A significant number of independent contractors who deliver and collect mail for the U.S. Postal Service lack security clearances, engage in unsafe driving practices or don’t possess required English skills, threatening mail integrity, public safety, finances and the brand’s reputation, according to an audit by the organization’s inspector general.
The Postal Service contracts with individuals or companies, who supply their own vehicles, to provide mail service for homes and businesses, primarily in rural and underserved areas. In fiscal year 2025, the Postal Service had more than 8,273 active delivery service contracts, which cost about $593 million. The outsourcing program was established as a cost-effective way to extend the Postal Service’s reach without sunk costs for vehicles and personnel.
Why It Matters: The Office of Inspector General said in a report this week that local and headquarters management of the contractor program needs to be improved, noting that inconsistent security screening and badging created risks for unauthorized access to Postal Service facilities, while poor processes for motor vehicle accident reporting and insufficient evaluation of English proficiency compromised safety and mail security. Sloppy management also resulted in unnecessary spending because some local administrators made extra trip payments totaling $1.9 million using the incorrect rate, primarily due to inadequate training and inconsistent guidance.
That’s what you get when you sub contract out these
jobs. USPS wants to pay as little as possible so
you get what you pay for???
I’ve never seen a place play dumb so much as USPS.
They know what’s going on.
Don’t give 2 poops!!!!
A million here and a million there and pretty soon it adds up to real money. Steiner, of course, knows nothing about this as he cashes his bonus check. Someone needs to let Hawley, Gill and the other congressmen question Steiner for about three hours and put it on television in prime time. The ratings will surely be high and the American people will be shocked at the incompetence and waste. Saturday Nigjt Live will have a field day.
Sadly no one cares about USPS.
They know we are obsolete.
We do something that doesn’t need to be
done. And, yet we keep adding layers
of management to jobs that should
be done by AI???