Bragging on USPS

[Bruce Wrenn]

Ordered a fuel pump for my 1988 Mitsubishi Mighty Max from Rock Auto Parts on Tuesday afternoon (3:30 PM, EDT.) Shipped USPS. Today (Thursday) at 3:30 PM, fuel pump was delivered. Original shipping warehouse is in CA. Two days from west coast to east coast isn't bad, especially for standard shipping. Now why does my power company say to allow five days for mail between two cities that are 120 miles apart?

[Michael J Evans]

I actually like the USPS, Most items I've ordered in the USA regardless of location make it to me in three days. I did have one experience where I had something shipped from 35 miles away and it took 5 days. They literally shipped it to my town, the next town over, them to the big city 100 miles north, then back to my town . No one's perfect all the time though. I've also had things arrive from Canada in 3 days and Florida to the west coast in 3 days. So overall I'm pretty happy with them.

[Brian Tymchak]

Ordered a fuel pump for my 1988 Mitsubishi Mighty Max from Rock Auto Parts on Tuesday afternoon (3:30 PM, EDT.) Shipped USPS. Today (Thursday) at 3:30 PM, fuel pump was delivered. Original shipping warehouse is in CA. Two days from west coast to east coast isn't bad, especially for standard shipping. Now why does my power company say to allow five days for mail between two cities that are 120 miles apart?

Did you pay for better than standard shipping? I took the standard shipping option (5-7 days) on a Rockler order recently and it took USPS 16 days for a trip from MN to OH.

Sorry, just realized you did mention standard shipping..

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Did you pay for better than standard shipping? I took the standard shipping option (5-7 days) on a Rockler order recently and it took USPS 16 days for a trip from MN to OH.

I use and always choose the USPS shipping option. I think they do a fabulous job and, unlike other shippers, I’ve never had anything arrive damaged. As for your experience, it might be Rockler. My limited experience with them is they are somewhat slow shippers. Could be they create a shipping label when they receive an order but take a few days or more to actually send the order on its way.

[Frederick Skelly]

Package just may have been in tthe right place at the right time to get there so quickly. I'm a fan of USPS and they get it right (for me) most of the time.

[Jim Koepke]

Could be they create a shipping label when they receive an order but take a few days or more to actually send the order on its way.

FWIW, my brother told me the USPS gets touchy about people doing this.

Also, once a shipper prints the label it is in the tracking system:

438565

This will let you know to some extent what is going on.

A recent package of mine came from Great Britain. It all of a sudden kind of disappeared into limbo. A call to my local Post Office told me it was stalled in customs. It was from a search on ebay and it looked as if it was shipping from the U.S. It took a few extra days from what the tracking indicated.

An untracked package came from a seed dealer in Canada. That was in the mail for over four weeks. When the vendor was called we agreed to give it a few more days before they would send a replacement. So often it happens, as soon as something like this is addressed, the issue resolves in a day or two. The seeds arrived the next day.

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

Did you pay for better than standard shipping? I took the standard shipping option (5-7 days) on a Rockler order recently and it took USPS 16 days for a trip from MN to OH.


I live in the Minneapolis area, but in my experience Rockler uses UPS Surepost for small packages. That sometimes takes longer than USPS, but UPS pays the USPS to deliver Surepost on Sunday.

[Steve Demuth]

It takes two and often three days to get a check from my mailbox to the lumber yard that I can literally see from my pasture hilltop. But I frequently get USPS deliveries from across the country in the same time or less, including next day delivery from metro areas in the Midwest. USPS has stripped local post offices of sorting and handling, so for those of us in outer leaves of the tree, everything has to go all the way to the base of the trunk before getting anywhere. That check I send to the lumber yard is actually sorted 120 miles from here.

[Jim Becker]

Could be they create a shipping label when they receive an order but take a few days or more to actually send the order on its way.

I have had this happen a number of times...and as was already mentioned by Jim K, USPS doesn't like that, although I'm not sure if they police it well.

I generally have good shipping timing with various types of Priority Mail packages (usually regional flat rate boxes) for the east coast. I have, however, had some slow service to the left coast recently. That could be because of recent changes in overtime and staffing that's being discussed in the news currently. Or it could just have been bad luck.

