One day before the shipper intends to drop off mail, the shipper must notify the Anchorage P&DC or AMF or the Fairbanks post office of the availability of mail and must schedule an appointment. These offices will accept calls for appointments between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The transportation personnel will advise the shipper regarding which carrier the mailing should be delivered to and appointed time of delivery. The Postal Service will consider requests regarding morning or afternoon appointments to the extent possible, but high demand for certain times may not allow the Postal Service to accommodate all requests.
Note: Any shipment exceeding 50,000 pounds will require a 7–day advance notice by the shipper prior to the date of appointment.
When making appointments, the shipper must have the following information available to expedite the procedure:
- Destination (community name - e.g. Bethel, King Salmon, etc.).
- Addressee (store/business name).
- Total weight of the order.
- Estimated number of pallets.
- Identity of contents (e.g., groceries, dog food, etc.).
When providing the weight and estimated number of pallets to the Anchorage P&DC or Fairbanks Post Office, it is necessary that the estimate be within 10% of the actual weight and total pallets. Accurate estimates are required in order to equitably tender mail to carriers and avoid impact on mail service.
The appointment time is designed to facilitate the acceptance of the entire mailing. The program does not easily accommodate multiple shipments under one appointment; therefore, shippers should make multiple appointments to accommodate large volumes that cannot easily be made available for acceptance at the appointed time. A shipper who cannot make an appointment because of unusual circumstances (truck breakdown, severe weather problems, strike, etc.), should advise the Anchorage P&DC or AMF or Fairbanks post office to minimize the impact on postal and carrier scheduling.
