City Delivery Route Consolidation

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Mail volume plummeted 4.5 percent — or 9.5 billion pieces — in fiscal year (FY) 2008. Reduced mail volume allows the Postal Service to combine delivery routes to maximize efficiency and reduce workhours, overtime, and other expenses. The Postal Service is seizing this opportunity by consolidating more than 87,000 city delivery routes — which could affect as many as 50 million addresses nationwide. Consolidating routes means some customers will receive their mail at a different time — earlier or later in the day. It also means the customer could have a different letter carrier who will have to become familiar with a new delivery route.

bar chart showing mail volume in millions FY 2005: 211,743; FY 2006: 213,138; FY 2007: 212,234; FY 2008: 202,703


Will city delivery route consolidation benefit the Postal Service?

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There were more than 211,000 city carriers delivering mail to 87 million residential and business city delivery points at the end of FY 2008. On average, each carrier’s route has 500 to 700 delivery points. A carrier’s day involves two types of work: sorting mail in the office and delivering mail on the street. In the past, carriers typically spent several hours each day at the post office sorting mail for their route into delivery order. Now, machines sort most letter mail into delivery order automatically, and fewer pieces of mail means it takes less time for carriers to sort mail at the post office. This leaves carriers more time “on the street” allowing them to reach more delivery points.

On the street, the length of time a carrier takes to deliver mail on a route depends on factors such as the number of delivery points and the distance between them as well as mail volume. For instance, a carrier can deliver 10 letters to an address almost as quickly as 1 letter. More than 400,000 new city delivery points were added in FY 2008. When adjusting routes, the Postal Service must consider both mail volume and delivery points — including new delivery points — to build a route with 8 hours of work.

bar chart showing city delivery points FY 2005: 85,804,626; FY 2006: 86,292,173; FY 2007: 86,882,476; FY 2008: 87,285,380

The Postal Service also relies on carriers to help ensure addresses on their routes are accurate by reporting vacant and abandoned buildings. If a carrier has 30 delivery points on her route and a 20-delivery-point apartment complex is torn down, it will reduce the route to 10 delivery points. Approximately 20 delivery points could be added to the carrier’s route.

Do you think consolidating city delivery routes will have a positive effect on the Postal Service’s bottom line? Why or why not? Will it be difficult for carriers — particularly those who walk their routes — to spend more time on the street?

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Permalink | Comments (36) | Mar 23, 2009

 

 

36 Responses to “City Delivery Route Consolidation”

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  1. 36
    -=cisco=- Says:
    September 25th, 2009 at 1:52 am

    On my route, it takes me 5 minutes to deliver to a 20 unit apartment complex.
    If I loose that complex, and it is replaced with 20 delivery points (Park & Loop), my route will have been made 15 minutes longer than it was before the loss of the apartment complex.

  2. 35
    -=cisco=- Says:
    September 25th, 2009 at 1:44 am

    They must have been in a Park & Loop state of mind. It takes me one minute to walk from one delivery point to the next. How many pieces of mail can you finger in one minute?

  3. 34
    -=cisco=- Says:
    September 25th, 2009 at 1:40 am

    My route was recognised as being 8 hours and didn’t need an adjustment.

    However…

    The carrier servicing the route adjacent to mine is out of shape and cannot handle Park & Loop. during the adjustment process, 80 of my deliveries consisting of apartments were removed from my route. In exchange I was added 80 deliveries of Park & Loop.

    The 80 delivery points I lost used to take me 20 minutes to deliver.
    The 80 delivery points added to my route take me 90 minutes to deliver!

  4. 33
    Anonymous Says:
    September 25th, 2009 at 1:25 am

    Delivering to 20 delivery points (park & loop) takes me 20 minutes. Delivering to a 20 unit apartment only takes me 5 minutes on my route.

    Sooo.

    If I loose my 5 minute apartment building, I will be added 20 minutes onto my route? That will make my route 15 minutes longer than before.

  5. 32
    Anonymous Says:
    September 25th, 2009 at 1:15 am

    Probably was in a Park & Loop state of mind. It takes me One Minute to walk from one Delivery Point to the next. I finger as I walk, How many pieces of mail can you finger in One Minute?

  6. 31
    Bob Says:
    July 29th, 2009 at 12:40 am

    I work ten years on all walking routes, finally bid up to a mixed walking/boxes route which I’ve kept for five years, saving on the wear and tear on my 61 year old body. So what does our union do, remove boxes and replace them with over 2 hours of walking, all in an effort to build routes for our handicapped carriers. Talk about over-the-top unfairness!!!!!

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