Effective February 24, 2011, we will revise Handbook PO-603, Rural Carrier Duties and Responsibilities, part 331, to standardize the language and procedures for the Carrier Release Program. The changes authorize delivery personnel to leave parcels in unsecured locations when the parcel bears the “Carrier — Leave If No Response” endorsement.
Handbook PO-603, Rural Carrier Duties and Responsibilities
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3 Carrier Performance on Route
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[Revise title of 33 to read as follows:]
33 Parcels
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331 Delivery
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331.1 General
[Revise text to read as follows:]
Parcels must be taken out for delivery on the first trip after they arrive at the office.
331.2 Oversized Parcels
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331.22 Leave Outside the Box
[Revise text to read as follows:]
Uninsured parcels or parcels that do not require a signature may be left outside the box or in an unprotected location such as a stairway or uncovered porch when the addressee has given written directions for an alternate delivery location or the mailer participates in the Carrier Release Program by endorsing the package “Carrier — Leave If No Response.”
a. Customer Authorization to Leave. If a customer has filed a written order stating that parcels too large for the box may be left outside the box or in another designated location, you may do so.
b. Mailer Authorization to Leave. When a parcel is endorsed, “Carrier — Leave If No Response,” and no one is available to receive it, you may leave it in an unprotected location, e.g., stairway or uncovered porch. A PS Form 3849, Delivery/Notice/Reminder/Receipt, with the “It Is Located: ________” block completed must be left in the mail receptacle notifying the addressee of the mail if left in an alternate location. Mailers who participate in the Carrier Release Program understand that there are unsecured areas where the Postal Service will leave parcels and also understand that carriers will leave parcels without protection from inclement weather.
c. Liability. By following the mailer’s or addressee’s instructions, the Postal Service provides customers with a more convenient way to receive parcels. Carriers are not liable for loss or theft when the customer’s instructions and postal regulations are followed.
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We will incorporate this revision into the next printed version of Handbook PO-603 and into the online update available on the Postal Service™ PolicyNet website:
n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
n Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click PolicyNet.
n On the PolicyNet page, click HBKs.
(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)
— Outbound Parcels,
Domestic Products, 2-24-11
