Alert Valdosta clerk uncovers 270 USPS pallets at warehouse

With a tip from a customer, Valdosta Clerk James Carnegie Jr. alerted Valdosta Postmaster Bill Spangler of some empty mail transport equipment (MTE) in a local warehouse.

Spangler followed up with local warehouse distributor and found that they had approximately 270 USPS pallets.

The company was very cooperative in coordinating the pickup of these pallets, saying they had accumulated them over the years.

The Postal Service spends millions of dollars every year on MTE to replenish inventory and make sure ourcustomers and our business can function effectively.

Many times this equipment is being used for pur­poses other than its intended mission: holding the mail.

MTE is not disposable. We will spend more than $100,000,000 this year (FY12) to replace all of our missing and damaged MTE.

The average cost of MTE is much more than you may think:

Flat Tubs = $5.00

Plastic Pallets = $20.00

Presswood Pallets = $8.00

Wood Slat Pallets = $7.00

Although there may appear to be an unlimited supply of wood pallets, we need every single one of them. Never trash or recycle any pallets locally. Send good and bad pallets back to the MTESC.

All letter trays, flat tubs, sacks, and tray sleeves must also be sent to the MTESC. Never trash or recycle trays, tubs, sacks, or sleeves locally.

Keep MTE alive and flowing! MTE is needed at every level of our organization and by our mail­ers. MTE must not be recycled locally.