Now USPS mail package delivery will be slower

Your mail is about to slow down even more. It started with letters, and now it appears that certain items may take longer to arrive.

A first-class parcel is considered late by the US Postal Service if it is delivered more than three days after it was dispatched. However, under new rules that go into effect next month, more than 30% of first-class parcels would be considered delivered on time if they arrive in four or five days.

The new requirements are part of the postal service’s desire to rely more on its own ground transportation network instead of flying. The USPS wants to be more efficient, and it claims that lowering air costs will save money.

Here’s how the modifications will appear.

Only first-class goods, which are mostly small and lightweight parcels like prescription drug orders, will be affected by the changes that take effect on May 1. Currently, over 20% of those packages have a two-day delivery standard, and over 80% have a three-day delivery requirement.

Some packages will be delayed, especially if they are sent over vast distances. The new guidelines, however, will not affect around 64 percent of first-class mail, according to the USPS. A small percentage of people — 4% — will switch to a two-day standard instead of three.

It’s the Postal Service’s most recent policy change.

After Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was appointed to the role during former President Donald Trump’s term in office, the USPS has been the subject of fierce disputes concerning its mission and aims over the previous two years. DeJoy’s cost-cutting efforts have been chastised. Last summer, word broke that DeJoy, a major Republican supporter, was being investigated by the federal government for suspected campaign finance crimes during his time as CEO of New Breed Logistics.

The USPS claims it wants to get more out of its ground network, claiming that the average truck is barely half full. It claims that through increasing usage, it will be able to deliver a more stable service that is unaffected by changing air travel circumstances and costs.

The Postal Regulatory Commission, the service’s regulator, has repeatedly stated that DeJoy’s intentions could have a disproportionate impact on USPS customers as compared to the company’s financial line.