The US Mail Service

[Animal]

And last thing. You really have my curiosity up about needing water from 3 different cities with their rented meters. What's the deal with that? Just curios.

It takes a lot of water to build city streets. I have 6 water trucks that move around with various crews. Most of those trucks hold around 2500 gallons to 3500 gallons each. Now, most of that water is used to put out lime stabilization or cement stabilization. And then some of the water is used to change the moisture content in the soil as you try to get proper compaction. Some is used for dust control if there is a delay between the time you tear out a street and repave it. Some is used to run saws that sawcut all of the driveways and curbs before the streets are demo'd. And then some water is used to clean the concrete paving machine (and other equipment) at the end of the day. For those purposes we rent "construction meters" which are attached to the closest available fire hydrant and we pay construction rates for the gallons that go through them. At any one time I probably have 10 or more water meters on rent.

[CaptQuint]

[CentralTexasCrude]

And last thing. You really have my curiosity up about needing water from 3 different cities with their rented meters. What's the deal with that? Just curios.

It takes a lot of water to build city streets. I have 6 water trucks that move around with various crews. Most of those trucks hold around 2500 gallons to 3500 gallons each. Now, most of that water is used to put out lime stabilization or cement stabilization. And then some of the water is used to change the moisture content in the soil as you try to get proper compaction. Some is used for dust control if there is a delay between the time you tear out a street and repave it. Some is used to run saws that sawcut all of the driveways and curbs before the streets are demo'd. And then some water is used to clean the concrete paving machine (and other equipment) at the end of the day. For those purposes we rent "construction meters" which are attached to the closest available fire hydrant and we pay construction rates for the gallons that go through them. At any one time I probably have 10 or more water meters on rent.

OK. Thanks very much for the info. I was just curios. Building city streets has to take a lot of water.

[CentralTexasCrude]

I know Animal's problem with late deliveries has been ongoing for some time but just remembered a news item from ABC's Good Morning America I saw several days ago that may have a small part in what we are seeing lately. It was pretty amazing because it didn't involve Washington DC or politics. They labeled one of their reporters (ABC Transportation expert ) but anyway it was about a days/ weeks backlog of dozens of Supercargo ships waiting to unload off Santa Barbara CA. Bottleneck due to covid worker shortage, delivery problems, etc. Wondering if that's not a small part of the recent problem. Not Animal's- that sounds more long term.

[Animal]

I know Animal's problem with late deliveries has been ongoing for some time but just remembered a news item from ABC's Good Morning America I saw several days ago that may have a small part in what we are seeing lately. It was pretty amazing because it didn't involve Washington DC or politics. They labeled one of their reporters (ABC Transportation expert ) but anyway it was about a days/ weeks backlog of dozens of Supercargo ships waiting to unload off Santa Barbara CA. Bottleneck due to covid worker shortage, delivery problems, etc. Wondering if that's not a small part of the recent problem. Not Animal's- that sounds more long term.

it could be a trickle down of some sort. i know the big shippers (UPS, Amazon, FedEx) impose upon the US mail service to deliver a lot of their stuff. and i assume this is a worthwhile $$ project, because they deliver more and more of that stuff by mail now. And with the big shippers also shipping vaccines all over this country right now, they might be pushing more and more on the US post office. I dont' know, i just know that something is different and getting worse quickly.

[CentralTexasCrude]

I know Animal's problem with late deliveries has been ongoing for some time but just remembered a news item from ABC's Good Morning America I saw several days ago that may have a small part in what we are seeing lately. It was pretty amazing because it didn't involve Washington DC or politics. They labeled one of their reporters (ABC Transportation expert ) but anyway it was about a days/ weeks backlog of dozens of Supercargo ships waiting to unload off Santa Barbara CA. Bottleneck due to covid worker shortage, delivery problems, etc. Wondering if that's not a small part of the recent problem. Not Animal's- that sounds more long term.

it could be a trickle down of some sort. i know the big shippers (UPS, Amazon, FedEx) impose upon the US mail service to deliver a lot of their stuff. and i assume this is a worthwhile $$ project, because they deliver more and more of that stuff by mail now. And with the big shippers also shipping vaccines all over this country right now, they might be pushing more and more on the US post office. I dont' know, i just know that something is different and getting worse quickly.

