WACO, TX — On February 5, the United States Postal Service offered a first look at its new Sorting & Delivery Center (S&DC) in Waco, TX. S&DCs are comprised of repurposed facilities and will provide faster and more reliable mail and package delivery over a greater geographic area. The 72,000 square foot facility in Waco is one of the first 68 S&DCs the Postal Service has opened. USPS expects to open 300 S&DCs nationwide in the coming years. 

“As we invest $40 billion into the nation’s aging postal network, we’ve ramped up our local investment – focusing on delivering for residents and small businesses here in Waco,” said Guy Moeckel, Manager, S&DC Design & Equipment Integration. “This new S&DC will allow us to better serve our customers by moving mail and packages faster and more reliably around the region.”

Sorting & Delivery Centers are critical hubs in the modernized postal network as laid out in Delivering for America – USPS’s 10-year strategic plan. The larger, centrally located facilities will be the last stop for mail and packages before they are delivered by letter carriers. In conjunction with 60 Regional Processing and Distribution Centers (RPDCs) strategically located around the country, S&DCs will optimize delivery in the busiest markets and remove many of the impediments that currently slow down postal operations.

MAKING MAILING AND SHIPPING EVEN EASIER FOR OUR CUSTOMERS

The new S&DC includes features to make it easier for residential and small business customers to mail and ship regionally. The data optimized location of the facility allows small businesses to quickly reach 200,000 local customers with 99.7% on-time performance from one entry point. Additionally, the S&DC offers:

• Easier drop off and pick-up with smart lockers, mobile app self-service kiosks, and bigger package drop-off drums
• Mail/ship on your own schedule with extended lobby hours access
• Expanded same-day/next-day shipping across the region from one location
• Convenient returns, back in one day 
• New product offerings: USPS Connect Local and Ground Advantage  
• Improved service reliability due to a fully optimized surface and air transportation network

READY FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES; BETTER AMENITIES FOR EMPLOYEES

The new S&DC includes electric vehicle charging infrastructure to prepare for the deployment of the Postal Service’s Next Generation Delivery Vehicle fleet. The new electric vehicles are expected to be deployed on routes later this year. Replacing the Postal Service’s more than thirty-year-old vehicles will allow the organization to significantly reduce carbon emissions, increase safety and reliability, and provide more comfortable delivery vehicles to letter carriers.

These new facilities are comprised of repurposed facilities and will provide faster and more reliable mail and package delivery over a greater geographic area. S&DCs will be fitted with new package sorting equipment and enable customer service and local commerce opportunities for Same Day or Next Day delivery. They will also have renovated bathrooms and breakrooms for Postal Service employees.

LOCAL POST OFFICE OPERATIONS TO MAINTAIN CURRENT SCHEDULE

With this new S&DC open, customers will see no changes to their local Post Office retail operations. No Post Offices will be closed and P.O. Box delivery will remain unchanged.

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