If your expected parcel hasn’t arrived today and USPS has already made a delivery once, you may wonder whether they will be making another delivery.
This can be especially puzzling if the shipping date on the tracking site shows that the delivery is due today.
Usually, USPS carriers only deliver once a day to the same address. However, some situations are an exception where you might receive the deliveries more than once on the same day.
- If it’s a Priority Mail Express, it’ll be delivered immediately, and the regular mail might come in later.
- You might receive letters and parcels at different times of the day.
- The high volume of mail during vacations might push the mail carriers to make multiple rounds on the same route.
- An independent contractor may utilize his work hours and carry out deliveries as a first-round while packages are being sorted, then come back later for a second trip.
Although USPS only delivers once a day, there are some exceptions. Continue reading to find out all the scenarios when USPS delivers mail more than once daily.
How Many Times Does USPS Deliver in a Day?
Generally, USPS only delivers once a day. However, there are times when the United States Postal Service may deliver more than once within the same day.
Let’s have a look at these exceptions:
1. Priority Mail Express
Priority Mail Express by USPS is the fastest mail service. This mail is the top priority for USPS carriers, and they’ll set out to deliver it as soon as it arrives at the office.
Suppose you have already received mail today and expect another through the Priority Mail Express service. In that case, USPS will make another run on the same day to ensure that your priority mail is delivered. It is usually delivered by 3 pm.
Or if you have received a standard package first, and a priority mail shows up later during the day, you might find a mail carrier again on your doorstep with your priority package.
If for some reason, the delivery was not successful; the mail carrier will make another attempt the next day. It’s highly unlikely that the second attempt will happen on the same day.
2. Separate Mail and Package Deliveries
USPS usually makes separate deliveries for letters and packages. This is because different workers often handle and deliver mail and packages separately.
If you have already received your mail and are expecting a package on the same day, a USPS mail handler might ring your doorbell again.s
Each of these main types is only delivered once a day. For instance, if USPS has already delivered letters, they won’t make another delivery attempt for letters on the same day.
It will be delivered the following day unless it is Priority Mail Express.
It’s important to note that parcels can be delivered at different times during the day, but letters will only be delivered once because the letters are sorted by the machine, which happens only once a day, at night.
3. During the Holidays
Another case when USPS may deliver multiple times a day is during the holiday season. Since USPS is overwhelmed with mail and packages during Christmas, they may deliver twice a day.
To keep up with the high volume of mail, USPS associates often make multiple rounds in the same region.
Most of the time, the mail handlers are handed the first batch, and they set out for the first round.
In the meantime, the associates at the warehouse sort the packages and prepare them for the second round. This makes it more efficient to carry out deliveries when the volume is at its peak.
4. Independent Contractors
The US Postal Service employs different types of mail handlers; some are full-time associates, and some are part-time independent contractors.
The full-time associates will deliver the packages according to the assigned schedule. In contrast, independent contractors can choose their schedule as long as they can achieve the target number of deliveries.
Most independent contractors utilize their time and make two rounds during the day.
They won’t wait for all the packages to be sorted at the warehouse but will set out for the first round while the remaining packages are sorted and come back to pick up the sorted packages for the second round.
In this situation, you will likely find the mail carrier on your doorstep twice daily.
Final Word
Back in the day before the 1960s, you could expect the USPS mail carrier to show up multiple times during the day. The number of deliveries grew over the years, and they eventually made changes to make the system more efficient.
Today, USPS makes deliveries only once a day unless it’s a holiday or you are expecting an Express delivery. They also deliver mail and packages separately, as they are handled separately by different workers.
Apart from these cases, USPS will only deliver once a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Did USPS Stop Delivering Twice a Day?
USPS used to deliver twice, up until 1950. After that, they decided to make the system more efficient and stopped making multiple rounds on the same route.
How Many Times Does USPS Deliver Packages in a Single Day?
USPS usually delivers packages once a day. However, they will make an exception and attempt to deliver packages twice a day during the holidays or if they have missed a package and if your package is bulky.
If a Priority Mail Express package arrives at the USPS office, it will be delivered immediately, resulting in multiple deliveries during the day.
How Many Times Will USPS Attempt To Deliver?
After a failed delivery, USPS will hold your package and attempt to deliver it once or twice. After that, it will return to the warehouse and sit there for a few days.
If the receiver doesn’t show up, it will be returned to the sender.
