Postal
Service® Form 8017
There is a
little-known Postal Service form that is
recently coming to mailers' attention
-
the
PS Form 8017,
Expedited Plant-Load Shipment Clearance.
This form, similar to
PS Form 8125,
provides proof to the United States Postal
Service® (USPS®) that
a shipment of mail was verified and paid
for at the origin - entry post office. The
difference between the two forms is that
the PS 8017 is used with Expedited Plant-Load
shipments, which do NOT qualify for drop-ship
discounted pricing, whereas the PS 8125
is used with
Plant-Load Verified Destination Drop Shipment (PVDS) mailings that DO qualify for drop-ship discounted pricing.
Expedited Plant-Load Agreements
The Expedited
Plant-Load program was established by the USPS to assist mailers with time-sensitive
mail. This program allows for the mail to
be transported, at the mailer's expense,
to a postal facility closer to the ultimate
destination of the mail. Although mail under
this agreement does not qualify for any
drop-ship discounted pricing, mailers may
elect to take on the expense of transporting
the mail themselves in order to expedite
and control the transport, which may be
necessary for time-sensitive or dated mail.
It is not a commonly used program, as most
mailers who transport the mail at their
own cost wish to take advantage of drop
ship discounts. It is, however, beneficial
for time-sensitive mail that does not qualify
for drop ship discounts, such as First-Class™
or Priority Mail®. It may also
be used for Periodicals, Standard Mail®
and Package Services mail. To participate
in this program, mailers must apply using
Form 8026,
and once approved by the USPS, the mail
is prepared, verified and paid for under
the rules of this program.
Why Now?
The PS 8017
has actually been in place for some time.
However, its use has not been strictly enforced,
and in many cases acceptance clerks at the
origin entry post offices were completing
these forms themselves. With the advent
of
Sarbanes-Oxley
(SOX), the USPS is revising many of its
processes and procedures to become "SOX-compliant".
For this reason, many mailers are now being
asked to complete this form, even though
they have not been required to do so in
the past. In fact, some mailers are surprised
to learn that they even have an Expedited
Plant-Load Agreement with the USPS, as they
may have entered into the agreement years
ago under different staff and the agreement
documents have been misplaced. In these
cases, mailers should review their need
for these agreements and revise as necessary.
Other Uses?
We have also heard from a number of clients
that the USPS is asking for these forms
to be completed on all origin-entered mail,
even though there is no Expedited Plant-Load
Agreement in place. Our contacts at postal
headquarters have indicated that there are
indeed other situations where the PS 8017
is required, but at the time this e-tip
was written, no further details were available.
We will keep you posted as further information
is provided.
Support for the PS 8017
If you are
a mailer who needs to generate 8017 forms,
you are in luck because Window Book's software
now supports the generation of the PS 8017.
For more information about DAT-MAIL™ or
Post Master™ software, please log on to
www.windowbook.com.