[Brian Tymchak]

I live in the Minneapolis area, but in my experience Rockler uses UPS Surepost for small packages. That sometimes takes longer than USPS, but UPS pays the USPS to deliver Surepost on Sunday.

It was a small package, a threaded inserts kit. Can't remember what the shipping option was called but the tracking showed Rockler handed off to UPS on the day of my order, UPS handed off to USPS in 2 days, then 16 days later I got the package. At day 11 or 12, the tracking indicated it was at my post office but it didn't get delivered. I went to the post office, showed them the tracking. They checked and said that they had not yet received the package from UPS. When I asked how the tracking showed it had hit their loading dock, they just mumbled they didn't know, but they didn't have it.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I am very grateful to USPS, they handle all of the instruments I ship and do it very well. Our local carrier is very helpful about picking up packages here any day I have them to send, which saves me a lot of trips to the PO. Back in the spring I shipped two banjos on the same day by Priority Mail 2 Day. The one to Schenectady, about 2.5 hours from here by car, took 4 days. The one to Seattle was delivered in 1 day. I know the shipping centers are overwhelmed with packages and have been for months now.

[Jim Koepke]

I know the shipping centers are overwhelmed with packages and have been for months now.

People are shopping from home more now since the coronavirus. That is bound to make for more work at the USPS.

jtk

[Kev Williams]

Could be they create a shipping label when they receive an order but take a few days or more to actually send the order on its way.

I have had this happen a number of times...and as was already mentioned by Jim K, USPS doesn't like that, although I'm not sure if they police it well.


USPS tracking has a foolproof way to determine 'early' labeling via 'tracking status'... I just took a screenshot of a few of my Stamps.com entries that just happen to have almost every status category:
438573
all are self-explanatory, but the "printed" category is key, it literally means the label has ONLY been printed. Until the status hits 'in transit' or 'delivered', that package label hasn't been scanned.

Now, I've had many packages that have been delivered that never got past the 'printed' status. But if tracking shows 'in transit', the post office has it :)

[Mike Null]

Kev
That's not the way my Stamps.com tracking (actually USPS) works. I have 4 shipments showing "printed" on my history screen All of the have a tracking number and location. In my view they should show "in transit" but that is not the case. One was delivered but the location was not open. Another was an "Express" shipment but showed as "Priority". I also have a couple of shipments that show "printed" that have been delivered.

USPS tracking is pretty good but not foolproof.

[Mike Henderson]

I use USPS shipping fairly often - usually Priority Mail. Never had a problem (yet). They do a good job, and especially now when they are probably short handed because of the virus and distancing.

Mike

[Brian Elfert]

It was a small package, a threaded inserts kit. Can't remember what the shipping option was called but the tracking showed Rockler handed off to UPS on the day of my order, UPS handed off to USPS in 2 days, then 16 days later I got the package. At day 11 or 12, the tracking indicated it was at my post office but it didn't get delivered. I went to the post office, showed them the tracking. They checked and said that they had not yet received the package from UPS. When I asked how the tracking showed it had hit their loading dock, they just mumbled they didn't know, but they didn't have it.

The whole point of UPS Surepost is supposed to be that UPS moves the package to a facility close to your city and then transfers the package to the USPS as close to your address as they can get it. It shouldn't take the USPS 10 days to deliver a package the final 100 miles or less. I find that once Surepost or Smartpost transfers the package to the USPS that I get the package the next day. Sunday even with Surepost.

Fedex will deliver Smartpost packages via their Fedex ground vehicles if they already have a delivery on your street. I don't know if UPS is doing that for Surepost.

[Jim Becker]

Fedex will deliver Smartpost packages via their Fedex ground vehicles if they already have a delivery on your street. I don't know if UPS is doing that for Surepost.

UPS does deliver them here if they already have our address slated for another delivery that same day. The idea of USPS drop off is to cut down the number of stops that the UPS truck has to make for lower priority/lower profit packages from online retail, but their system is smart enough to know that if they are stopping anyway...drop that one, too. At least that has been my personal experience for sometime now here.

