Modes of Delivery
Filed under Delivery
Tags: Delivery, Delivery modes
Providing mail delivery is central to the Postal Service’s mission. Delivery is the Postal Service’s largest operational function and accounted for approximately one-third of its nearly $78 billion in total expenses during 2008. Postal Service management is working hard to reduce delivery costs while continuing to deliver to 149 million[1] addresses in the most efficient manner possible. Despite declining mail volumes, the Postal Service is challenged to provide cost efficient and effective service to a delivery network growing by more than 1 million addresses each year.
The mode of delivery plays an important role in determining the cost and efficiency of delivery. The Postal Service provides three modes of delivery for existing delivery points — to the door, to a mailbox on the curb, and to a centralized point that serves several addresses. Door-to-door delivery is the most costly mode and is no longer available for new delivery points. When new developments are established, curbside and centralized deliveries are the only options. Since centralized delivery is the cheapest mode, the Postal Service favors installing centralized delivery. However, the decision on mode of delivery is sometimes left to the developer.
Loading ... Loading ... Loading ... Loading ...Curbside delivery is the most widely-used mode of delivery for residential delivery points. As of September 1, 2009, there were 49 million curbside delivery points. The second most utilized mode of residential delivery is “other” which includes door-to-door. Table 1 below shows the total number of possible residential deliveries by delivery mode.
For business delivery points, the “other” mode of delivery, which includes door-to-door, is the most utilized mode with 5 million delivery points as of September 1, 2009. Table 2 below shows the total number of possible business deliveries by delivery mode.
In response to decreasing mail volumes and revenues, the Postal Service needs to make every effort possible to decrease the cost of delivery operations. Although the Postal Service’s goal is to maximize the use of centralized delivery with the developer’s input, this is not always possible. Additionally, existing costly delivery points could be converted to more cost effective modes.
What do you think?
Is the Postal Service making every effort to promote centralized delivery in new developments and convert existing costly door-to-door and curbside deliveries?
[1] This number includes delivery to all residential, business, and Post Office box addresses.
This topic is hosted by the OIG’s Delivery directorate.
19 Responses to “Modes of Delivery”
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November 6th, 2009 at 12:22 am
I agree the postal service was of great importance years ago, but as previously stated by others, if they don’t know where your mail is, they can’t help in tracking it, and if they keep loosing your items, then why are they so important?? I have had 2 items lost, or disappear while in transit by usps in the last 2 weeks and finally went direct to the Inspector’s General’s office to file another complaint for assistance. I say, “is this the service they advertise?” It is no wonder the business has slowed down.. At least the competitors are able to get items delivered and are easily tracked and don’t disappear into thin air. The quality of service is worth a little more expense to assure delivery of items.
Quality, not quantity will help save usps. A customer’s trust is hard to regain once lost and the negative experiences are the ones people talk about!
November 5th, 2009 at 1:36 am
No centralized delivery is NOT smart.
A large part of what we are percieved to be doing is carefully handling the mail. That percieved care is what makes a business unique.
UPS tracks its packages beautifully..the notion is ..even though its done electronically..is your package is unique and special.
Hundreds of letters a year go through our office with “hand cancel” or “Do not bend” written on them. The perception is that we actually look at and handle the mail… that we care… the reality is its all automated, and most letters aren’t seen until delivery.
The intangibles are what makes things special to people.
If you continue to put up clustered boxes.. people will care less and less about mail. If its delivered to the home.. it becomes special.
Think of the places where you spend a great deal of money… do they shuffle you around in an automated fashion… or do they cater to your unique needs… take the time to speak to you… develope a rapport.
First class continues to decline.. the volume continues to decline.. if our percieved handling of the mail declines with that, we are simply expediting our own demise.
We should have cost cutting.. but put a focus on the handling of letters in commercials.. the care given to delivering a special card from a child to a grandmother. A from your house to ours to theirs approach.
I think when we changed postmarks shapes we gave a computerized look to a personal thing.. the more we automate our character.. the more people won’t care.
setting up huge boxes to deliver mail… just making things more and more impersonal.. Do you want that in the service you recieve.. you don’t you’ll shop elsewhere…and so will go the letters we handle.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
The delivery confirmation system is not meeting our customers’ needs. We keep getting mandates about having to make “arrival at unit” scans and “Stop the clock” scans all in the name of “better visibility”. This is not giving customers what they want. Customers don’t need to see that we made 4 scans once the package arrived at the office, they want to see all the steps BETWEEN point A and point B, so they know when they can reasonably expect their package.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:35 am
The reason USPS doesnot use modern technology like FEDEX to track Parcels and other services such express mail,etc. someone decided to accept low bid and USPS Exec.s do not really care about service to the public they just want to make their high three and bonsus. If the OIG/Postal Inpection Service really did their job . They would really investigate management and not bury their heads in sand .
October 28th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
The USPS is one of the most well managed systems in the US today. They deliver around 203 billion pieces of mail a year and do well to keep things in check at all times.
October 28th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I agree. We currently have two rural carriers in my office that need to work a 6th day, just to get a full week’s pay. The third rural carrier maintains her income and is an officer in the Rural Carrier’s Union. I am a city carrier whose route has been reduced to part-time with 945 delivery points. The only full-time city carrier’s route is 825 delivery points. These are the facts; therefore, I am very interested in NDCBU’s coming my way!
Thank you for this opportunity to expose what I know.
October 28th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Ever wonder why people do not like sending packages stateside or receiving them from overseas with you all. Because with all the technology of today you can not tell them where there package is. And when you call it’s like oh well nothing I can do is the answer you recieve. Sorry I would rather pay a little extra and have someone be able to track my package even when it is the back of a truck. If it was not for companies still sending bills and Junk mail, you all would have to go find a real job.
October 28th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
While centralized delivery may, in most suburban and rural areas, be a viable solution, in an urban enviroment it lacks security, convenence and degrades the service to the customer. In the city I deliver entire NDCBU’s have been stolen. Mail thieves can now rob multiple boxes in one stop with out ever approaching the homes.
October 27th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
With the volume dropping year after year, maybe the Postal Service could look into combining rural routes. Actually build them back up, so that the carriers are doing a fair days work for a fair days pay. I don’t understand why the Postal Service is paying some of these folks to work 41 hours per week and some are working as little as “who knows” maybe 27.