Impact of fuel prices on delivery costs

The US Postal Service's Postmaster General John E. Potter last week noted that every time the price of a gallon of petrol goes up one cent in the USA, it costs the US Postal Service US$8 million. Without doubt, rising fuel prices are having a financial impact on Australia Post's delivery network, and the pinch is felt most severely by Mail Contractors.Will we see an increase in the use of hybrid electric vehicles by Australia Post? One major Canadian courier company has ordered hybrid electric vehicles for its delivery fleet.POAAL has written to the Minister for Communications, Senator Helen Coonan, and also the Minister for Small Business, Fran Bailey MP, detailing the impact of rising fuel prices on Mail Contractors. POAAL has also been in contact with the office of the Shadow Minister for Communications, noting that it is impossible for Mail Contractors to directly pass costs on to consumers, and that Contractors can only seek financial relief through the review process detailed in the mail contract.