Glenn Gooding spent 21 years at UPS — from package handler to driver to corporate revenue management for Dell, IBM, and Apple. He then spent nearly two decades in third-party parcel negotiation. Glenn shares how carriers price, how they view 3PLs, and what operators must do to compete.

TOPICS COVERED:

- 21 years at UPS: package handler to corporate Special Pricing for enterprise clients

- The Nintendo story: zone skipping 900,000 Game Boys for Black Friday delivery

- UPS vs FedEx DNA: Teamster drivers vs contracted operators and the RLA

- COVID's impact on the carrier market and the residential volume hangover

- USPS losing $9.1B per year and the Delivering for America plan

- Amazon, Walmart, and Target building their own delivery networks

- How carriers view 3PLs as resellers and why that must change

- Zone skipping for 3PLs: peak season strategies and carrier collaboration

- Volume thresholds: $2M+ for one carrier, $10M+ to multi-source

- Custom corrugated, returns, and inventory positioning as value props

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

0:19 Glenn's UPS Career: Package Handler to Revenue Management

3:50 The Nintendo Story: Zone Skipping for Black Friday

7:09 UPS vs FedEx: Ground DNA, Air DNA, and the 1997 Strike

12:10 The UPS Driver as Brand Ambassador

17:30 Bird Dog Solutions and Third-Party Negotiation

23:10 Enterprise Pricing: 10% Out of Dell's Costs Year Over Year

28:10 COVID and the Small Parcel Market

33:44 USPS Crisis: Delivering for America

37:03 Amazon, Walmart, Target: Building Their Own Networks

43:01 Multi-Sourcing: Why No Single Carrier Works

48:43 The 3PL Margin Problem and the Carrier Perspective

56:29 Proving Value: Average Zone, Corrugated, Network Efficiency

1:09:03 Zone Skipping for 3PLs: When and How

1:18:05 Returns as a Differentiator

1:29:20 The Fragmented Marketplace and What's Next

1:40:27 Who's Innovating in Small Parcel

1:43:29 Closing Thoughts

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Glenn Gooding spent 21 years at UPS and nearly two decades in parcel negotiation at Bird Dog Solutions and iDrive Logistics.

KEY TERMS:

Glenn Gooding, UPS, FedEx, USPS, small parcel, zone skipping, carrier negotiation, 3PL, Bird Dog Solutions, iDrive Logistics, Delivering for America, gig economy, residential delivery, demand surcharges, returns, multi-sourcing

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email mark@warehouserepublic.com