How is United States Postal Service mail delievered over long distances? I've never seen a USPS plane (credit card, live)
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Like I said I've never seen a USPS plane before. I see FedEx, UPS, and DHL planes all of the time but the only transport vehicle I've seen with USPS are tractor trailors.
For the most part they contract planes to fly the mail. Smaller planes from outlying areas into larger distribution centers then large commercial planes from one regional area to others. I knew a pilot up in Northern Maine that flew to a lot of the small airports and picked up the mail, then delivered it to either the Bangor or Portland airport. From there it was sorted further and loaded on larger planes to other areas.
GREAT QUESTION! I've often wondered the same thing. When I'm a commercial flight, is any US Mail being carried in the cargo area? I would think that there would be some. If not, whose planes are carrying it?
The answer is YES, and it has been that way since the 1920's. However, some USPS mail is contracted out to other carriers. The USPS is in somewhat of a crisis mode right now with major cutbacks coming. Mail delivery is going to slow down significantly in the next three years. Ironic, since most of the USPS service history has been based on faster delivery. Who would have thunk?
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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USPS doesn't own any planes. They contract out to commercial passenger airlines but also to their competition, fedex and ups and some others.
If you're wondering who's idea that was, fedex and ups spend millions every year lobbying for rules that have lead to the ailing, decrepit state you see the USPS in today.
When I follow the tracking on shipments, I often find that UPS and FedEx simply mail their packages. The tracking history will show that UPS picked up the package from the shipper and drove it to the nearest post office, where they simply mailed it via USPS to a UPS office near my house. The post office delivered it to the UPS office, who then threw it in a truck and brought it to my house.
Most mail still goes by surface, unless the distance is long enough to warrant a commercial flight between major airports, like my credit card bill from Delaware to Texas. I once worked in an office in Hiawatha, Kansas, that subscribed to the daily newspaper from Falls City, Nebraska, which was about 20 miles away. The paper was mailed from Falls City, and went by truck to a sorting station in Linclon NE. It was then transported in a bulk load from there to Topeka KS, where it was sorted again, and brought by truck to Hiawatha for delivery to my office. There is no airport in Tokeka, nor in Lincoln, so apparently the newspaper was driven in an overnight truck from Lincoln to Topeka, passing near both Falls City and Hiawatha on the way. A total distance of 320 miles, to wind up 20 miles from where it started, and sorted four times.
There is an even faster service that you don't know about. Bank checks. If I mail you a check for merchandise, and you cash the check and ship the article the same hour, the check will be in my bank and funds debited before I receive my product, because banks have an even faster system of clearing their checks. I don't know how they do it, but its faster than the mail.
GREAT QUESTION! I've often wondered the same thing. When I'm a commercial flight, is any US Mail being carried in the cargo area? I would think that there would be some. If not, whose planes are carrying it?
Yes, US mail is often flown alongside passenger baggage and other cargo on commercial flights. Sometimes, carrying mail is a larger revenue generator than carrying people.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
When I follow the tracking on shipments, I often find that UPS and FedEx simply mail their packages. The tracking history will show that UPS picked up the package from the shipper and drove it to the nearest post office, where they simply mailed it via USPS to a UPS office near my house. The post office delivered it to the UPS office, who then threw it in a truck and brought it to my house.
This refers to to certain services that the private shippers offer.
There's also Fedex SmartPost. The way that works is special fedex truck will pick up large quantities of usually small or lightweight shipments from a shipper and take them to a special facility just for processing the smart post shipments. The final mile delivery is made by the USPS.
These services take advantage of the postal service, who operates at huge losses. Rather than telling the private shippers to use their own infrastructure, USPS welcomes this with open arms.
When I follow the tracking on shipments, I often find that UPS and FedEx simply mail their packages. The tracking history will show that UPS picked up the package from the shipper and drove it to the nearest post office, where they simply mailed it via USPS to a UPS office near my house. The post office delivered it to the UPS office, who then threw it in a truck and brought it to my house.
I have never seen this! I've worked in logistics and not that I don't believe you, but I can't say that I have ever seen UPS or Fed Ex passing packages to USPS. UPS has various hubs that receive and sort the packages and you normally see the scans taking place there. For example, when I order shoes from Zappos, they start out at Sparks, NV and are trucked to either Chicago or Dallas (Mesquite) where they are scanned and put on a truck to Austin.
I do know for a fact that the USPS uses commercial airlines as well as any and all freight carriers who will sell them space.
Yes, US mail is often flown alongside passenger baggage and other cargo on commercial flights. Sometimes, carrying mail is a larger revenue generator than carrying people.
That's what I thought. Carry more mail. Give us more discounted seats.
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