Well, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The whole worldwide shipping, airline, ground transportation system works like clockwork humming along for years/ decades on end. Throw in a worldwide economic crushing pandemic for a year with ships unable to sail, planes unable to fly. It's probably pretty impressive they were able to reboot so quickly. Just have to get through the current kinks.

[Animal]

I know Animal's problem with late deliveries has been ongoing for some time but just remembered a news item from ABC's Good Morning America I saw several days ago that may have a small part in what we are seeing lately. It was pretty amazing because it didn't involve Washington DC or politics. They labeled one of their reporters (ABC Transportation expert ) but anyway it was about a days/ weeks backlog of dozens of Supercargo ships waiting to unload off Santa Barbara CA. Bottleneck due to covid worker shortage, delivery problems, etc. Wondering if that's not a small part of the recent problem. Not Animal's- that sounds more long term.

it could be a trickle down of some sort. i know the big shippers (UPS, Amazon, FedEx) impose upon the US mail service to deliver a lot of their stuff. and i assume this is a worthwhile $$ project, because they deliver more and more of that stuff by mail now. And with the big shippers also shipping vaccines all over this country right now, they might be pushing more and more on the US post office. I dont' know, i just know that something is different and getting worse quickly.

Well, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The whole worldwide shipping, airline, ground transportation system works like clockwork humming along for years/ decades on end. Throw in a worldwide economic crushing pandemic for a year with ships unable to sail, planes unable to fly. It's probably pretty impressive they were able to reboot so quickly. Just have to get through the current kinks.

well, and also keep us business owners informed of whether this is the new normal, a short setback or what. i am fixing to revamp an accounting system i have used for over 30 years. hopefully not for a short blip that goes back like it was in a few months.

[rule34]

Been waiting on an intake manifold out of Australia for three months, at least three more.

[Who]

just call lou dejoy and let him know your a trumpster which rhymes with dumpster, i'm sure he'll fix you up.

[CentralTexasCrude]

I know Animal's problem with late deliveries has been ongoing for some time but just remembered a news item from ABC's Good Morning America I saw several days ago that may have a small part in what we are seeing lately. It was pretty amazing because it didn't involve Washington DC or politics. They labeled one of their reporters (ABC Transportation expert ) but anyway it was about a days/ weeks backlog of dozens of Supercargo ships waiting to unload off Santa Barbara CA. Bottleneck due to covid worker shortage, delivery problems, etc. Wondering if that's not a small part of the recent problem. Not Animal's- that sounds more long term.

it could be a trickle down of some sort. i know the big shippers (UPS, Amazon, FedEx) impose upon the US mail service to deliver a lot of their stuff. and i assume this is a worthwhile $$ project, because they deliver more and more of that stuff by mail now. And with the big shippers also shipping vaccines all over this country right now, they might be pushing more and more on the US post office. I dont' know, i just know that something is different and getting worse quickly.

Well, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The whole worldwide shipping, airline, ground transportation system works like clockwork humming along for years/ decades on end. Throw in a worldwide economic crushing pandemic for a year with ships unable to sail, planes unable to fly. It's probably pretty impressive they were able to reboot so quickly. Just have to get through the current kinks.

well, and also keep us business owners informed of whether this is the new normal, a short setback or what. i am fixing to revamp an accounting system i have used for over 30 years. hopefully not for a short blip that goes back like it was in a few months.

My thought exactly. Just let everybody know what's going on- we understand the problems just want to be informed. Hard to do when the media elite are focused on DC, politics, race baiting, Grammy's, NCAA women's weight rooms, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc

[CentralTexasCrude]

Been waiting on an intake manifold out of Australia for three months, at least three more.

Should have started rowing there. Probably already back by now.

[CentralTexasCrude]

Expected my phone shipment today. Never arrived. Just got this message from Amazon on their tracking device.
"Now expected March 23 - March 24
B08TB3867J
We’re very sorry your delivery is late. Most late packages arrive in a day. If you have not received your package by March 24, you can come back here the next day for a refund or replacement."
That last sentence sounds like they have no clue what's going on.

