract.</p><p>The union's campaign has included the dissemination of false and/or misleading statements. It also included an illegal slowdown that the union was ordered to stop a year ago by the U.S. federal court in Washington, D.C. That injunction remains in place today.</p><p>As background, our business has grown substantially over the past several years, during which we have not only created hundreds of new pilot jobs but have also met our customer demands with highly reliable service. As our business continues to grow and develop, with opportunities to expand in existing and new markets, we continue to provide pilots opportunities for ongoing career growth and advancement.</p><p>We will continue to address work rules, pay and time off with our pilots as we work through our contract negotiations. We remain committed to negotiating one competitive collective-bargaining agreement for all of our pilots in accordance with the terms of our existing labor agreements, which recognizes our pilots' valued contributions."</p></blockquote><p><em>Are you a pilot working at Atlas Air, Southern, Air, ABX Air, or another airline that counts Amazon as a client? Email acain@businessinsider.com.</em></p><p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/future-of-retail-ai?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_content=ecommerce_ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_campaign=ecommerce_ctgr_leadgen_future-of-retail-ai"><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5bd9f37e5f1f7538f668523b" alt="Exclusive FREE Slide Deck: Future of Retail:AI by Business Insider Intelligence" border="0" style="width: 100% !important" /></a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-alexa-dominating-smart-home-2018-10">All the ways Amazon is taking over your house</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/bkZcy8Pg-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Pilots working for airlines that transport packages for Amazon are not happy - and many are considering quitting, a survey found

<p><em>Welcome to <keyword id="34991" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">Transportation</keyword> &amp; Logistics Briefing, a new morning email providing the latest news, data, and insight on how digital technology is disrupting transportation and delivery, produced by BI Intelligence.</em></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/transportation-and-logistics-briefing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sign up and receive Transportation &amp; Logistics Briefing free to your inbox.</a></strong></p><p><em>Have feedback? We'd like to hear from you. Write me at:<span> </span><a href="mailto:jcamhi@businessinsider.com">jcamhi@businessinsider.com</a>.</em></p><hr /><p><strong>UBER'S LOSSES NARROW DESPITE LYFT'S GAINS:</strong> Uber increased its revenue and narrowed its losses in Q2 2016 in the face of increased competition from Lyft and a spate of recent scandals that led to the resignation of its former CEO, Travis Kalanick, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-23/uber-s-quarterly-losses-fall-to-645-million-as-revenue-climbs?utm_content=markets&amp;utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;cmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-markets">reports</a>. The ride-hailing giant increased its net revenue 17% from the previous quarter to $1.75 billion, while its losses decreased 9% to $645 million. </p><p><strong>All of the various scandals and controversies surrounding Uber in recent months did not seem to dent the company's financial health.</strong> It ended the quarter with $6.6 billion in cash on hand. Meanwhile, gross bookings - the total dollar value generated from its rides - increased to $8.7 billion, up 17% from Q1. That growth in gross bookings actually accelerated from 9% the previous quarter.</p><p><strong>However, rival Lyft has still been making gains on Uber, despite the larger company's continued growth. </strong></p><ul><li><strong>Uber's share of the US ride-hailing market fell from 84% at the beginning of this year to 77% at the end of May,</strong> according to Second Measure, which analyzes anonymized credit card data.</li><li><strong>Uber's market share decline coincided with major growth at Lyft, which saw a major boost from the #deleteUber social media <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/03/22/uber-delete-account-500000/">campaign</a>.</strong> Lyft had a 60% <a href="https://www.recode.net/2017/8/14/16141380/lyft-uber-taggart-matthiesen-deleteuber-protest-johana-bhuiyan-recode-decode-podcast">spike</a> in new users when the campaign started in January. That helped the company <a href="https://thenextweb.com/insider/2017/04/27/lyfts-user-numbers-soared-deleteuber/">net</a> 4.8 million total passengers during February 2017, more than double the number it serviced in February 2016.