[Curt Harms]

USPS tracking has a foolproof way to determine 'early' labeling via 'tracking status'... I just took a screenshot of a few of my Stamps.com entries that just happen to have almost every status category:
438573
all are self-explanatory, but the "printed" category is key, it literally means the label has ONLY been printed. Until the status hits 'in transit' or 'delivered', that package label hasn't been scanned.

Now, I've had many packages that have been delivered that never got past the 'printed' status. But if tracking shows 'in transit', the post office has it :)

I just received a small Ebay package like that. I got a tracking number that said the label had been printed but no indication of the package being in the system. A few days elapsed. The first time it showed up in the tracking system was when it hit the local post office and was out for delivery. The tracking number started with 9400 which seems to indicate first class. For us, USPS is hard to beat for small packages, around 1 lb. or less. Larger packages UPS or FedEx are usually the better choice.

[Brian Elfert]

UPS does deliver them here if they already have our address slated for another delivery that same day. The idea of USPS drop off is to cut down the number of stops that the UPS truck has to make for lower priority/lower profit packages from online retail, but their system is smart enough to know that if they are stopping anyway...drop that one, too. At least that has been my personal experience for sometime now here.

I thought the real reason UPS uses the USPS is so they can offer cheaper shipping options like Surepost and Mail Innovations? Apparently, UPS can handle the long haul cheaper than USPS, but USPS is cheaper for the final delivery.

[Jim Becker]

I thought the real reason UPS uses the USPS is so they can offer cheaper shipping options like Surepost and Mail Innovations? Apparently, UPS can handle the long haul cheaper than USPS, but USPS is cheaper for the final delivery.

That is the reason they do it. But if they are already going to an address on a given day to deliver a "regular" UPS package or three and know there's a SurePost package also slated to go to that same address that day, it's one less they have to drop off to the USPS and pay USPS to deliver.

[Jim Matthews]

USPS has stripped local post offices of sorting and handling...

www.ernst.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

http://www.grassley.senate.gov/contact

In light of the recent shakeup, this bears mentioning to your Senators. USPS has become a lifeline for Pharmacies during the outbreak.

[mike stenson]

They did this to Tucson years ago. We're a city of about 1 million people. I frequently have mail sit in Phoenix for a week now, including the last 3 packages.

I wouldn't use mail order pharmacies (despite our insurance company offering heavy incentives to do so) on a bet. It's a good thing I'm not on any maintenance meds.

[Curt Harms]

It takes two and often three days to get a check from my mailbox to the lumber yard that I can literally see from my pasture hilltop. But I frequently get USPS deliveries from across the country in the same time or less, including next day delivery from metro areas in the Midwest. USPS has stripped local post offices of sorting and handling, so for those of us in outer leaves of the tree, everything has to go all the way to the base of the trunk before getting anywhere. That check I send to the lumber yard is actually sorted 120 miles from here.

They did that years (decades?) ago in the Philadelphia area. Our local post office has 2 letter slots, one for same zip and another for any other destination. The other slot deposits go to a huge sorting facility with, I'm convinced, a micro black hole within.:)

[Bryan Lisowski]

My recent experience with USPS has been horrible. I sent a package to Canada on 7/16, took 3 days to go 20 miles, 2 more days to go 15 miles and now they can't find the package and feel blaming Canada and Covid for their incompetence is how you do business.

[Doug Weiner]

I'm sure this is an anomaly - but I had a 24 pound box shipped on Saturday from Kentucky to Florida (regular shipping not priority) that arrived Monday at 11:00AM.

[Robert Engel]

that's great but overall USPS no other way to describe it. Their tracking is all but useless.

My wife had a package from Illinois take 1 month to arrive. "Tracking" showed it in PA, then CA, then NC.

A second box went to Hawaii - according to their tracking.

And I paid $28 to send a dado set to Forrest yesterday, 3-6 day "guaranteed delivery". 6-10 days was only $3 less.

And 30 something states are set for mail in voting........................has anyone seen the test CBS ran with ballots? They lost 3% of them!!

[Kev Williams]

I'm sure this is an anomaly - but I had a 24 pound box shipped on Saturday from Kentucky to Florida (regular shipping not priority) that arrived Monday at 11:00AM.


Not an anomaly, I ship stuff every Saturday from Utah to all 4 corners of the country, and with the exception of the disconnected states, I'd say 29 of 30 packages arrive on Monday, including first class mail.

