USPS Pitches More Operational Changes to Network

The Postal Service has announced new network changes following peak season to improve service and productivity.

These planned changes will be the focus of a Zoom conference Sept. 5 at 1 p.m. (sign up here), where USPS officials will detail their plans and take comments from stakeholders, according to an Aug. 22 release.

“As we integrate our transportation, processing, and delivery network to logically sequence the flow of mail and packages by deploying improved operating practices in our redesigned facilities network, we expect to improve service reliability, reduce cost and grow our business,” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stated in the release.

The announced changes include the following:

• Five-digit ZIP code standards: transitioning from three-digit code standards, this “upgrade will simplify the process for customers to understand exactly when their mail will arrive and improve the reliability and predictability,” according to a fact sheet that accompanied the release.
• Consolidated delivery and collection: set for post offices “far from regional hubs,” with most of these runs taking place in the morning. Consolidating pickup and delivery “will provide flexibility in our transportation scheduling, bring a significant amount of mail volume into USPS plants sooner to begin processing earlier, and reduce local transportation costs, carbon emissions, and truck trips through American neighborhoods.”
• Expanded network reach for most mail: this change will result “in faster delivery expectations for some mail pieces. For instance, some mail and packages that used to take four days to deliver will now have a service standard to arrive in three days.”
• Improved local service: USPS said that certain areas “will receive a three-day commitment, at the slowest, while some could even achieve a two-day standard.”

Following the Zoom session, which is expected to last two hours, USPS will seek an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), according to the release and an accompanying notice filed with the PRC.

USPS would wait at least 90 days after seeking the advisory opinion, “meaning any implementation of the proposed service standards would not occur until the next calendar year.”

The Postal Service asserts that the proposed changes would not affect an estimated 75 percent of first-class mail, and roughly two-thirds of mail would be delivered within three days.

In an FAQ accompanying the fact sheet, USPS stated that the network changes will not “slow down a significant portion of mail,” noting that it expects mail overall “to move quicker than before,” with the “vast majority” of mail maintaining its existing service standard. This includes medication delivered by mail.

It added that these network revisions “are anticipated to yield significant cost reductions for the Postal Service, with an estimated saving of approximately $3 billion annually” once fully implemented.