</li><li><strong>Lyft also <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-25/lyft-gross-bookings-are-said-to-exceed-1-billion-last-quarter">grew</a> its gross booking faster than Uber did in Q2, with a 25% jump to $1 billion.</strong></li></ul><p><strong>Uber remains mired in controversy following Kalanick's departure, and needs to fill several key executive positions to help it handle increased competition around the world. </strong>In addition to its open CEO position, the company has also been searching to fill its COO and CFO positions. For now, the company is being steered by an executive committee. Meanwhile, Kalanick has been sued by Benchmark Capital, one of Uber's biggest investors, which claims he has been <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/14/benchmark-letter-to-uber-employees-about-kalanick-lawsuit.html">undermining</a> the CEO search. Uber's competitors have moved aggressively in recent months to gain market share and take advantage of Uber's damaged reputation. Lyft has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lyft-launching-in-100-new-us-cities-full-list-2017-1">expanded</a> to more cities in the US, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/lyft-raises-500-million-in-new-funding-round-1491498474">raised</a> new funding, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/25/lyft-launches-two-premium-ride-hailing-options-lux-and-lux-suv/">debuted</a> premium ride services to compete with UberBLACK and UberSUV, and <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/21/lyft-launches-a-new-self-driving-division-called-level-5-will-develop-its-own-self-driving-system/">launched</a> a new self-driving car division to beat Uber to autonomous taxis. Grab, Uber's biggest rival in Southeast Asia, also <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-24/uber-rival-grab-said-raising-1-5-billion-in-new-funding-round">raised</a> $1.5 billion in new funding earlier this year. Uber must fill its leadership void and develop a strategy to counter these moves by its competitors. However, it's unclear if that will happen soon, as the company's board is reportedly <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/ap-sources-ges-immelt-finalists-uber-ceo-search-49343488">split</a> over possible CEO candidates.</p><p><strong>Enjoy reading this briefing?</strong><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/transportation-and-logistics-briefing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sign up and receive Transportation &amp; Logistics Briefing to your inbox.</a></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="BII" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5761b51752bcd021008c95f4-960/ride hailing apps.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5761b51752bcd021008c95f4-700/ride hailing apps.png" alt="Ride Hailing Apps" data-mce-source="BII" /></a><p class="source"><span>BII</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong>FLYTREX AND AHA LAUNCH DRONE DELIVERY IN ICELAND: </strong>AHA, Iceland's largest online marketplace, has partnered with Israeli drone startup Flytrex to deliver online meal orders and other goods by drone in Iceland's capital, Reykjavic, CNBC reports. The launch of a commercial drone service in a highly populated area marks an important step forward for drone delivery around the world, as most drone deliveries conducted today are still early-stage tests in rural areas.</p><p><strong>Right now the drones only operate a single delivery route across the bay that cuts Reykjavic in two and makes</strong> <strong>delivery by ground vehicle in the city very time-consuming.</strong> An employee at an AHA facility loads packages on to the drone, which then flies autonomously across the bay to another facility, where a courier picks up the package and takes it to the customer's home, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/23/16185112/drone-delivery-iceland-flytrex-aha-food">according to</a> The Verge. The two companies say that drones have cut their delivery times by up to 20 minutes during peak hours, and have cut delivery costs by 60% compared to regular ground delivery.</p><p><strong>Flytrex doesn't build the drones itself - in this case it's using a DJI Matrice 600 outfitted with a special package compartment - but provides the software and services that make the program operational,</strong> including employee training, drone maintenance, and a cloud-based platform for remotely tracking and managing the drones in-flight. Flytrex CEO Yariv Bash said that the company hopes to expand the partnership to more delivery routes - including delivering directly to customer's doorsteps - by the end of the year. The drones will hover in the air and lower packages to the ground by a wire to drop them off at customers' homes.