As to the 3% loss of test ballots, **this is just my opinion** but that's hardly surprising given the fact the USPS has been deliberately sabotaged... :mad:

[Mike Henderson]

that's great but overall USPS no other way to describe it. Their tracking is all but useless.

My wife had a package from Illinois take 1 month to arrive. "Tracking" showed it in PA, then CA, then NC.

A second box went to Hawaii - according to their tracking.

And I paid $28 to send a dado set to Forrest yesterday, 3-6 day "guaranteed delivery". 6-10 days was only $3 less.

And 30 something states are set for mail in voting........................has anyone seen the test CBS ran with ballots? They lost 3% of them!!

If USPS was losing 3% of the first class mail - I assume ballots are sent first class - we'd have heard about it a long time ago. Based on the volume of mail that goes through the post office daily 3% would be a lot of mail lost. I'll bet USPS has some statistics on their performance somewhere.

Mike

[You can probably also get statistics from states that use mail balloting. Isn't Washington state all mail in? I'll bet they did a lot of checking before they went that way. If 3% were being lost they would never had gone to all mail.]

[Jim Koepke]

Isn't Washington state all mail in? I'll bet they did a lot of checking before they went that way. If 3% were being lost they would never had gone to all mail.

Yes, our ballots are sent to us in the mail. Voters can either place a stamp on the return envelope or there are secure ballet boxes at various locations around town.

You also have to understand any checking done by states that have already switched to using mailed ballots was done before efforts were undertaken to radically change the USPS.

There are some who have a lot to gain if the USPS fails.

jtk

[Scott Donley]

Yes, our ballots are sent to us in the mail. Voters can either place a stamp on the return envelope or there are secure ballet boxes at various locations around town.

You also have to understand any checking done by states that have already switched to using mailed ballots was done before efforts were undertaken to radically change the USPS.

There are some who have a lot to gain if the USPS fails.

jtk


Jim, the return envelope is pr-paid no stamp needed for the last 2 years. Our vote is anything other than secure. To register to vote there is nothing required to show you are a legal resident and it is against the law to verify, ya that's right. You can even register on line just need an address. We had a governors election that had 3 recounts till the original loser came out on top after finding many boxes of ballots in closets and back rooms 2 weeks later. I could go on but I am sure you can tell I am not a fan.

[Jim Matthews]

Hitchens' razor applies.

McKay declined a grand jury for lack of evidence showing electoral fraud. Proof matters.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I ordered some hydraulic lifters last week from Ebay. Both seller and Ebay showed item shipped on Friday. However tracking shows they first hit the post office on Tuesday four days later. Seller says due to Covid 19 USPS shipment could be delayed. Doesn't mention anything about not getting them to USPS until four days later.

[Derek Meyer]

I ordered a sheet set for my wife for her birthday next Friday (she's always wanted organic cotton sheets). The company said that the delivery would be on Thursday the 20th (cutting it close!) but they were delivered today. Hopefully they came in a plain brown box - I haven't been home and won't get there before my wife does.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Could be they create a shipping label when they receive an order but take a few days or more to actually send the order on its way.Had this happen just this week. Friday a week ago, ordered some hydraulic lifters for my truck. Ordered around noon EDT. Shipper is in California, so it was AM there. Tracking shows shipped that day, but they only showed up at post office on Tuesday. For four days, seller didn't get them to post office. On Thursday (second day) they were delivered. USPS did a great job, but not so much for the seller.

[Curt Harms]

I have had this happen a number of times...and as was already mentioned by Jim K, USPS doesn't like that, although I'm not sure if they police it well.

I generally have good shipping timing with various types of Priority Mail packages (usually regional flat rate boxes) for the east coast. I have, however, had some slow service to the left coast recently. That could be because of recent changes in overtime and staffing that's being discussed in the news currently. Or it could just have been bad luck.

A lot of mail (and other cargo) travels in the baggage holds of passenger airplanes. There aren't nearly as many airline flights as there used to be so not as much mail/cargo capacity.

[Jim Becker]

That's a really good point, Curt...a huge amount of US Mail travels that way, even for so-called "ground" service.

