U.S. Postal Service opens new mail sorting center in Huntington Station to speed delivery, introduces new electric vehicles for letter carriers

A new sorting and delivery center serving Suffolk County was unveiled Wednesday by the United States Postal Service, designed to get letters and packages in mailboxes and at front doors faster.

USPS officials said they hope to speed up mail with modern package sorting machines at the Huntington Station center, combined with "next generation" electric delivery vehicles designed to help letter carriers work more efficiently. 

Before these new package sorting machines, it would take five hours for four employees to process 6,000 packages. But with the machines, the same four employees can process 6,000 packages in less than two hours, officials said.

Anthony Barone, officer in charge at the Huntington Station center, said it takes letter carriers about a minute to park and deliver a package. Through new data analysis and evaluation of routes, letter carriers can make up to 500 stops in their eight-hour workday, he said.

He said the work schedules of letter carriers will also change with the new system. Originally starting about 8 a.m., "now they’re starting at 7:30 just because with that efficiency in optimization to have the mail processed sooner, we can start the carriers sooner. Our customers get their mail earlier."

The "next generation" delivery vehicles were developed to improve visibility and ergonomics for the driver and to be more sustainable. The 16 new vehicles, Ram Pro Masters, can go without recharging for a few days and will eventually replace the existing fleet of 1,400 postal trucks serving Suffolk, which are almost 30 years old. 

"I would say the customers are definitely getting their packages faster," said Robert Kasten, manager of vehicle operations for the Atlantic 4 territory. "It will be easier in the way those vehicles are designed. It’s easier for the carriers to dismount and route the vehicles when they are delivering packages and first-class mail to homes."

USPS officials said the agency is trying to alter decades of deferred maintenance at facilities, investing $40 billion in a 10-year plan to revitalize its processing, mail and package network nationwide. So far, more than $18.9 billion of the $40 billion goal has been invested in renovations nationwide, spokeswoman Amy Gibbs said.

The sorting and delivery center, which is currently open, has also improved the condition of the employees' work environment, providing better lighting, more space and more efficient workflow, officials said.

Michael Hotetz, manager of post office modernization, expects the long-term impact of these investments on communities will be more sustainability and consistency. Hotetz said he wants to restore the trust of customers, especially small businesses, in the Postal Service. In a society that is "so instant ... you really want a reliable service that you can get the next day."