USPS

[Texas Maverick]

Can someone explain to me why USPS can't deliver something efficiently. Here is my package coming from Salt Lake via Dallas via Austin via Houston when we are a suburb of Austin? Have no idea why it went down to Houston instead of not going to Round Rock out of Austin.

 

Preparing for Delivery

 

Moving Through Network

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

NORTH HOUSTON TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 5, 2025, 5:32 pm

 

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

SOUTH HOUSTON PROCESSING CENTER 

October 4, 2025, 3:25 pm

Departed USPS Regional Facility

AUSTIN TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 4, 2025, 11:20 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

AUSTIN TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 4, 2025, 9:07 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 4, 2025, 6:23 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

DALLAS TX LOGISTICS CENTER 

October 4, 2025, 4:04 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

DALLAS TX LOGISTICS CENTER 

October 3, 2025, 10:24 pm

In Transit to Next Facility

October 3, 2025, 1:24 pm

In Transit to Next Facility

October 3, 2025, 5:09 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

SALT LAKE CITY UT DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 2, 2025, 9:42 pm

Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility

SALT LAKE CITY UT DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 2, 2025, 7:20 pm

Accepted at USPS Origin Facility

SANDY, UT 84070 

October 2, 2025, 6:05 pm

 

TM

[Eyesa Horg]

I had one a few weeks ago, Indiana to New York to Massachusetts, then hey why not, let's take a little hop down to Atlanta Georgia. Next day back up to Mass, to NH, delivered to me in Vermont! Still got here in 2 days!! Where goes in Massachusetts is only a couple hours away.

In summary, there's no explanation for USPS!

[John Kloehr]

I have seen packages "loop" in the system, go in my direction, get close, go somewhere else, then come back to a prior facility and take a new path towards me. I interpret this as an oops. At least it did not get lost.

 

As to the path your package is going, efficiency is a strange thing... Sometimes you can't get there from here, you have to go somewhere else first. The package went to somewhere to get included with other packages which do go to where you are.

 

I have not dug into what is a distribution center, or a logistics center, and how many are regional facilities. Do understand each sends truckloads to the next destination which sorts to the next level. Some sort of hub and spoke network. The hub for you might be far from another hub near you.

Edited October 6, 2025 by John Kloehr
Otto

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Had that happen to me earlier this year. The first time it made it my local post office on time, next stop should’ve been my house. Then it was sent back to the main distribution center in Kansas City, KS, and from there to another distribution center in Kansas City, MO. It went back and forth between the distribution centers three times before arrival at my house. 

[John Kloehr]

25 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Had that happen to me earlier this year. The first time it made it my local post office on time, next stop should’ve been my house. Then it was sent back to the main distribution center in Kansas City, KS, and from there to another distribution center in Kansas City, MO. It went back and forth between the distribution centers three times before arrival at my house. 

I think sometimes when there are "too many" packages, the trailer is not completely unloaded. So off it goes and gets routed back later. The packages at the front of the trailer get extra miles.

There are a few other tricks I have come across in how this gets recorded in stats. In part, these tricks are gaming the system, but at the same time I recognize if a destination gets flooded, there just is no room for more.

[Chantry]

I worked for a company that later got bought out by FedEx and it is very much a hub and spoke based system.  We were about 20 minutes north of Hartford and trucks from elsewhere in the system arrived at the hub and we would unload, sort and load trucks.  Some of the trucks went back south to New Haven and Bridgeport or west to Danbury.  We also sent trucks to locations in MA, NH and RI.  The NH location was probably another hub for NH, VT and ME

 

Aside from the packages that accidentally get missed directed and I'm surprised there aren't more, the packages go to their end destination as efficiently & as cost effective as possible, even if it doesn't seem that way.

Edited October 6, 2025 by Chantry

[T.K.]

Blame it on DEI

[Texas Maverick]

It says it is to be delivered today but my mail has already been delivered and it wasn't in my box. Tracking says it is now in Austin waiting to go to Round Rock hub.

AND THEY WONDER WHY THEY ARE IN THE RED AND LOSING BUSINESS EVERYDAY.

 

TM

[Doc Shapiro]

I had one coming from NH go to Puerto Rico recently.  Right now, waiting for one coming from the Los Angeles area that was routed to Indianapolis.  Both destined for Idaho, not far from Boise.  Then need to get the routing working.

[Texas Maverick]

Mine now says delivery for tomorrow. Will have to wait and see.

 

TM

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

59 minutes ago, Texas Maverick said:

Mine now says delivery for tomorrow. Will have to wait and see.

 

TM

When it’s in your hands, you’ll know it’s arrived. 🙄

[Texas Maverick]

3 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

When it’s in your hands, you’ll know it’s arrived. 🙄

Yeah, but I will be gone for the rest of the week so won't see it until next week. LOL

 

TM

[Doc Shapiro]

2 hours ago, Texas Maverick said:

Mine now says delivery for tomorrow. Will have to wait and see.