[Bert Kemp]

I have no good words for USPS they waste so much, this last month I've had 3 items take 15 days or more to get here from close by. Now when I'm looking to buy something online I ask how they ship. If they say usps I say no thanks. So far fedex gets it here on time or early.

[Curt Harms]

That's a really good point, Curt...a huge amount of US Mail travels that way, even for so-called "ground" service.

The 'legacy' airlines started as airmail contractors. Carrying passengers was an 'add-on'.

[Bert Kemp]

In my case airlines had nothing to do with it. My packages sat in Phoenix for 7 to 10 days before they sent it 40 miles to my post office.

[Brian Tymchak]

In my case airlines had nothing to do with it. My packages sat in Phoenix for 7 to 10 days before they sent it 40 miles to my post office.

I think we have the answer on the delays... sorting machines literally thrown in the junk pile and all USPS overtime canceled starting in July.

An article in our local paper said that 25% of the sorting machines here in Columbus have been decommissioned.

[Brian Elfert]

My understanding is the sorting machines were only for first class mail and don't sort packages. First class volume has fallen so they are removing them to make more room for packages.

Lack of overtime shouldn't make a package spend a week or more at a sorting center unless they are sitting on absolute mountains of packages. I imagine the sorting centers don't have room for a week's worth of packages unless they are sitting in trailers outside all over the place.

[Curt Harms]

My understanding is the sorting machines were only for first class mail and don't sort packages. First class volume has fallen so they are removing them to make more room for packages.

Lack of overtime shouldn't make a package spend a week or more at a sorting center unless they are sitting on absolute mountains of packages. I imagine the sorting centers don't have room for a week's worth of packages unless they are sitting in trailers outside all over the place.

That seems like a logical explanation. First class mail volume has been dropping for years so it wouldn't be a surprise if there's more first class processing capacity than there is demand, until mail-in voting became a thing. 60 million mail-in ballots seems like a lot but I wonder what the monthly piece count is for mailed-in bills. If people don't wait until two days before election day to mail their ballots I'll bet there's plenty of post office capacity. I'll bet 80% of people know how they're voting right now, there's no need to wait until the last minute. But that doesn't feed the 24/7 news cycle, does it?

[Nicholas Lawrence]

You guys need to stop with the facts. There is a narrative to be pushed here.

[Jim Koepke]

Let us look at this in a logical way.

Things were going fairly well.

Changes were made.

Things started slowing down and causing delays.

Would the logical conclusion be the changes made the difference or had no effect on service?

jtk

[Kev Williams]

The post office, reasonably effortlessly, handles around 600,000,000-- six hundred million- pieces of mail in the 6 working days before Xmas. So, even 100,000,000 extra ballots in the off-season comes out to just another busy day for the USPS. Not sure about the DJPS however...

[Brian Elfert]

Let us look at this in a logical way.

Things were going fairly well.


I would think the cutting of overtime and leaving mail until the next day instead of staying to finish it has one of the bigger impacts.

I must be charmed because my packages and letters still seem to be arriving in a fairly timely manner. I got a Priority Mail package yesterday that arrived in the prescribed two days. I have a First Class package shipped yesterday that is supposed to arrive on Friday. I bet it will arrive by Thursday.

[eugene thomas]

the slowdown is probally because all of the increase in package mail. where i live out of town the postsl carier is at my house hour or so later in day than say 6 months ago. even have person that only does packages. but if want to feed the usps conspiracy have at it.

[Jim Koepke]

Not sure about the DJPS however...

Not even sure what the DJPS is.

One Google hit says it is Toronto's best Persian DJ.

jtk

[Kev Williams]

Sorry, I was being politically facetious : DeJoyPostalService

[Curt Harms]

You guys need to stop with the facts. There is a narrative to be pushed here.

Sshhh, you can't say that!

[Brian Elfert]

I bought three things online this week that shipped by USPS and they all seem to be coming quickly. One item shipped Monday and was at my house Thursday a day ahead of the original estimate. Another item shipped Wednesday and is out for delivery today also a day ahead of the original estimate. Another item shipped Thursday and is supposed to arrive Monday per the USPS website. That one won't arrive early.

