Customers are getting ready for USPS changes that will lead to slower deliveries for certain types of mail, set to take effect in just a few hours.

THERE are just hours left until the US Postal Service brings in changes to its services that will delay certain deliveries.

A slew of new systems are being brought in by USPS with the first phase beginning on April 1.

It comes as the postal service hopes to make major savings over 10 years under the Delivering For America plan.

The service standards for different types of mail are all undergoing adjustments to save $36 billion over a decade, USPS has said.

Savings are hoped to be made from a wide variety of areas of the business from transportation and package processing to real estate costs.

All categories of mail including First-Class mail, periodicals, marketing mail, package services (such as bound printed matter, media mail, and library mail), USPS Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express will experience effects due to the changes.

The second phase of the changes will begin on July 1.

According to the postal service, 75% of first-class mail customers will not notice any delays in service and 14% will see an improvement.

The postal service conceded that while every delivery will be finalized within five days, it may result in slower delivery times for 11% of First-Class customers.

In spite of this, USPS assured that it is capable of implementing these modifications without exceeding the current service standard day ranges for First-Class Mail and USPS Ground Advantage, thus maintaining the delivery time within 5 days for standard First-Class Mail.

It added that they will also be able to “enhance service predictability and reliability” and offer a two to three day turnaround service “within regions and specific locals areas”.

USPS also said these enhancements would give increased flexibility in transportation.

“[This] may extend service expectations by one day for mail collected at certain Post Offices, while overall improving delivery speeds for mail and packages between regions.”

Under the improvements, postal workers will be able to leave hubs earlier to travel further for deliveries, making the service more reliable for those living in more rural areas.

But there will also be some delays for some customers as USPS cancels Saturdays and the day before a holiday as a transit day for mail.

This means all packages mailed on those days will take an extra day to arrive at their destination.

Zipcodes will also undergo changes with a five-digit regional add-on to enhance the service.

The postal service is desperate to claw back funds after losing $6.5 billion despite generating $79 billion in revenue in 2023.

And it is facing internal struggles as Louis DeJoy, who was Postmaster General at the USPS, resigned on Monday after almost five years at the helm.

He was reportedly worried that Donald Trump would fire him and beat him to the post after he looked to the Department of Government Efficiency for help following heavy losses.

As USPS prepares to roll out the first phase of changes, it has created a tool for customers to learn more about their expected delivery times under the changes.

The Application Programming Interface detailing the new specifications can be found here on the USPS Developer Portal.

And as of Monday, USPS customers were able to access service standards on the company’s website for mailings from one ZIP code to another on certain dates.

Here they can see all available mail classes and their expected delivery dates.

There is also an interactive map showing service standards.

The wave of changes is taking place as mail carriers are being pushed to take on more work, with a proposal to use them to conduct the US Census in addition to delivering mail.

This has raised even more fears of increased delivery problems and overstretched workers.