</p><p><strong>Flytrex and AHA received regulatory approval to launch the service from the Icelandic Transportation Authority,</strong> which said the drones could improve road safety by taking delivery vehicles off the roads. Regulatory authorities in most jurisdictions around the world have taken a cautious approach to drone deliveries, particularly in densely populated areas. China's Civil Administration, for example, allows companies to conduct commercial deliveries by drone in rural areas, but specifically forbids companies from using drones to deliver in cities. In the US, the FAA has yet to allow a commercial drone delivery program to operate in a major city, but <a href="https://knpr.org/knpr/2017-06/nasa-drones-drone-package-delivery-tested-reno">NASA</a> and <a href="https://www.recode.net/2016/12/20/14026396/7-eleven-drone-delivery-flirtey-first-retail-us-reno-nevada">7-Eleven</a> have each conducted limited drone delivery tests in Reno, Nevada. Improvements in autonomous flight technology and in air traffic control systems that can track large numbers of drones are necessary before regulators allow large-scale drone delivery programs to operate in US cities.   </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="BI Intelligence" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59258b5a6391471b008b6176-960/drone delivery products.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59258b5a6391471b008b6176-700/drone delivery products.jpg" alt="Drone Delivery Products" data-mce-source="BI Intelligence" /></a><p class="source"><span>BI Intelligence</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong>AUDI AND QUALCOMM INVEST IN CONNECTED CAR STARTUP:</strong> Cubic Telecom, a connected car startup based in Dublin, Ireland, raised $46.5 million in Series C funding from a group of investors that includes Audi and Qualcomm. Cubic has already been working for a while with Audi, and is on track to put its technology into 1 million vehicles by the end of the year, according to CEO Barry Napier.</p><p><strong>The startup offers a virtual networking solution that lets cars (and other devices) connect automatically to internet service providers in any country,</strong> which helps cars maintain internet connection when they cross borders and eliminates roaming costs. It accomplishes this through a virtual SIM card that it preloads on to vehicles during the manufacturing process.</p><p><strong>Typically, automakers have to install a physical SIM card into their cars for connectivity, and arrange network agreements with carriers in whichever country the model might be sold.</strong> Each network agreement requires a different SIM card, making managing these partnerships and the physical hardware a time-consuming operational task. Along with the virtual SIM card, Cubic has partnerships in place with 30 mobile network operators covering more than 180 countries, eliminating the hassle of arranging and managing network agreements for automakers.</p><p><strong>With automakers putting more and more digital technologies in their cars, they have to manage increasingly complex ecosystems of digital partners</strong> that include connectivity, cloud, analytics, cybersecurity, and infotainment providers. That is a complex task for companies like automakers that don't have roots in the digital world. That means companies that can help automakers manage those ecosystems - as Cubic does with networking providers - will be particularly valuable partners for auto companies.</p><p><strong>In other news…</strong></p><p><strong>DHL eCommerce, Deutsche Post DHL's e-commerce fulfillment division, <a href="http://postandparcel.info/81869/news/dhl-ecommerce-gets-logistics-technology-platform-fareye-on-board/">launched</a> a new software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform</strong> in partnership with logistics management solutions provider FarEye to help it manage deliveries on behalf of its retail clients.  The platform will help DHL, retailers, and their customers track orders in real-time as they make their way through the fulfillment process to final delivery. DHL said that it picked the platform to support its e-commerce fulfillment division because of the flexibility it offered in being able to scale up computing resources depending on demand. That will allow it to draw on more resources during peak shopping and delivery times.</p><p><strong>FedEx <a href="http://postandparcel.info/81920/news/fedex-office-extends-sameday-city-service/">announced</a> it is expanding its same-day intra-city delivery service to Jacksonville, Florida, as well as Austin and San Antonio, Texas.