The United States Postal Service is gearing up for the 2022 holiday delivery season. Holiday season preparedness reflects strategic investments and operational precision improvements made as part of Delivering for America, USPS’ 10-year plan.

How is the USPS prepared for the holiday rush?

The 655,000-employee postal service workforce includes 100,000 workers converted to full-time since January 2021, and more than 41,000 part-time workers have been converted to full-time since January 2022, said USPS spokesman, Xavier Hernandez.

With a surge in package and letter volume always around the holidays, Hernandez said the USPS has a plan in place to deliver effectively and on time to America.

That includes tech investments of about $40 billion that the USPS rolled out around the country ensuring they can process for all customers and make sure all holiday wishes come true.

“Now we can process almost 60 million packages a day,” Hernandez said. That is compared to 53 million this holiday season in 2021.

The USPS is looking forward to hiring 28,000 seasonal employees as well as an additional 1,000 truck drivers, along with letter carriers, and processing team members, Hernandez said.

The Postal Service’s 222,682 fleet vehicles are ready to deliver for the holidays, too. To handle package volume, 1,900 additional trailers have been leased for the peak season.

Also, in the past 12 months, more than 6,000 computer tablets have been deployed on workroom floors to better equip processing and delivery supervisors with tracking and moving mail and packages swiftly.

Michael McDonald
AP
loading...

What is new in New Jersey?

In New Jersey, the USPS has been recruiting all summer for pre-career jobs starting at around $19 depending on the job.

“We’ve been looking to add about 400 new employees each month. That effort will continue through the holidays,” he said.

New Jersey is also home to two of the latest and greatest new processing machines that will help process up to 60 million packages a day, he added.

“We look forward to delivering for all of our New Jersey customers,” Hernandez said.
The USPS is hosting job fairs during one-day events at postal locations across New Jersey.

The Post Office is recruiting for mail delivery positions called Rural Carrier Assistants (they deliver to mailboxes along rural routes) or City Carrier Assistants (who drive around in big postal trucks delivering packages or walking around delivering letters). Both jobs start at $18.92 an hour with health and leave benefits.

From 11 am. To 2 p.m., postal staff will be available to provide support.

Tues. 9/20, 4000 Irwin Road, Mount Laurel
Tues. 9/20, 95 Marlborough Ave., Middlesex
Wed. 9/21, 413 Washington Ave., Newark-Belleville
Wed. 9/21, 1539 Almond Rd., Vineland
Thurs. 9/22, 194 Ward St., Paterson
Thurs. 9/22, 213 Carnegie Center, Princeton
Fri. 9/23, 21 Kilmer Rd., Edison
Fri. 9/23, 501 Benigno Blvd., Bellmawr
Tues. 9/27, 350 N. Main St., Wharton
Tues. 9/27, 200 Walt Whitman Ave., Moorestown
Wed. 9/28, 2 Main St., Sparta
Wed. 9/28, 680 US Hwy 130, Hamilton
Thurs. 9/29, 160 Chambers Bridge Rd., Brick
Thurs. 9/29, 150 Ridgedale Ave., Morristown
Fri. 9/30, 1175 Marlkress Rd., Cherry Hill
Fri. 9/30, 123 E. Milton Ave., Rahway

Candidates can apply in person or by visiting www.usps.com/careers.

As the Postal Service prepares for the holiday peak season, service performance across all mail categories is strong and steady, Hernandez said. On average, it takes 2.4 days for letters or packages to be delivered across the postal network.

“A lot of times if we can’t deliver a package to you, you can reschedule a delivery on our website. You can also schedule delivery of stamps or packaging directly to your house. So, if you have plans to ship out a few things and you need boxes, let those letter carriers come drop off those supplies you need,” Hernandez said.

Customers can also schedule a pickup location so they don’t even have to go to the post office. As long as they can print up the right labels, the letter carrier will pick up the package for them.

Hernandez said these are just some of the many ways the USPS is prepared and ready for the upcoming 2022 holiday season rush.

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at jennifer.ursillo@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

What would happen to NJ if we were attacked by nuclear weapons?

We used NUKEMAP by Alex Wellerstein to see what would happen if a nuclear warhead hit New York, Philadelphia, Washington or New Jersey.

The models show what would happen in aerial detonation, meaning the bomb would be set off in the sky, causing considerable damage to structures and people below; or what would happen in a ground detonation, which would have the alarming result of nuclear fallout. The models do not take into account the number of casualties that would result from fallout.

 

More From 105.7 The Hawk