How Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) shifts costs from the USPS to Us

Ruralinfo · 2026-05-21T17:13:01-0500

Over the coming months, the Postal Service will complete implementation of its Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) initiative. The cost savings remain unclear, but the impacts on the country are coming into focus. It’s not a pretty picture.

How Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) shifts costs from the USPS to Us - Ruralinfo.net

Over the coming months, the Postal Service will complete implementation of its Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) initiative. The cost savings remain…

ruralinfo.net

Unclewolverine · 2026-05-21T17:46:43-0500

Out here in nowhere we've never had late pick ups, mail has always went out the next day. So, to all of the rest of you guys, with your fancy offices that probably always had electricity, indoor plumbing, and whatnot; welcome back to the 1800's!

Worve · 2026-05-21T18:17:08-0500

I am really curious if this will hit our office or not. Currently 230 pick up gets 5-6 boxes of pick up parcels plus 2-3 pumpkins of outgoing mail. 1-2 boxes of missent parcels daily. 530 pm truck gets 6-10 boxes of parcels 2-3 pumpkins of outgoing mail. No way do we have the room to store this and have space for morning drops between our own and Amazon.

ATCBigE · 2026-05-21T18:36:14-0500

Worve said:
I am really curious if this will hit our office or not. Currently 230 pick up gets 5-6 boxes of pick up parcels plus 2-3 pumpkins of outgoing mail. 1-2 boxes of missent parcels daily. 530 pm truck gets 6-10 boxes of parcels 2-3 pumpkins of outgoing mail. No way do we have the room to store this and have space for morning drops between our own and Amazon.

That's the biggest issue with this. For example, our truck stops at the following offices:

097
088
069
033
085
093

There's no way they can load the truck and then pick up everything the next morning. Christmas will be a !@$@#%ING NIGHTMARE.

I have still been trying to wrap my head around how this saves as much money as they claim.

oi veh. · 2026-05-21T21:38:20-0500

it hurts the rural customers the most.

city customers can still get their mail out the same day, provided they make it to the PO by pickup.

rural customers are SOL.

hockey94 · 2026-05-22T05:52:37-0500

Worve said:
I am really curious if this will hit our office or not. Currently 230 pick up gets 5-6 boxes of pick up parcels plus 2-3 pumpkins of outgoing mail. 1-2 boxes of missent parcels daily. 530 pm truck gets 6-10 boxes of parcels 2-3 pumpkins of outgoing mail. No way do we have the room to store this and have space for morning drops between our own and Amazon.

You can always get a tent

! The little PO I worked at has one. The PO was built in the 60’s with maybe 300 deliveries, now, probably 1000,

Bucknadhand · 2026-05-22T08:43:25-0500

Our package people squack daily that its adding a extra day. Also people are starting to ask about the ballots as well if they will be "counted" in time come this fall for the 2 year people

jaymacgthree · 2026-05-22T13:30:13-0500

oi veh. said:
it hurts the rural customers the most.

city customers can still get their mail out the same day, provided they make it to the PO by pickup.

rural customers are SOL.

Agreed and the workaround of having a customer ask for their postage cancelled at the window that day so it is stamped with the date is an absurd way to placate customers. The mail is still intentionally slowed down when it already takes 5-7 days to get where it is going, ballots still arriving after an election is called, etc. Management keeps moving the goal posts instead of playing a better game.