</strong> The service, dubbed FedEx SameDay City, is now available in 25 markets, and allows same-day delivery on orders picked up as late as 1:00 p.m. for business delivery, and 4:00 p.m. for residential delivery. The move comes as more retailers are experimenting with same-day delivery. Walmart announced recently that it is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/transportation-and-logistics-briefing-fords-self-driving-car-strategy-continental-acquires-data-services-company-tesla-turns-to-cloud-for-customer-personalization-2017-8">expanding</a> a same-day delivery test it is running with Uber's UberRUSH delivery service to new markets, while Target is now <a href="http://www.refinery29.com/2017/08/169379/target-same-day-delivery-grocery">testing</a> same-day grocery delivery in New York. </p><p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo"><p><h2><span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/transportation-and-logistics-briefing">Click here to sign up for the new FREE newsletter on Transportation &amp; Logistics from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service.</a></span></h2><script src="//load.sumome.com/" data-sumo-site-id="ad2d02bb34b81e60382fbf1fd2c2e4d9230918d0b8ccae68c9d7bac17d286fa5" async="async"></script></p></div></p>

TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS BRIEFING: Uber's losses narrow despite Lyft's gains - Drone delivery service launches in Iceland - Audi, Qualcomm invest in connected car startup

<p><em>Welcome to <keyword id="34991" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">Transportation</keyword> &amp; Logistics Briefing, a new morning email providing the latest news, data, and insight on how digital technology is disrupting transportation and delivery, produced by BI Intelligence.</em></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/transportation-and-logistics-briefing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sign up and receive Transportation &amp; Logistics Briefing free to your inbox.</a></strong></p><p><em>Have feedback? We'd like to hear from you. Write me at:<span> </span><a href="mailto:jcamhi@businessinsider.com">jcamhi@businessinsider.com</a>.</em></p><hr /><p><strong>GM PLOTS ITS FUTURE IN ON-DEMAND RIDES AND DELIVERIES:</strong> GM's Maven car-sharing unit is expanding tests and partnerships in delivery, leasing, and on-demand vehicles, indicating that the company could eventually take on Uber and Lyft in providing on-demand rides, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gm-maven-idUSKCN1AW2CN">reports</a>. The 18-month-old unit started out providing cars for Uber and Lyft drivers, but is quickly diversifying its business and spearheading GM's moves into alternative mobility services. Altogether, Maven's fleet of 10,000 car-sharing vehicles have driven 170 million miles and provided 17.5 million rides for Uber and Lyft customers. </p><p><strong>GM has close ties with Uber and Lyft, but seems like it is pulling away from them to reap greater benefits from on-demand mobility and the gig economy.</strong> GM has provided thousands of vehicles to Uber and Lyft drivers through the ride-hailing companies' leasing programs, and also holds a 9% stake in Lyft, Reuters notes. However, Maven has started to lease cars directly to Uber and Lyft drivers, bypassing the ride-hailing startups, through Gig, a service that lets drivers rent Maven vehicles for $229 per week.</p><p><strong>Additionally, Maven has partnerships in place with several startups in the delivery space to provide cars for their couriers.</strong> Those partners include InstaCart, Postmates, GrubHub, and Roadie, a crowd-sourced last-mile delivery service. Couriers for the companies can rent Maven vehicles at the same rate as Uber and Lyft drivers. </p><p><strong>Meanwhile, Maven is moving further into providing cars or rides directly to consumers</strong> - it's already tested a peer-to-peer car-sharing service, according to Reuters. Such a service would compete indirectly with both Uber and Lyft. When asked if GM is looking to launch its own ride-hailing and delivery services, Maven's VP Julia Steyn responded, "You're on the right track." </p><p><strong>The advent of digital technology in the auto space is forcing traditional carmakers to consider new revenue opportunities,</strong> including car-sharing, ride-hailing, and delivery. GM's step-by-step approach - leasing cars through sharing economy startups, then leasing them directly to contractors, and eventually providing on-demand cars and deliveries itself - is a smart approach. Traditional automakers don't always have the same software or logistics expertise as some of the on-demand startups that populate the sharing economy. However, automakers can certainly provide vehicles for those companies while they develop that expertise through acquisitions, talent recruitment, and partnerships, enabling them to launch their own on-demand services down the road.