USPS package adventures

Is there any logic in how USPS, United States Post Office, packages travel? A while ago, for the most part, packages only went to a nearby state and back before delivery when sent within the same state. Just recently, some travel all over the United States before they get delivered.

All these tracking lists are in reverse order as copied from USPS Tracking History. I left the destination post office off. Everything I get usually goes through Nashville TN, then Chattanooga TN, then the local post office.

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Package 1, started in Atlanta Georgia. Why did it go to New York?

October 24, 2020, 12:24 pm
Departed USPS Regional Destination Facility
NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX

October 24, 2020, 7:07 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX

October 24, 2020, 3:25 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
EVANSVILLE IN DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 24, 2020, 1:28 am
Departed USPS Facility
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46242

October 23, 2020, 6:22 pm
Arrived at USPS Facility
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46242

October 23, 2020, 1:55 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 22, 2020, 5:36 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 20, 2020, 5:11 pm
Departed Shipping Partner Facility, USPS Awaiting Item
ATLANTA, GA 30304
Shipping Partner: JET E-COMMERCE LOGISTIC INC

October 18, 2020, 9:17 pm
Arrived Shipping Partner Facility, USPS Awaiting Item
ATLANTA, GA 30304
Shipping Partner: JET E-COMMERCE LOGISTIC INC

October 18, 2020, 4:45 pm
Picked Up by Shipping Partner, USPS Awaiting Item
ATLANTA, GA 30304
Shipping Partner: JET E-COMMERCE LOGISTIC INC
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Package 2 from England and started as Royal Mail. This one made it to Nashville TN, only to have to go back to New York and start over again for some reason.

October 19, 2020, 5:43 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
CHATTANOOGA TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 19, 2020, 12:45 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
CHATTANOOGA TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 18, 2020, 9:08 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX

October 18, 2020, 7:36 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX

October 18, 2020, 3:49 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
EVANSVILLE IN DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 18, 2020, 12:54 am
Departed USPS Facility
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46242

October 17, 2020, 5:45 pm
Arrived at USPS Facility
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46242

October 17, 2020, 4:00 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
KEARNY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 16, 2020, 7:13 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
KEARNY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 16, 2020
In Transit to Next Facility

October 13, 2020, 11:37 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
NEW YORK NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 13, 2020, 11:13 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
JERSEY CITY NJ NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 13, 2020, 10:40 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
JERSEY CITY NJ NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 13, 2020, 4:57 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX

October 10, 2020, 7:38 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX

October 10, 2020, 3:22 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
EVANSVILLE IN DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 10, 2020, 1:19 am
Departed USPS Facility
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46242

October 9, 2020, 5:07 pm
Arrived at USPS Facility
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46242

October 9, 2020, 1:47 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 8, 2020, 8:11 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 7, 2020, 3:39 pm
Processed Through Facility
ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)

Origin Post is Preparing Shipment

October 7, 2020, 12:12 am
Processed Through Facility
LANGLEY HWDC, UNITED KINGDOM

October 5, 2020, 10:55 am
Acceptance
UNITED KINGDOM
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I can see a package from across the country stopping at a distribution center a state or two away or even half way because it is getting closer to the destination, put the package in any transportation that is going in the right direction. Going all around the country doesn’t seem right unless the package is sight seeing on the way or something.

Have any of you had this postal experience?

Have you ever tracked a FedX or UPS shipment? Same thing happens. The real question is, did it get to you within a reasonable period of time?

a reply to: schuyler

Well, considering package 2 cound have been delivered on October 12 instead of October 20, no it did not.

Why use all that fuel moving both these packages to New York and back?

Fed Ex one time sent a part from Floridia to Virginia on a Friday that was supposed to be next day aired to me in North Georgia. I spent three hours waiting on calls and making calls to that Virginia distribution center on Saturday. The guy that finally answered after I had talked to him three times already, finally told me it is stuck there for the weekend. I hate Fed Ex.

