Launching on July 9, 2023, USPS Ground Advantage™ is the Postal Service’s enhanced ground solution that will provide a simple, reliable, and more affordable ground shipping solution for packages with 2–5 day delivery within the continental U.S.
USPS Ground Advantage will combine current USPS Retail Ground®, First-Class Package Service®, and Parcel Select Ground® services, as well as returns options such as First-Class Package Return® service and Ground Returns, into a single, streamlined ground shipping service.
n Packages will be delivered in 2–5 business days.1
n Affordable ounce and pound-based shipping options range from 1 ounce to 70 pounds.
n Items weighing up to 15.999 ounces will be priced in 4-ounce, 8-ounce, 12-ounce, and up to 15.999-ounce increments for both retail and commercial channels.
n Packages greater than 15.999 ounces will be charged by the pound, in 1-pound increments, up to 70 pounds.
n $100 insurance will be included for both outbound and return shipments. Customers can purchase up to $5,000 in additional coverage against loss or damage for merchandise.
n Free Package Pickup2 service at home or in-office.
n A variety of postage payment options across various platforms, including the enhanced Click-N-Ship® with access to commercial rates for commercial customers. Additional postage payment options will include USPS Retail Post Offices, online postage, and more.
n Tracking included to check the status and confirm package delivery.
n Business customers can use USPS Ground Advantage return service as a convenient option for customers who need to send items back.
n A primary option for sending hazardous materials (HAZMAT) that are only mailable using ground transportation (see usps.com/ship/shipping-restrictions.htm#hazmat).
USPS® is modernizing its core offerings in alignment with the Delivering for America plan (see about.usps.com/what/strategic-plans/delivering-for-america/assets/usps-dfa-two-year-report.pdf).
The enhancements made in this plan will enable tremendous growth opportunities and create new business realities, in which the Postal Service™ is investing heavily to ensure the plan’s success. The Postal Service is leaning into four capability buckets that will positively transform the business and lay the groundwork for the organization to succeed:
n Transportation capability. Strategically repositioned the transportation network that improves surface routing and leads to less reliance on the Postal Service’s air network. The Postal Service is maximizing its truck utilization while meeting service standards through logically sequenced routes.
n Technology capability. Investment in technology solutions that provide modernized customer platforms, and improvement of the Postal Service’s digital network, which creates tangible value and a strong cybersecurity posture. These actions coupled with a technologically talented workforce have led to full-featured, one-stop shop solutions3. Businesses are now able to interface with USPS like never before, including harnessing the power of improved Click-N-Ship with access to commercial pricing. Also, customers will have access to simple integration across marketplaces using Application Program Interfaces in a frictionless onboarding experience3.
n Processing capability. Upgraded daily processing capacity to include 8.5 million square feet of space across 50 locations. The Postal Service has also increased its number of high-speed package sorters by more than 50 percent with the purchase and installation of 249 new machines in the last two years and 149 new package sorting machines in FY 2023 alone3. These machines, coupled with increased operating precision, boosted daily package processing capacity to 60 million, which is a capacity of more than 10 million higher than the package volume recorded in the agency’s busiest day in the 2022 peak season3.
Further capability enhancements include six Sorting and Delivery Center openings, and a plan to acquire more than 106 thousand new vehicles by 20283. Of these 106,000 vehicle acquisitions, at least 66,000 of them would encompass battery-electric delivery vehicles3. The Postal Service also has 11 Regional Processing and Distribution Centers in development, that together will result in a best-in-class processing and delivery operations network.
n Workforce capability. Transition USPS to an Employer of Choice through workforce capability improvements: converting 125 thousand pre-career workers to full-time career employees since October 2020; implementing a new organizational design; promoting employee retention through new front-line supervisor tools and resources; promoting workforce development; and cultivating a culture of engaged, collaborative leaders3.
As a result of these endeavors, USPS is positioned to meet customer demand with USPS Ground Advantage by offering the right product, at the right price, with the right service. USPS Ground Advantage will, in turn, support customers’ evolving needs for a low-priced, medium-speed ground shipping product. Data showed that customers demanded this type of product and will welcome the delivery of USPS Ground Advantage, which is good for businesses of all sizes. The Postal Service is committed to continually focusing on the development of flexible, solution-oriented products.
While other carriers are adding fees and increasing shipping rates, USPS Ground Advantage’s lower shipping rates reaffirms the Postal Service’s commitment to support businesses of all sizes and across all industries with affordable, reliable, and simple mail and package delivery with the right service at the right price. The pricing for USPS Ground Advantage will be competitive in the shipping industry and will reflect a 1.4 percent pricing decrease relative to current USPS ground products. USPS Ground Advantage Retail prices will decrease 3.2 percent and USPS Ground Advantage Commercial published prices will decrease 0.7 percent.
USPS Ground Advantage is a perfect solution for shippers that need affordable domestic ground shipping to all 50 states and U.S. territories in 2–5 days1. This option will benefit consumers as well as commercial customers as USPS Ground Advantage will be widely adopted across various postage channels.
USPS Ground Advantage was launched to provide solutions for customers of all sizes and across all industries. The integrated ground network, technology advances, upgraded process capacity, and workforce development will give USPS Ground Advantage the foundation to offer simple, reliable, and more affordable 2–5 day shipping to its customers, and at the same time, position USPS to grow its business and become the shipper of choice.
The launch of USPS Ground Advantage is an integral element of the Postal Service’s 10-year Delivering for America plan, a plan that collectively incorporates legislative action and one that relies on the Postal Service generating $24 billion in additional revenue over the next 10 years. USPS Ground Advantage will favorably influence three key plan tenets:
n Bold approach to growth, innovation, and continued relevance.
n Service standard changes to improve reliability.
n Fully-optimized surface and air transportation network; with emphasis on the surface network to fill the trucks and add density between origin and destination pairs.
For the full 10-year Delivering for America plan, visit about.usps.com/what/strategic-plans/delivering-for- america.
— Strategy and Development,
Business Solutions, 6-29-23
