[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 82 (Wednesday, April 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23479-23481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11045]


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POSTAL SERVICE


Revised Form 8125, Plant-Verified Drop Shipment (PVDS) 
Verification/Clearance and New Facsimile Consolidated Form 8125, Plant-
Verified Drop Shipment (PVDS) Verification/Clearance; Consolidated

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice presents pending revisions to Form 8125, Plant-
Verified Drop Shipment (PVDS) Verification/Clearance, and Form 8125-C, 
a new Plant-Verified Drop Shipment (PVDS) Verification/Clearance--
Consolidated form intended for use as a computer-generated facsimile. 
The Mailer's Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) 8125 Redesign Work 
Group developed the revised forms. The Postal Service expects the 
revised hard copy Form 8125 to be available this summer. Once the final 
format is approved, Forms 8125 and 8125-C will be available on the USPS 
Web (www.usps.gov/busctr/welcome.htm under business forms).
    In addition, Form 2866-IP, In-Plant Verification for Second- and 
Fourth-Class Matter, will be eliminated upon implementation of the 
revised forms 8125 and 8125-C. Form 2866-IP is used by some Periodicals 
mailers who pay postage through the Centralized Postage Payment (CPP) 
program.
    To ensure that the revised Forms 8125 and facsimile 8125-C meet the 
needs of customers, the Postal Service is seeking comments from PVDS 
mailers regarding the revisions described in this notice. Copies of the 
revised draft Forms 8125 and 8125-C are available for review on the 
USPS Web page in the business section under Rates & Classification

[[Page 23480]]

initiatives. You may also request copies using the address indicated 
below.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 29, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Mail or deliver written comments to the Manager, Business 
Mail Acceptance, USPS Headquarters, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW Rm 6801, 
Washington, DC 20260-6808. Copies of all written comments will be 
available at the above address for inspection and photocopying between 
9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Beller, (202) 268-5166.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the provisions of Domestic Mail Manual 
(DMM) P750.2.9, mailers must submit a completed Form 8125 to the origin 
(verifying) post office for each PVDS mailing destined for a 
destination entry post office. The completed form serves as a receipt 
indicating that the postage for a shipment being presented to a 
destination entry postal facility for acceptance as mail has been paid 
at the appropriate rates.
    Many mailers are using early versions of Form 8125 rather than the 
most recent version (October 1996). Other mailers are using computer-
generated facsimile Form 8125 with formats and data elements that vary 
from the current Form 8125. A large number of mailers are using a 
facsimile consolidated Form 8125 (replaced by Form 8125-C) to represent 
multiple mailings for a single destination entry office that originate 
from the same mailing plant. Because the information on many of these 
forms appears in varied locations or formats, or is missing altogether 
on some older Forms 8125 and on facsimile forms, it often is difficult 
for destination entry facilities to readily identify key information on 
the forms to attempt to compare the information with the physical mail 
being presented for acceptance.
    The MTAC 8125 Redesign Work Group was formed to develop a usable 
Form 8125 for single mailings to an entry postal facility, as well as 
to develop a standard format for consolidated facsimile Form 8125, for 
use by all PVDS mailers. Use of the new forms 8125 and 8125-C is 
intended to allow entry postal facilities to readily identify key 
information on the forms for comparison with the physical mail. The 
attendees of the work group agreed to limit the focus of their efforts 
to the design and use of Form 8125 rather than to any broader issues 
related to PVDS in general that do not directly relate to the current 
clearance document. The Postal Service proposes phasing out older 
versions of Form 8125 and facsimiles that do not meet the new format 
standards over a 6-month period to begin 30 days from the publication 
of the final notice in the Federal Register announcing availability of 
the revised forms.
    The MTAC work group agreed that Form 8125 does not necessarily need 
to be a hard copy document and that future developments, such as Direct 
Link, may offer an electronic alternative for some mailers. However, 
the focus of the group was on the general needs of the Postal Service 
and mailing industry in our current hard copy environment.