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="BI Intelligence" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59974a27b0e0b595758b545f-960/american usage of ride-hailing apps -1.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59974a27b0e0b595758b545f-960/american usage of ride-hailing apps -1.png" alt="american usage of ride hailing apps  1" data-mce-source="BI Intelligence" /></a><p class="source"><span>BI Intelligence</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong>HOW PELOTON PLANS TO DISRUPT TRUCKING:</strong> Peloton Technology, a six-year-old Silicon Valley startup, is one of a growing number of startups looking to disrupt the nearly $700 billion US trucking industry through software automation. The company's co-founder, Josh Switkes, started exploring the trucking space while working at another startup, and saw an industry burdened by high fuel, labor, and safety costs that still performed many back-office operations manually with spreadsheets, a <a href="https://www.trucks.com/2017/08/17/peloton-trucking-startup-trailblazer/">profile</a> on Trucks.com recounted. </p><ul><li><strong>Peloton is looking to make an impact in trucking by quickly solving one of the industry's pressing pain points - fuel costs,</strong> which <a href="https://www.thetruckersreport.com/infographics/cost-of-trucking/">make up</a> nearly 40% of the costs of operating a commercial trucking vehicle.</li><li><strong>The company wants to automate trucking, but is not waiting to develop fully autonomous trucks,</strong> which are still at least a decade away from hitting the road.</li><li><strong>Rather Peloton is working on "platooning" software that allows multiple trucks to drive closely bunched together in a convoy</strong> by communicating with each other to ensure they keep them at a safe and steady distance. Closely following one another in this fashion reduces the drag caused by wind resistance on the vehicles, so their engines don't need to consume as much fuel to maintain speed. </li><li><strong>Based on previous <a href="http://nacfe.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Peloton-NACFE-Fuel-Test-Report-120213.pdf">testing</a>, the front vehicle in a two-truck platoon using Peloton's software increases its fuel efficiency by 4.5%, while the rear vehicle has a 10% improvement.  </strong></li></ul><p><strong>Focusing on automated platooning technology will allow Peloton to make an impact on the trucking sector much more quickly than other startups focused on fully autonomous</strong> <strong>trucks, </strong>such as <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/18/self-driving-truck-startup-embark-raises-15m-partners-with-peterbilt/">Embark</a><strong>.</strong> Reducing fuel costs fills an immediate and industry-wide need, and regulators in various jurisdictions will likely be amenable to the technology because it reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Peloton <a href="http://www.fleetsandfuels.com/technology/2016/11/peloton-platoon-to-slash-fuel-use/">plans</a> to bring its platooning tech to market later this year, and its potential fuel cost savings should translate to fast adoption. Volvo, for one, is already working with Peloton to integrate its technology into its trucks. A solid customer base for platooning would then open up opportunities for providing other automated driver-assist services like automated braking and lane changing, eventually leading up to a fully autonomous vehicle.</p><p><strong>Enjoy reading this briefing?</strong><span> </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/transportation-and-logistics-briefing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sign up and receive Transportation &amp; Logistics Briefing to your inbox.</a></p><p><strong>TRUCK MANUFACTURERS RACING TO LAUNCH OVER-THE-AIR UPDATES:</strong> Truck manufacturers are working fast to add over-the-air (OTA) updates, software updates to trucks' systems that can be delivered wirelessly, to their vehicles, Trucks.com <a href="https://www.trucks.com/2017/08/16/trucking-industry-over-the-air-updates/">reports</a>. OTA updates would allow manufacturers to issue new upgrades to their vehicles as easily as consumers download new upgrades to their smartphones or computers.</p><p><strong>OTA updates could be used to deliver instant improvements to trucks' navigation and engine systems, or even to fix software bugs.</strong> This would save time and resources that would otherwise be spent on bringing the vehicles to a dealership or other repair location for such fixes and upgrades. That would also reduce the revenue lost by trucking fleets when their vehicle are out of service for repairs.</p><p><strong>Automakers have recognized the benefits of OTA updates for transportation vehicles for a couple of years now, but truck manufacturers are just starting to come around.