Not all first-class mail will be affected by the new service standards. How is first-class mail and package delivery changing?

There are also proposed investments in equipment and infrastructure to help transport the growing volume of packages more efficiently, as well as upgrades to postal facilities.Įxperts say the new changes will lead to the biggest slowdown of mail in more than a generation. The 10-year plan also includes a multibillion-dollar contract to modernize the ancient delivery vehicle fleet, with the new trucks appearing on carrier routes in 2023. When asked for comment, a Postal Service spokesperson said the new service standards will increase delivery reliability, consistency and efficiency for customers. Ground transportation is also more reliable than air in all seasons, according to the Postal Service. One way the USPS plans to reduce costs is by using fewer airplanes to ship mail and instead use more trucks, which can move a higher volume of mail for less money. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated its sluggish service and cash crisis, as staffing shortages collided with both the surge of online buying for essentials and the influx of 2020 election ballots, which pushed DeJoy into the national spotlight. The Postal Service has said it's struggling to meet high performance standards, and it's been financially underwater for a while now. Think you know how packages get to you? The invisible life of truckers might surprise youĪbout the Postal Service's new cost-cutting plan.

Below, we'll explain what these price hikes and delays mean, what to do if you're facing a holdup with a package, and what options you have to send mail. Costlier or erratic mail delivery could lead to delays in wedding invitations, birthday cards, unemployment checks, mail-in ballots or child tax credit payments. We'll explain how the Postal Service's changes affect you. The rising demand of e-commerce also means that the agency is struggling to match the quick delivery of packages from competitors like UPS, FedEx and even Amazon itself, which has its own delivery network. On top of that, there's been a massive decline in the volume of first-class mail like letters, cards and bills as Americans rely more and more on electronic payments and communication. And every hour, an average of 17.7 million mail pieces are processed and delivered by the Postal Service, a portion of which are packages from online retailers like Amazon. Besides lengthening mail timetables and raising rates, DeJoy's plan, which has generated controversy, also reduces post office hours.ĭuring the first quarter of 2021, around 20% of first-class mail was delivered late. The current changes are part of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year Delivering for America plan to overhaul the agency and try to tackle its massive debt. There was a price increase in August and the Postal Service just temporarily increased the cost to ship a parcel during the holiday season. That means that letters, parcels and magazine subscriptions traveling longer distances could take up to five days to arrive, instead of two or three days.

1, lengthen the delivery time for about 30% of its volume. The new service standards for first-class mail and packages, which started Oct. If you already feel like your mail is taking longer to deliver, you may be in for a bumpy ride with the new delivery changes.

Usps parcel post