I only ordered these items online because I couldn't find the items locally at retail. There are probably wholesale type places locally who have the items, but they don't sell to the public.

[lowell holmes]

I went to the post office yesterday to mail letters they had not picked up for two days and the whole fleet of trucks was sitting in the parking lot, empty, and no drivers.
I will complain to the post master.

[Bert Kemp]

I asked my PO why the delays they just said their 7 to 15 days behind at the Phoenix Hub, no real explanation

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Some things go like crazy, some take forever, Three possibly 4 times in the past two years, I had items take over two months to get to locations less than 500 miles away. If a person in Baltimore mails a letter to me, I often have it the next day, but not so the other way, more like 4 days. Only 50 miles. I once got a letter the same day it was postmarked 200 miles away. Not sure what happened there. In my business I would often send addressed stamped envelopes for clients to return signed documents. Same rubber stamp for addressee as return address. More than once got mail stamped return to sender addressee unknown. Same damn address!. A neighbor recently got no mail for over a week. She called the post office several times about her mail. At the end of the week she got 10 or 15 envelopes with yellow stickers that said "hold for verification." When I worked in DC, the DC regional sorting facility was a joke. It was reported about 1993 that several truck loads of mail had been parked in a corner of the yard for weeks. Including Court orders scheduling hearings, some of which had already passed by the time of the discovery. I actually got a hearing notice in the mail at noon for a 1:30 pm motions hearing. I called the other lawyer, who had not received the hearing notice and did not get it until the next day. There are things I would not ever trust to the USPS, in fact, I once drove 180 miles (each way) to deliver a check for $650,000 because I did not want to risk over night mail. Now I would do it by electronic transfer.

[mike stenson]

I asked my PO why the delays they just said their 7 to 15 days behind at the Phoenix Hub, no real explanation

Yep. Stuff routinely sits in Phoenix. Or, it'll go to LA and back to Phoenix. This is now a regular occurrence (either)

[Jim Koepke]

There are things I would not ever trust to the USPS, in fact, I once drove 180 miles (each way) to deliver a check for $650,000 because I did not want to risk over night mail.

My father's estate has an annual disbursement much less than $650K. My fear of it getting misdirected in the mail led me to arrange a more secure method of moving the funds.

Banking across state lines has had many detractors and short comings. It has also made moving money over long distances easier and safer.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

The reason our service declined is because of the storm that went into Louisiana. I suspect delivery will resume.

[lowell holmes]

I just went to the post office and passed a truck on the way home. Delivery has resumed. Three Cheers or the USPS.

[Brian Elfert]

The reason our service declined is because of the storm that went into Louisiana. I suspect delivery will resume.

I thought the Post Office delivers rain or shine?

[Jim Becker]

I thought the Post Office delivers rain or shine?

Hurricane.... ;) Not just a simple storm.

[lowell holmes]

They cannot deliver if their trucks are under water or blown off of the road. The postal carriers and newspaper distributors are often taken for granted.

They should not be.

[Jim Becker]

They also cannot deliver until the roads are clear and safe from things like downed power lines and trees...

[lowell holmes]

I was frustrated, but the postal carriers do a good job most days and we are spoiled by it. The next time a carrier puts mail in my box. I will smile and thank him for his service.

[Brian Elfert]

I was being sarcastic about the rain or shine thing. Over the years we have heard a lot about how the Post Office delivers no matter the weather.

[Curt Harms]

I was being sarcastic about the rain or shine thing. Over the years we have heard a lot about how the Post Office delivers no matter the weather.

I do wonder if there is less emphasis on timeliness than there used to be. 50 years ago if you needed to get urgent documents from here to there, the Post Office was the only game in town. Today the Post Office is more of a bulk mail/parcel delivery service than urgent document/small package delivery service. Anyone with an urgent envelope or small parcel probably isn't using USPS so less need for USPS 'prompt delivery at any cost'. If SWMBO gets her fliers a day late it's hardly a big deal.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

I do wonder if there is less emphasis on timeliness than there used to be.

Not that long ago I could put something in the mail today, and it would be at its destination the next county over tomorrow. There might be an occasional item that took two days, but that was rare.

Now, it is taking up to three days to go across town (i.e. going from my box to the local post office to another box served by the same post office).