</strong> An IHS Markit report released this past June predicted that OTA updates could save the automotive industry a total of $40 billion by 2023. All of Tesla's vehicles are equipped to receive OTA updates, and GM plans to enable them in all of its vehicles by 2020. On the trucking side, Volvo <a href="https://www.macktrucks.com/community/mack-news/2017/mack-improves-refuse-customers-uptime-with-mack-over-the-air/">announced</a> this past May some models in its Mack lineup would be capable of receiving OTA updates by the end of this year, and auto parts supplier Delphi recently acquired software startup Movimento, which has <a href="http://movimentogroup.com/news-releases/pana-pacific-and-movimento-team-on-advancing-a-communications-system-for-trucking-industry/">installed</a> OTA technology in more than 19,000 commercial vehicles.</p><p><strong>Tesla's recently announced <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-truck-autonomous-idUSKBN1AP2GD">plans</a> to enter the truck manufacturing space will push OTA updates to the forefront of the trucking industry.</strong> Tesla has set the standard for OTA updates in the consumer automotive space, and will be able to leverage that expertise in trucking. If Tesla gains a reputation as the trucking industry standard for OTA updates, it would gain a substantial competitive advantage. That puts pressure on other truck manufacturers to accelerate their own OTA capabilities to fend off new competition.</p><p><strong>In other news…</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Deutsche Post DHL and Ford <a href="http://postandparcel.info/81821/news/deutsche-post-dhl-group-and-ford-unveil-new-streetscooter-van/">launched</a> their new jointly-produced StreetScooter WORK XL electric delivery vans in Germany last week.</strong> The vans are based on a Ford Transit chassis and feature an electric drivetrain, and the two companies plan to build 2,500 of them by the end of 2018. Deutsche Post DHL will use the vans for urban last-mile deliveries in Germany, and also plans to sell some of the vehicles to third-parties. The electric vehicles can help reduce fuel costs for last-mile deliveries to customers' residences, which is the most expensive part of the delivery process.</li><li><strong>Reports emerged last week indicating that rival German automakers BMW and Daimler may be looking to merge their respective DriveNow and Car2Go car-sharing services.</strong> Reuters <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-daimler-bmw-carsharing-sixt-idUSKCN1AX0YC">reported</a> that the two companies have been in talks about combining their two services in order to better compete with other alternative mobility schemes, particularly ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft. DriveNow currently has close to 1 million users worldwide, and Car2Go has about 2.7 million, but that is dwarfed by Uber, which <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/10/20/uber-app-riders/">reported</a> last October that it was servicing more than 40 million riders monthly worldwide. </li><li><strong>The automotive industry is <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-nafta-autos-idUSKCN1AX2R9">pushing back</a> against a proposal by the Trump administration to change to the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because it may result in higher costs.</strong> The administration wants more stringent "rules of origin," which determine whether participating countries can charge tariffs on imports. Under current law, 62.5% of a vehicle's parts must be manufactured within the NAFTA region to avoid tariffs. This has allowed automakers to build cars in other NAFTA countries, particularly Mexico, and then sell them in the US without paying tariffs. The administration has hinted that it may want to include a requirement that a certain percentage of a vehicle is produced in the US to avoid tariffs.</li></ul><p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo"><p><h2><span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/transportation-and-logistics-briefing">Click here to sign up for the new FREE newsletter on Transportation &amp; Logistics from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service.</a></span></h2><script src="//load.sumome.com/" data-sumo-site-id="ad2d02bb34b81e60382fbf1fd2c2e4d9230918d0b8ccae68c9d7bac17d286fa5" async="async"></script></p></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chip-skin-cells-tissue-nanotransfection-health-device-ohio-2017-8">Scientists are testing out a device that could heal organs and brain injuries in seconds</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/gOFokIEr-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

You Searched For "Deutsche Post DHL" and got 9 results

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