In our rural area, much of the FedEx freight is carried by contract carriers, who do
the bulk of hauling. I talked to the owner of the contract one day, he was driving as a
driver was absent.  He owns all the vans, has to maintain the trucks, and hire the drivers.
They come out of Fargo and go out at least 100 miles each day on the route.  

The next day FedEx and special delivery is hauled by company trucks.  You may see them meeting
each other on the road.  Different freight, different rates.

UPS is all company owned and operated.

USPS is owned by you and me.  We have 2 rural routes out of our small rural post office.
One route is a federal route, and they are govt. postal workers.  The other rural route
is a bid contract route, and I think it is a 5 year contract.  He has to hire drivers and get the
job done.