[Reservoir Dog]

Expected my phone shipment today. Never arrived. Just got this message from Amazon on their tracking device.
"Now expected March 23 - March 24
B08TB3867J
We’re very sorry your delivery is late. Most late packages arrive in a day. If you have not received your package by March 24, you can come back here the next day for a refund or replacement."
That last sentence sounds like they have no clue what's going on.

The tracking should tell you where the phone is right now. Where is it?

[CentralTexasCrude]

I know where my package is. It's 3 miles from me and I'm going there tomorrow morning to claim it since the 3 miles seems like it's going to take them 2-3 days to deliver it. What a cluster fuck. Oh, and stop being a lapdog.

[nerd_alert]

Expected my phone shipment today. Never arrived. Just got this message from Amazon on their tracking device.
"Now expected March 23 - March 24
B08TB3867J
We’re very sorry your delivery is late. Most late packages arrive in a day. If you have not received your package by March 24, you can come back here the next day for a refund or replacement."
That last sentence sounds like they have no clue what's going on.

Go to the USPS site (using your tracking number). Sign up up for the email and/or text notifications. I usually sign up for all the varieties. You'll end up having a pretty good idea of where it is at and when it will really be delivered.

[Reservoir Dog]

I know where my package is. It's 3 miles from me and I'm going there tomorrow morning to claim it since the 3 miles seems like it's going to take them 2-3 days to deliver it. What a cluster fuck. Oh, and stop being a lapdog.

Enjoy your entry-level, cheap, budget phone.

[Antknot]

I know where my package is. It's 3 miles from me and I'm going there tomorrow morning to claim it since the 3 miles seems like it's going to take them 2-3 days to deliver it. What a cluster fuck. Oh, and stop being a lapdog.

I'm willing to bet when you get there you won't be able to pick up your package.

[megman]

I know where my package is. It's 3 miles from me and I'm going there tomorrow morning to claim it since the 3 miles seems like it's going to take them 2-3 days to deliver it. What a cluster fuck. Oh, and stop being a lapdog.

I'm willing to bet when you get there you won't be able to pick up your package.

[Stapes]

I know where my package is. It's 3 miles from me and I'm going there tomorrow morning to claim it since the 3 miles seems like it's going to take them 2-3 days to deliver it. What a cluster fuck. Oh, and stop being a lapdog.

You should bring your pistol with you. Make sure you brandish it to show them you're serious.

[CHEEZY17]

But can't you just initially get the bill paid on time. Then do all the accounting, checking on correct usage by employees, no bogus charges. etc later. One solution I had with a company was they had all fueling done at the company site from their own tanks. No gas cards and all fueling done on site and under surveillance cameras. Or just occasional gas cards for longer distance work.

you could if you wanted to touch the same bill twice. which i don't. unless i am forced to. i have systems in place of how bills come in, flow through the office and go out. if "a few" bills have to be done with a different system, then that screws things up. At least until I come up with a new system to account for it. Accounting is all about a system.

At least on your major vendors, can you not have them send their bills online with all the breakdowns on the charges included (just like you would see when their mailed bills arrived). You could do all your accounting, breakdowns per vehicle/ jobs, and everything else, send them the check so no late fees and when the mailed bill arrives- just make sure it matches the online version.

that is what i am having to do right now. and it sucks. its not a long term solution, which is what i am looking for. One of the bills I have to pay like this is American Express. Now you tell me how you would go about "calling them" and asking for anything. An American Express bill can have 30 or 40 entries on my side of the accounting.

Let me think about it. So not just fuel. So what kind of mailed bills are we talking about? Fuel, American Express, parts, tires. What else.

