Astar, a DHL vendor and shipping customer, made the assertion to a US House panel in written testimony by COO Gary Hammes, citing a comment by a UPS salesperson that DHL service would become “substandard’’ under the new alliance.
“It is our belief that these sales calls are working,’’ Hammes testifi ed. DHL volume has decreased “significantly,’’ possibly as much as 40 per cent, since the 28 May announcement of a plan to have its US air freight flown by UPS, Hammes said in his testimony.
Hammes’ comment opened a new front in the criticism of the UPS-DHL partnership by groups including labour unions and lawmakers from Ohio, where Astar and another DHL vendor operate hubs. Th e House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearingon the eff ects of the DHL-UPS plan.
