Postal Service implements nationwide changes to mail service
Postal Service Implements Nationwide Changes to Mail Service
April 29, 2025
The Postal Service recently implemented significant changes affecting service on a nationwide basis. Changes announced by the Postal Service as part of the Delivering for America plan include:
- Implementing the Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) initiative nationwide. Under RTO, mail dropped off at Post Offices and collection boxes more than 50 miles from a regional hub is collected the next day instead of the same day.
- When mail is entered on a Saturday, Sundays are no longer counted as part of the service standard for days needed to deliver mail. This change also applies to mail that is entered on a day before a federal holiday.
- Slowing service standards for some locations.
Service standards refer to the number of days a customer should expect for delivery of a mail piece. Standards vary by mail category based and the distance that mail must travel to reach its destination.
As required by law, the Commission issued an Advisory Opinion on January 31, 2025 analyzing the Postal Service changes. The Opinion highlighted negative impacts on rural communities. It also noted that pilot versions of RTO led to slower mail delivery and failed to save costs as hoped for by the Postal Service. The Commission concluded that the Postal Service's plan is unlikely to achieve its projected cost savings or improve the financial health of the Postal Service.
Find the current service standards for your location here: Service Standards | USPS
See FAQs about the Commission's Advisory Opinion here: FAQS-N2024-1.pdf
Rural Communities Will Experience Disproportionate Negative Impact
As stated in the Commission's Advisory Opinion, the Postal Service understated the negative impact its proposed changes are likely to have on mail sent in rural communities.
While the Postal Service says that service will improve for most mail, the majority of ZIP Codes are more than 50 miles from regional processing facilities. A higher percentage of rural areas are affected by mail slowdowns than non-rural areas, as shown in the chart above.
Example of a Community Affected by Regional Transportation Optimization
This chart indicates the impact that the Postal Service's changes have in a city like Tulsa, Oklahoma, which doesn't have a regional hub within 50 miles. Under RTO, customers are experiencing a service downgrade for outgoing mail.
Due to the recent changes, a Single-Piece First Class letter or postcard from Tulsa, Oklahoma to New York City now has a service standard of 5 days. Prior nationwide service changes in 2021, for which the Commission provided an Advisory Opinion as required by law, changed the standard for a single letter or postcard from Tulsa to New York City from 3 days to 4 days.
The Postal Service Substantially Reduced the "Targets" for On-Time Mail
The "targets" for on-time mail delivery are the annual goals set by the Postal Service for the amount of mail in each category expected to meet service standards (the number of days it should take for mail to arrive). Starting in FY 2025, the Postal Service reduced the targets to as low as 80 percent for several mail categories, including 3-to-5 Day First-Class Mail. The targets were above 90 percent previously.