 

TM

Mine still says delivery tomorrow.  Even if it makes it, I can't get it until Wed.  Everything goes to a PO Box as they don't deliver to our house.  Too rural.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

I’ve seen that “delivery tomorrow” thing. It don’t mean a thing…

 

Seriously, I’ve gotten that message 5-6 days in a row. 
 

I used to be able to send or receive a first class letter within a 500 mile radius which would take 3 days on average.  Now it takes over a week. To be fair, that’s city to city as opposed to rural areas.

 

Not trying to complain really, it is what it is and I can’t do a thing about it. You’d think that all the automation would speed things up, not take longer. 
 

Edited October 6, 2025 by Abilene Slim SASS 81783

[Blackwater 53393]

Two of my most recent purchases arrived by USPS two days early!!

 

One I ordered last winter took three and a half weeks to be delivered 1,500 miles from the original Post Office. We followed it the whole time and it traveled well over 10,000 miles!! That included a second stop at the original postal hub and two stops in Atlanta, all after it had arrived at my local hub in Nashville in just two days!!!

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

Pony Express is all over the place.

I sent Widder my Carrier a week ago ( USPS ) Pony Express and it still has not made it to him as of today ! 

[John Kloehr]

32 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

... You’d think that all the automation would speed things up, not take longer. 

Automation reduces people time, but not necessarily processing time. One benefit I just learned is book-rate gets full tracking through the system.

 

Way back, carriers would also pick up mail from the blue boxes along with the outgoing mail from anyone's box, then would presort it at the end of shift (or someone sort it overnight) to pull anything that was for local delivery out of the same office.

 

Now any mail collected on a route goes to a processing center which adds time for local mail to go and return.

 

More info about USPS and the hiring practices:

 

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Nobody ever complains about bazillions of times they get it right.

[John Kloehr]

16 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Nobody ever complains about bazillions of times they get it right.

No fun in that. I'm expecting property tax bills this week.

[Matthew Duncan]

On 10/5/2025 at 6:34 PM, Texas Maverick said:

Can someone explain to me why USPS can't deliver something efficiently.

Efficiently is an oxymoron to USPS (government).

[Still hand Bill]

Have seen this on packages I have shipped.  It was going about an hour east, instead it went south, then 4 hrs north, then back south, then 6 hrs east, then delivered.  I asked our local postmaster why service was so bad and she said they are trying to cut the number of trips that they make.  Ie used to bring mail in the morning and pick up at night.  Now they only bring and pick up in the am with the same truck.  So I think the back and forth is packages that don’t get unloaded.  They just stay on the truck, hence the multiple trips.  The single trip per day also slows down service.  

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

There is a "short" answer:

 

BECAUSE

[Cypress Sun]

13 hours ago, Matthew Duncan said:

Efficiently is an oxymoron to USPS (government).

 

Yet DeJoy, somehow, still has a job.

 

Hmm, wonder why that is?

[Eyesa Horg]

The stuff I was supposed to get yesterday is coming today, and vice versa for today's delivery .

Got my Ropers though in time for this weekends match!!

[Texas Maverick]

On 10/7/2025 at 10:41 AM, Eyesa Horg said:

The stuff I was supposed to get yesterday is coming today, and vice versa for today's delivery .

Got my Ropers though in time for this weekends match!!

Do you like them? I always hate recommending something just cuz I like it. 

 

TM

[Eyesa Horg]

2 hours ago, Texas Maverick said:

Do you like them? I always hate recommending something just cuz I like it. 

 

TM

So far so good! They fit as expected and haven't noticed any defects contrary to the negative reviews on Amazon. I'm real picky in footwear including socks! Even a small wrinkle or too tight a sock will drive me crazy and make my leg ache 

So out of the box these boots fit and no pressure points! Slightly loose in the ankle, but I didn't tie them real tight. They came with extra insoles to adjust fit as well. For $60, I'm quite pleased. Just hope they're SASS legal! Can't find it in the book and haven't seen a response from PWB yet, so I'll see I guess. They look like they should be!

Edited October 8, 2025 by Eyesa Horg
Noticed typos, imagine that!

[Texas Maverick]

49 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

So far so good! They fit as expected and haven't noticed any defects contrary to the negative reviews on Amazon. I'm real picky in footwear including socks! Even a small wrinkle or too tight will drive me crazy and make my leg.

So out of the box these boots fit and no pressure points! Slightly loose in the heal, but I didn't tie them real tight. They came with extra insoles to adjust fit as well. For $60, I'm quite pleased. Just hope they're SASS legal! Can't find it in the book and haven't seen a response from PWB yet, so I'll see I guess. They look like they should be!

I would question anyone that says they aren't SASS legal since I have worn them to EOT and Land Run without any issues. I shoot age category and these boots meet that requirement.

 

TM

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

 .... maybe they is clocking up frequent flyer points .......  🤔