And no, conspiracy theorists, this did not start with the current postmaster general. There has been a steady decline in service for several years, and then it got much worse with COVID.

[Bruce Wrenn]

In our are, growth has been exponential. Our county, one of five in metro area, averages 85 new residents per day. That equates to a mid sized town per year, complete with another zip code . The post office has to service each address six days a week. Add to it the stay at home, and online shopping, at that's a bunch of mail being added daily. Our mail used to come around 9:30 AM, but now comes around 5:00 PM. Because of mail volume, carrier has to return to PO a couple times per day to reload her vehicle. But to despite it all, she always has a smile. If I get a package that won't fit into mail box, she drives up to house and leaves it on back porch, which is covered. Last week UPS left a package leaning against a tree near road, with no bag of any kind over it. Thankfully we found it before the rain set in (3+ inches that night) Even with the threat of rain, Fed EX leave packages of front stoop. FYI, it's only 28' further to back porch, and trucks can drive right up to it

[Jim Koepke]

Someone* was complaining about postal carriers having to drive 20 miles down a dirt road to deliver mail to one customer. Does anyone know of such situations?

In most rural areas I know of, the mailboxes are along pubic roads. Drivers and people in the Post Office have told me it is at the carriers discretion as to whether or not they drive on a private driveway to deliver a package. One of the rules is the drivers are not supposed to back up except on Post Office property.

*The term 'someone' was used here purposely to omit the name of the person who said this to keep it from being about the person instead of the question.

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

Not that long ago I could put something in the mail today, and it would be at its destination the next county over tomorrow. There might be an occasional item that took two days, but that was rare.

Now, it is taking up to three days to go across town (i.e. going from my box to the local post office to another box served by the same post office).


The USPS started closing mail sorting/distribution centers a numbers years ago. The USPS also announced at the time that First Class mail would no longer be delivered overnight in most cases. It doesn't make sense to me to send First Class mail going say say 20 miles on a truck a hundred miles or more to supposedly save money.

The USPS has admitted that closing the sorting/distribution centers has only saved a small percent of the money originally projected. Who would have thought that shipping mail hundreds of miles more than necessary might increase costs?

[Brian Elfert]

Someone* was complaining about postal carriers having to drive 20 miles down a dirt road to deliver mail to one customer. Does anyone know of such situations?


A public road can be a dirt or gravel road. There are plenty of public gravel roads just in the city I live in. I go out west into some sparsely populated areas where houses are miles apart. I have no doubt there are houses twenty miles apart out there that have mail service.

[Bert Kemp]

In AZ its not uncommon to drive 20 miles down a dirt road. Crown King is 26 miles from the nearest paved road. It a very bumpy windy twisty up over the mountain road to get the mail up there.Its a town with its own zip and the mail comes up everyday. If you want a sense of what its like watch this.and this is the easy way LOL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0xlnRruyts

Someone* was complaining about postal carriers having to drive 20 miles down a dirt road to deliver mail to one customer. Does anyone know of such situations?

In most rural areas I know of, the mailboxes are along pubic roads. Drivers and people in the Post Office have told me it is at the carriers discretion as to whether or not they drive on a private driveway to deliver a package. One of the rules is the drivers are not supposed to back up except on Post Office property.

*The term 'someone' was used here purposely to omit the name of the person who said this to keep it from being about the person instead of the question.

jtk

[Bert Kemp]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQVlWgTpT2A

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks Brian & Bert for the responses.

Rural free Delivery is a legacy of the Postal Service. For some folks, it is as important today as it was 100 years ago.

jtk

[Bruce Wrenn]

When we moved to Apex forty years ago, in town residents picked up their mail at the post office. Each house was assigned a box number, which wasn't actually a box, but a mail slot in the back. Step up to the counter and request mail for box # XXX. Clerk fetched mail, and handed it to customer. Mail addressed to Joe Smuckerelly, care of general delivery, is still handled this way. BIL lives in Baton Rouge, but owns a cabin in the NC mountains. When they are in mountains, they get their mail by "general delivery." Stop at the post office a couple times a week on their way to town, and pick up mail. It's such a small PO, that PO will call them and tell they have mail. Now that's service!