Traffic World reports 'In a letter that had been kept confidential, FedEx wrote to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) that releasing revenue and volume information about its lucrative postal contract would bring the carrier and the USPS "commercial harm" and would delay mail delivery.'
Traffic World posted a copy of the letter on its web site after it was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the magazine. The BTS had requested volume and revenue information on FedEx's mail carrying operation about a year ago, according to Traffic World. 'Competitors, including the airlines that have lost huge volumes of mail under a USPS management of its delivery network, want those details as they seek ways to win back mail traffic.'
The article also quotes attorney David P. Hendel, a critic of the contract, as saying 'I think the Postal Service is embarrassed about how much they are paying. They've really clamped down on any information about it. They treat it as a big success. But it actually is a very expensive proposition for them.'
The magazine identifies Hendel as 'a former USPS attorney', who later represented Emery Worldwide in its unsuccessful challenge of the FedEx contract. It also reports that the FedEx contract is the largest of any postal supplier, at $1.1 billion last fiscal year.