Right now my major problem bills are American Express, Valero (fuel), one large cement supplier (martin marietta), and about 3 different cities with their water bills. Every city I work in i have to rent a water meter. Then the city sends me a monthly bill. But I am lucky to get those bills before the due date. I have more than that, but those are the ones that seem to be happening the most frequently. And this is all happening at the same time as these bank fee charges becoming a problem. With interest rates as low as they are right now, the bank fees are no longer offset by large balances in the bank. So, every little transaction can end up being a fee. And I fucking hate fees. I will move heaven and earth to avoid a fee, a penalty, interest, you name it. So I am looking for every way possible to incorporate whatever this change is into something that is also less expensive. Banks charge one fee to process checks and a different fee to process ACH payments. Checks are a bit more expensive.

It might be a pain in the ass but you might have to just bite the bullet and move banks. There are banks out there with little or no fees- you just have to find them. My bank has free unlimited checking and no fees for electronic payments. The only requirement is maintaining a balance of at least 10k. It does not pay interest though. Like you, any type of fee irks the fuck out of me so I researched pretty hard before I settled on this one and I've been with them for about 7 years now. For my situation, the lack of any interest payment was better than the bullshit fees in other types of accounts available.

[Antknot]

you could if you wanted to touch the same bill twice. which i don't. unless i am forced to. i have systems in place of how bills come in, flow through the office and go out. if "a few" bills have to be done with a different system, then that screws things up. At least until I come up with a new system to account for it. Accounting is all about a system.

At least on your major vendors, can you not have them send their bills online with all the breakdowns on the charges included (just like you would see when their mailed bills arrived). You could do all your accounting, breakdowns per vehicle/ jobs, and everything else, send them the check so no late fees and when the mailed bill arrives- just make sure it matches the online version.

that is what i am having to do right now. and it sucks. its not a long term solution, which is what i am looking for. One of the bills I have to pay like this is American Express. Now you tell me how you would go about "calling them" and asking for anything. An American Express bill can have 30 or 40 entries on my side of the accounting.

Let me think about it. So not just fuel. So what kind of mailed bills are we talking about? Fuel, American Express, parts, tires. What else.

Right now my major problem bills are American Express, Valero (fuel), one large cement supplier (martin marietta), and about 3 different cities with their water bills. Every city I work in i have to rent a water meter. Then the city sends me a monthly bill. But I am lucky to get those bills before the due date. I have more than that, but those are the ones that seem to be happening the most frequently. And this is all happening at the same time as these bank fee charges becoming a problem. With interest rates as low as they are right now, the bank fees are no longer offset by large balances in the bank. So, every little transaction can end up being a fee. And I fucking hate fees. I will move heaven and earth to avoid a fee, a penalty, interest, you name it. So I am looking for every way possible to incorporate whatever this change is into something that is also less expensive. Banks charge one fee to process checks and a different fee to process ACH payments. Checks are a bit more expensive.

It might be a pain in the ass but you might have to just bite the bullet and move banks. There are banks out there with little or no fees- you just have to find them. My bank has free unlimited checking and no fees for electronic payments. The only requirement is maintaining a balance of at least 10k. It does not pay interest though. Like you, any type of fee irks the fuck out of me so I researched pretty hard before I settled on this one and I've been with them for about 7 years now. For my situation, the lack of any interest payment was better than the bullshit fees in other types of accounts available.

Banks treat business accounts differently than personal ones.

[CHEEZY17]

At least on your major vendors, can you not have them send their bills online with all the breakdowns on the charges included (just like you would see when their mailed bills arrived). You could do all your accounting, breakdowns per vehicle/ jobs, and everything else, send them the check so no late fees and when the mailed bill arrives- just make sure it matches the online version.

that is what i am having to do right now. and it sucks. its not a long term solution, which is what i am looking for. One of the bills I have to pay like this is American Express. Now you tell me how you would go about "calling them" and asking for anything. An American Express bill can have 30 or 40 entries on my side of the accounting.

Let me think about it. So not just fuel. So what kind of mailed bills are we talking about? Fuel, American Express, parts, tires. What else.

Right now my major problem bills are American Express, Valero (fuel), one large cement supplier (martin marietta), and about 3 different cities with their water bills. Every city I work in i have to rent a water meter. Then the city sends me a monthly bill. But I am lucky to get those bills before the due date. I have more than that, but those are the ones that seem to be happening the most frequently. And this is all happening at the same time as these bank fee charges becoming a problem. With interest rates as low as they are right now, the bank fees are no longer offset by large balances in the bank. So, every little transaction can end up being a fee. And I fucking hate fees. I will move heaven and earth to avoid a fee, a penalty, interest, you name it. So I am looking for every way possible to incorporate whatever this change is into something that is also less expensive. Banks charge one fee to process checks and a different fee to process ACH payments. Checks are a bit more expensive.

