HARRISBURG (TNS) — The U.S. Postal Service has come up with a plan to save $3 billion annually, but it could mean slower mail delivery service for some U.S. postal service customers regarding long-distance and rural service.
The proposal, first reported in the Washington Post on Aug. 22, would adjust mail delivery times while maintaining a commitment to a maximum five-day delivery for the Ground Advantage program nationwide and a maximum three-day delivery for local first-class mail.
This would mean that some mail and packages that were supposed to be delivered in rural and far-off locations would remain in distribution hubs for an extra day so carriers could focus more on service to locations within 50 miles of a processing center.
But areas near hubs could experience faster service, so mail and packages that would usually take four days to deliver would arrive in three.
Overall, most of all mail would arrive within a five-day time frame.
“At the end of the day, I think some portion of the mail showing up 12 hours later, I think it’s a price that had to be paid for letting this place (USPS) be neglected,” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told The Post. “You look around every other country, (delivery) is longer, it’s much more expensive. We’re trying to save the Postal Service — not figuratively, not to advocate for something. We’re trying to literally save the Postal Service.”
Additionally, adjusting delivery times will allow for reductions in transportation costs and enable earlier mail processing, reducing carbon emissions and truck trips throughout neighborhoods, USPS said.
DeJoy also added that the changes are necessary to “enable us to operate more efficiently and reliably, grow our business and give us a chance for a viable future” after an 80% drop in first-class mail since 1997 and a corresponding growth in packages.
According to DeJoy, the new policy would not be implemented until after November’s election and peak holiday mail season.
The plan will be presented to the Postal Regulatory Commission for opinion and then finalized based on any recommendations made.
