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FedEx Archives: 1999 Press Releases

( BW)(CA-VIKING-FREIGHT)(FDX) Viking Freight Is First Western Regional LTL Carrier to Offer Online Pickup Requests; Free Mouse Pads to Shippers Who Schedule Their First Online Pickup Order

    Business Editors

    SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 24, 1999--Expanding its e-commerce services, Viking Freight, Inc., the leading LTL (less-than-truckload) carrier providing western regional transportation service and a subsidiary of FDX Corp. (NYSE:FDX), now offers shippers the convenience of placing freight pickup orders through its web site.
    With the addition of this time-saving feature to www.vikingfreight.com, Viking is the first western regional LTL carrier to have the interactive capability to receive pickup orders over the Internet. All a shipper has to do is enter his pickup information and it's automatically sent to the appropriate Viking service center. Then the shipper receives an e-mail acknowledgement recapping the request from Viking, and the shipment is picked up and delivered as ordered.
    "We've made it very easy for customers to issue an online pickup request, which will help simplify their already busy day. Now customers can get a rate quote, place an order, trace the shipment, and get transit reports all from their PCs," said Keith E. Lovetro, Viking's vice president of marketing. "This new online service is the latest step in our e-commerce strategy and another way Viking is easy to do business with."
    "I really like the online pickup request, it will save me a lot of time," said Andy Maldonado, warehouse supervisor for PENCOM, a distributor of computer components located in San Carlos, Calif. and a Viking customer. "Scheduling a pickup will be that much easier now."
    To encourage shippers - whether they are current or new Viking customers - to use the new service, Viking will send them a free mouse pad when they schedule their first online pickup request. Quantities of the attractive mouse pad are limited. The free offer ends no later than December 31, 1999.
    In addition to the online pickup request service, Viking is offering other new capabilities on its web site. Enhanced tracing now allows users to trace up to five shipments at one time using their Viking Pro numbers. A variety of electronic forms used by shippers are also now available with the click of a mouse: a bill of lading, Viking's credit application, the NAFTA certificate of origin, the Shippers' Export Declaration, and a claim form. These electronic forms can be saved as Microsoft Word templates so the next time they're needed the same information doesn't have to be keyed in again.
    Furthermore, Viking's web site has a complete list of all of its service centers throughout the West. The online list is categorized by state and includes addresses and phone and fax numbers in one convenient place. In the coming months Viking plans to add additional advanced technologies to the web site, all with the goal of enabling its customers to manage their supply chains more efficiently.
    As part of FDX Corporation and its family of companies, Viking Freight, Inc., headquartered in San Jose, Calif., specializes in award-winning next-day and second-day regional freight service. Viking provides services in eleven western states, including intermodal service to Alaska and Hawaii. Synonymous with an EZTDBW(R) (Easy-To-Do-Business-With) operating philosophy, Viking has a tradition of posting an on-time service record that is consistently among the best in the industry. In addition to a full range of electronic information services, Viking also offers its customers value-added services, such as assembly and distribution. More information about Viking can be found at the company's web site at www.vikingfreight.com.
    FDX Corp., a $17 billion holding company, provides comprehensive transportation, logistics, e-commerce and supply chain management solutions. Its principal operating subsidiaries are Federal Express Corp., the world's largest express transportation company; RPS Inc., North America's second largest business-to-business ground small-package carrier; Viking Freight Inc., a less-than-truckload carrier operating principally in the western U.S.; Roberts Express Inc., a critical-shipment carrier; and FDX Global Logistics Inc., a contract logistics provider.

    NOTE TO EDITORS: FDX press releases are available on the World Wide Web at www.fdxcorp.com. EZTDBW(R) is a registered trademark of Viking Freight, Inc.

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     CONTACT: Viking Freight, Inc.
              Kathy Keller, 408/323-4238
              Keller-Kathy@vikingfreight.com
              or
              Just Marketing
              Jean E. McClymonds, 831/438-4800 ext. 2
              justmktng@aol.com

     KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
     INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TRANSPORTATION COMED
INTERACTIVE/MULTIMEDIA/INTERNET