Form 8125

    The following key features are incorporated into the revised Form 
8125 for single mailings:
    <bullet> Form 8125 contains only essential elements presented in an 
easy-to-read format.
    <bullet> Form 8125 will continue to be a three-part form.
    <bullet> Facsimile forms used by mailers must closely mirror the 
layout and content of Form 8125.
    <bullet> Detailed instructions for completion of the form will be 
printed on the reverse of each page of the Form 8125. These 
instructions will not be required to be printed on facsimile forms. 
Removing the instructions from the front of the form will make the form 
less cluttered and ensure that key information about mailing(s) will 
appear more prominently. Facsimile forms also will be easier to print. 
The instructions to appear on the reverse have been expanded to include 
more information about PVDS requirements because these postal forms are 
more likely to be used by mailers less familiar with PVDS than mailers 
who use computer-generated facsimile forms.
    <bullet> The information on the front of Form 8125 more clearly 
describes the mail verified for both mailers and postal employees 
responsible for verifying and accepting PVDS mailings.
    <bullet> The revised form includes information for contacting the 
origin postal facility and mailer when problems are identified at 
destination entry offices.
    <bullet> Because it is the key to closing out an appointment in the 
Drop Ship Appointment System (DSAS), the confirmation (appointment) 
number is moved to the top of Form 8125 to make it clearly 
identifiable.
    <bullet> No data elements of the revised Form 8125 appear in shaded 
areas (currently the entry post office block is shaded) because shaded 
areas do not photocopy well.
    <bullet> Information about the units comprising the mailing are 
described more clearly to differentiate between mail properly presorted 
and cleared for acceptance at origin as palletized mail and mail that 
was not cleared at origin as palletized mail (e.g., trays presorted on 
pallets will be identified as such while trays that are not verified 
and cleared as properly palletized trays will be identified as 
nonpalletized mail).
    <bullet> A mailer comment section is included in Part 1. This may 
be used for information relevant to the load or the shipper, such as 
the name (and possibly the telephone number) of the consolidator, if 
one is used, if known at the time the form is being completed.
    <bullet> Information has been added to accommodate drop-shipped 
international mail (e.g., ISAL).
    <bullet> Information about load condition for completion by entry 
postal facilities is included on Form 8125 in a manner (as a list of 
items to check) that will facilitate entering the information into 
DSAS.

Proposed Format for Form 8125-C

    Some mailers have been approved to present facsimile consolidated 
Forms 8125. The new Form 8125-C will allow mailers to identify multiple 
mailings for the same destination entry office that are prepared by a 
single mailer and verified and cleared for dispatch on a single day. 
The mailings must be transported on the same vehicle to the destination 
entry office. The consolidated form contains line item information 
about each mailing and total information about the unit loads being 
presented to the destination facility. It simplifies the process by 
which the destination entry office compares total mail units presented 
with the totals shown on the consolidated form (e.g., total pallets). 
The new Form 8125-C was established by the MTAC work group members to 
replace the variety of formats currently being used by mailers. Because 
these forms are most likely to be computer generated, there is no 
justification for the Postal Service to print Form 8125-C.
    The proposed format of Form 8125-C omits several separate data 
blocks that appear in Part 1--Mailer and Part 2--Post Office of Origin 
sections on Form 8125 because the information is shown in the line item 
entries describing each individual mailing reported on the facsimile 
consolidated Form 8125-C in Part 1. For example, the following items 
that appear in separate sections in Parts 1 and 2 on the revised Form 
8125 are included in the line entry (in columns) for each mailing 
reported on the consolidated Form 8125-C:
    <bullet> Class of mail

[[Page 23481]]

    <bullet> Product name/ID
    <bullet> Type and number of containers
    <bullet> Piece weight
    <bullet> Weight of mailing
    <bullet> Postage payment method.
    Other information to be included for each mailing reported as a 
line item entry includes:
    <bullet> Permit holder
    <bullet> Postage statement sequence number
    <bullet> Number of pieces in the mailing.

Elimination of Form 2866-IP

    Some mailers who pay postage through the CPP program still use Form 
2866-IP, In-Plant Verification for Second- and Fourth-Class Matter, for 
Periodicals mailings that are verified at a central location and 
deposited at destination entry offices. Because the information on Form 
2866-IP is duplicated on Form 8125, there is no longer any need for a 
separate Form 2866-IP. CPP customers have already been notified that 
Form 2866-IP will be eliminated when the revised Forms 8125 and 8125-C 
are available.
Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 98-11045 Filed 4-28-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P