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The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in the Philadelphia region is running pretty smoothly compared to last year. USPS employees are back to work, and the agency hires more people to ensure the smooth delivery of service. With upgraded machinery and the upcoming holiday, they expect more changes. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said their ten-year plan is to curtail agency losses, boost earnings, and process and deliver more packages.
PHLPost Challenges
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, letter and parcel sending became outdated by the turn of the millennium, where real-time communication is accessible using messenger and email services using a smartphone. Philippine Post Office (PHLPost) cannot deny that it has struggled with the advent of the internet and email. It is difficult for PHLPost to entice people to use the service because courier services use more sophisticated tracking and delivery methods. PHLPost is behind in terms of technology. The government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) spends more than it collects.
PHLPost’s reputation of rampant theft of package content sent through the Post Office affected its public image. Post office employees are the main suspects because of their low salaries. Due to lack of overtime, employees only work and deliver mail and packages Mondays through Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
PHLPost Manual Processing
The Philippine Post Office is still sorting the mails manually because of limited national government funds that mean a slower delivery method. As a result, people opt for private couriers to deliver their parcels and letters within 24 hours. But, PHLPost’s face is slowly embracing the fast-evolving technology. It is now under a three-year re-fleeting program to replace run-down equipment with more updated ones.
In 2010, the international express delivery service of 157,804, compared to the figure increased to 681,489 deliveries in 2011. As a result, the program regained the public’s confidence and respect. Lately, PHLPost bought 20 motorcycles, 12 six-wheeler canter trucks, and four 10-wheeler trucks to make its delivery services faster.
Changes to the USPS
There is optimism this year that mails are sorted and delivered efficiently. First to receive the new 221-foot-long sorting machine that sorts 50,000 packages per day is Lindbergh Boulevard’s Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center. In the past, free people hand-sorted the packages, but now the labor-intensive process is dramatically expedited.
The new machine sorts packages 12 times faster than the manual method. Some 112 of these machines will be available around the country by the end of October. New package-sorting machinery is in Northeast Philly and the Lehigh Valley processing center.
During the 2020 holiday season, the Postal Service delivered 1.1 billion packages, and the volume will grow this year. As a result, the USPS hired 500 seasonal employees in the Philadelphia area and 40,000 nationwide to prepare for another busy year.
New service standards were implemented on Oct 1, 2021, to slow down the delivery of first-class long-distance mail. The three-day delivery window will remain for 70 percent of first-class mail, and 30 percent traveling long distances could take five days.
USPS will cut down the amount of mail flown by airplane and rely more on driving, which is more reliable and will save the agency money. The agency believes that adjusting its standards will make its service more reliable and the Postal Service more financially stable.
Written by Janet Grace Ortigas
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Postal Service changes heading into holiday season include faster sorting, more employees, and higher postage rates; by Ellie Rushing
Business Insider: Yes, your mail is getting slower, America. The postmaster general’s changes at the US Postal Service are causing longer delivery times; by Connor Perrett
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Reading Tom’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Aranami’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License