US Postal Service Plans to Change Mail Delivery Times

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) may slow down delivery times to some customers as it seeks to shave billions from its annual operations expenditure.

USPS said in a statement issued on August 22 that it is holding a pre-filing conference to discuss “plans to improve mail processing and transportation” across the country. While some customers will see improved delivery times—specifically those that live within 50 miles of its largest processing facilities, others who live more rurally won’t be so lucky.

“Depending on location, time and distance, expected time to deliver will increase for some ZIP code pairs,” the release reads. Exactly how many zip codes could be affected is not reported. Newsweek has contacted the USPS for clarification via email.

According to a USPS spokesperson who spoke to CBS MoneyWatch, under the proposed changes, mail would continue to be delivered within the current service standard of two to five days. They said most mail from rural areas is currently delivered in three days or less, and this would on the whole remain unchanged.

However, they said that mail delivery from some rural areas could take an additional 12 to 24 hours, but it would still fall within the two to five day timeframe. In some instances, mail that would have previously taken three days to arrive at its destination may take four days instead.

According to the USPS fact sheet regarding the proposed changes to the postal network, it would have no impact on 75 percent of first-class mail.

No plans will be executed until following the November election and peak season, which is Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve.

The changes, if implemented, would shave around $3 billion from the service’s operational costs.

“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 said in a statement.

DeJoy also told The Washington Post that the moves are being earmarked to “save the Postal Service.”

“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 be neglected,” he said. “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.”

Any changes to the postal service’s standard must get the approval of USPS’s government board and must be reviewed by the Postal Regulatory Commission.