How does a post office get mail to it's final destination so fast? What's the system?

Question

You put it in the mailbox. Ok, got that. Then the postman takes it to the post office. Got that too. But How do they sort it all out? Is there a computer that does it all? I try to picture myself being a letter! What would I see? Is thre a web that explains all this?

Answer 1

The mail is sorted by vast catagories (letters, flats, parcels) then sent to a Mail Processing Center where it is all cataloged and sorted by location.

It is bagged and rushed to the airport, where regular airplanes for the mail (and Fed Ex jets for the express mail) send it out to get resorted.

if it wasn;t for the flat sorting and letter sorting machines, the USPS would run much slower

Answer 2

Its rather like the wheel and spoke distribution methods used by many companies. Then of course there are several machines that are used to aid the human Postal employees. One of the machines sorts letters at a rate of 7,000 per minute! This year the USPS will start testing out a new flat (magazine) sorting machine that will put things in order after it sorts them by area, town, and street. If you're really intrested about the USPS feel free to join our Yahoo group.

Answer 3

once you fill out your replace of address card, it is going to the CFS (pc Forwarding equipment) of the Postal provider, damaged up into zones. for Northern california, it really is in Sacramento. the counsel is placed into the equipment and the equipment (it is automatic) is now on the alert. once you mail is going for processing by using the MSC (Mail Sorting middle) for your diistrict, at the same time as the gadget sees the former address, it kicks it out with all the different mail and places it particularly trays to be despatched to the CFS, the position the yellow forwarding decal is placed on it. Inserted back into the mail flow, the decal 9with the forwarding address) is study by using the gadget and now despatched to the recent address. Now, the equipment isn't ideal and issues get it incorrect, because of this the mail provider at your previous address is given a label to placed on forwarding playing cards, to remind them that Joe Smith at 123 significant street has put in a ahead. at the same time as they see this mail, they do a guide prior to it to CFS, so it ought to get into the equipment. universal regulations: very good mail is forwarded for a 365 days. 2d class Mail (magazines and newspapers) is forwarded for 60 days, with it eventualluy going back to the mailer for them to really precise ideal the address. third class mail (the notorious unsolicited mail) is killed on the workplace and discarded (third class is dealt with otherwise and could no longer fairly mail in into the mailstream as very good does). Fourth class (e book golf equipment, files golf equipment, parcels, media mail, and so on) is forwarded for a 365 days, yet you ought to p.c.. up the postage as a remailing. Now, no longer ALL of you mail receives to you. Any letter bearing the fact address CORRECTION requested is going to get the forwarding decal placed onto it and get lower back to the sender to really precise ideal the address from previous to new. They pay for that provider. it really is continually stated to suggested those intense mailings (like charges and tax refunds) of your new address so it ought to pass the equipment thoroughly. also, in case you do too many strikes in a 365 days, it ought to fairly cut back to rubble the equipment to the point the position the equipment gained't settle for any new forwards

Answer 4

captive elves that Santa sells into slavery.