It might be a pain in the ass but you might have to just bite the bullet and move banks. There are banks out there with little or no fees- you just have to find them. My bank has free unlimited checking and no fees for electronic payments. The only requirement is maintaining a balance of at least 10k. It does not pay interest though. Like you, any type of fee irks the fuck out of me so I researched pretty hard before I settled on this one and I've been with them for about 7 years now. For my situation, the lack of any interest payment was better than the bullshit fees in other types of accounts available.

Banks treat business accounts differently than personal ones.

The above refers to my business account.

[Animal]

It might be a pain in the ass but you might have to just bite the bullet and move banks. There are banks out there with little or no fees- you just have to find them. My bank has free unlimited checking and no fees for electronic payments. The only requirement is maintaining a balance of at least 10k. It does not pay interest though. Like you, any type of fee irks the fuck out of me so I researched pretty hard before I settled on this one and I've been with them for about 7 years now. For my situation, the lack of any interest payment was better than the bullshit fees in other types of accounts available.

I just finished moving banks. Moved out of Wells Fargo to a smaller bank. I have to maintain a checking balance over 7 figures just to keep fees close to zero. at no interest. and that's at the new bank. Wells fargo the fees for that were around $600 per month.

But all of these fees just started in the past year or so. I mean they have always been there, but there overnight deposit rates on the big balances kept countered the fees. Its only been since Covid that those rates have dropped so much that they barely counter anything now. Shit, it wasn't too many years ago that my checking account was generating a pretty hefty interest rate over night.

[pork]

It might be a pain in the ass but you might have to just bite the bullet and move banks. There are banks out there with little or no fees- you just have to find them. My bank has free unlimited checking and no fees for electronic payments. The only requirement is maintaining a balance of at least 10k. It does not pay interest though. Like you, any type of fee irks the fuck out of me so I researched pretty hard before I settled on this one and I've been with them for about 7 years now. For my situation, the lack of any interest payment was better than the bullshit fees in other types of accounts available.

I just finished moving banks. Moved out of Wells Fargo to a smaller bank. I have to maintain a checking balance over 7 figures just to keep fees close to zero. at no interest. and that's at the new bank. Wells fargo the fees for that were around $600 per month.

But all of these fees just started in the past year or so. I mean they have always been there, but there overnight deposit rates on the big balances kept countered the fees. Its only been since Covid that those rates have dropped so much that they barely counter anything now. Shit, it wasn't too many years ago that my checking account was generating a pretty hefty interest rate over night.

i sold roughly 30 of our branches in texas a few years back. its a tough place to bank. the lending rules are very different in texas then anywhere else

[CentralTexasCrude]

It might be a pain in the ass but you might have to just bite the bullet and move banks. There are banks out there with little or no fees- you just have to find them. My bank has free unlimited checking and no fees for electronic payments. The only requirement is maintaining a balance of at least 10k. It does not pay interest though. Like you, any type of fee irks the fuck out of me so I researched pretty hard before I settled on this one and I've been with them for about 7 years now. For my situation, the lack of any interest payment was better than the bullshit fees in other types of accounts available.

I just finished moving banks. Moved out of Wells Fargo to a smaller bank. I have to maintain a checking balance over 7 figures just to keep fees close to zero. at no interest. and that's at the new bank. Wells fargo the fees for that were around $600 per month.

But all of these fees just started in the past year or so. I mean they have always been there, but there overnight deposit rates on the big balances kept countered the fees. Its only been since Covid that those rates have dropped so much that they barely counter anything now. Shit, it wasn't too many years ago that my checking account was generating a pretty hefty interest rate over night.

i sold roughly 30 of our branches in texas a few years back. its a tough place to bank. the lending rules are very different in texas then anywhere else

How so?