Postal network redesign moves ahead

The U.S. Postal Service is continuing a logistics network overhaul meant to speed package flows and reduce transportation costs, even as Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner warns that the agency's financial model is under strain.

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Steiner said USPS needs congressional action on what he called a broken business model. He warned that the agency could run out of cash by the end of the fiscal year without structural change.

Regional hubs replace older handoffs

The operating plan centers on regional processing and distribution centers, or RPDCs, supported by high-speed routes and related facilities. USPS says the model is designed to replace a more decentralized network that required too many handoffs between processing sites.

USPS has invested nearly $20 billion in redesigned facilities and processing. The agency says newer centers can handle standardized processing, transportation and cross-docking work, while raising package processing capacity to 88 million packages in 2025 from 60 million five years earlier.

Delivery-side consolidation continues

The Postal Service is also consolidating portions of its 19,000 local delivery units into larger sorting and delivery centers in key markets. It has opened 158 SDCs with package sorting equipment, electric-vehicle charging infrastructure and updated transportation links to processing facilities.

For private fleets and parcel operators, the USPS shift is worth watching because it mirrors the same pressure many networks face: fewer idle miles, more hub discipline and more automation around packages that no longer move like traditional mail.

Logistics

USPS Rebuilds Logistics Network as Cash Pressure Mounts

Fleet Desk Weekly