Went to the post office yesterday was told it would take 3 weeks for international mail to get to Pennsylvania from Japan.

Strange.

a reply to: beyondknowledge

USPS was never intended to handle the volume of parcels that they do. They were more for things in an envelope.

Much of the time when it's handled by USPS it's done so with a system called smart post. The large legs of the trip are handled by UPS or FedEx linehaul, and then the last leg or delivery to door is done by USPS.

USPS has the largest vehicle fleet of any single entity on earth, and they go door to door every day. The system benefits all parties involved but can look wonky.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

I understand that the various delivery services have contracts with USPS to handle the long hauling. I don't undetstand why 2000 extra miles for one package can be called wonky. Both examples I provided traveled at least that distance unnecessairily and they both occured in just weeks. Two packages are not siginificant but if this is happening to say 10,000 packagges a year, that is a lot of fuel.

a reply to: beyondknowledge

Once you learn how the AADC and routing works with the post office, it becomes even more weird. I worked until I retired for a bulk mailing company in Ann Arbor. I've probably processed nearly 17 million pieces of mail (17 years x 1,000,0000 pieces per month).

It all has to do with package routing. Consider, your package and 3 others are going to your distribution center. Logically, loading a semi with 4 packages makes no sense. Remember, there's very lucrative freight contracts here so there ain't nobody going to lose money on mail.....well, the contractors aren't.

So the 4 packages are sent on where another few are added to the routing. After a while there are now enough packages to send to your area where they are distributed. Just your bad luck nobody in your area used an actual service that relies on "logic" to route packages.

I won't even get into Merlin and the pure hell of dealing with that system.

a reply to: billxam

I can see it working that way for long distance packages, but package 1 would be less than 150 miles travel from sending to delivery, it went 2000 miles out of the way round trip. Package 2 was within 300 miles of delivery then it went back to New York again and then returned to the same distribution center in Nashville and then proceded on the normal delivery rout.

It would be more logical to leave the package for a day or so until it was able to go on a truck in the right direction instead of sending it to a distribution center close to 1000 miles out of the way.

a reply to: beyondknowledge

Governmemt had to interdict your shipments for inspection. Next time just have your packages shipped directly to the government and then forwarded on to you. :-p

a reply to: drewlander

I have had packages examined before and package 2 did not show any signs of this. Package 1 should be delivered Monday.

I did get a Christmas card years ago that had a candy cane taped inside. One end was sticking out a hole in one side of the envalope and the other end was sticking out the hole in the other side. I wondered if the automatic sorter was hard to fix.

a reply to: beyondknowledge

I deal in a lot shipping to and from, and I've notice this happens from time to time with packages that are coming to me, never happens with packages I send out. I live about 5-10 miles from I-75 and I've tracked packages headed to me and they will literally go right past my interstate exit about 200 to 300 miles sometimes more, then head back to my location. It's odd but it does happen. However, it never effects the estimated delivery date.

a reply to: ArchangelOger

They have figured this into the delivery time already, Package 1 estimated delivery is as expected when orderred, October 26, even though it cound have been delivered on October 21 or 22. The extra 2000 miles was planned. They might be doing this to try to fool us into paying more for quicker delivery. I have found that most of the time that I have an option to deliver quicker, it costs several dollars for just one day quicker and double to tripple for 3 to 4 days faster delivery.

I wander how the ballots are getting along in the USPS system?

a reply to: beyondknowledge

Honestly it's hard to explain to where it would make sense, and sometimes it still doesn't make sense.

UPS used to have software that would bring the delivery drivers long ways but only take right turns. It would reduce wait times at redlights and even accidents, but they weren't going as the crow flies.

With the actual linehaul shipping lanes, things get harder to explain. You have to factor in which hubs have the fastest sort times and the most lanes to other terminals. Each company or entity will have different hubs just like airlines. So if you fly with Delta, there's more of a chance you go to Atlanta even if it's out of the way... Or O'hare for United. Doesn't mean you are going there, but more of a chance.