USPS audit sheds light on delivery delays in Kansas City metro

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Findings of an audit point out what could be causing inconsistencies with people getting their mail in the Kansas City area.

FOX4 Problem Solvers have been telling you about complaints about mail delivery from across the metro for a long time.

Last month, FOX4 told you the USPS Office of Inspector General announced an audit on mail services in the metro. Now the results are in .

The initial audit was done on the Kansas City Processing and Distribution Center and found issues with operations and procedures.

Frustrations are growing over the mail service in the Kansas City metro.

“When you have a problem, it’s like jumping over 10 hurdles and you ain’t even going to get to the finish line because the finish line isn’t there,” Lewis Edwards said, a USPS customer.

Customers saying their getting mail late or not at all.

“I have things tracked on the internet and it say it’s coming but it still doesn’t show up,” said Nick Keitzer.

Delivery problems grabbed the attention of lawmakers and as a result, the USPS Office of Inspector General launched an audit on the efficiency and delivery operations and property conditions at the Kansas City Processing and Distribution centers.

It found problems in four of the five areas it focused on.

• Missing clearance times, which increases the likelihood that mail will not be taken out to the dock in time for delivery.
• Delayed mail.
• Late/canceled/and extra outbound trips, which also increases the risk of mail not being delivered on time.
• Low scanning compliance, again contributing to inaccurate data, missing mail and operational inefficiencies.

Most of the issues stem from employee shortages, like people not showing up to work and general oversight from supervisors and managers.

The audit recommendations for the center, all of which involve someone from higher up the ranks, stepping in to help train and go over proper procedures.

Management agreed to all the recommendations and even set target implementation dates, some as soon as next month.

The audit also found safety concerns, trucks and trailers parked at the docks without wheel chocks, preventing them from rolling away.

Drivers were not always securing trailer doors. Again, requesting different Midwest division directors get involved to help and hopefully lead to a better out come for customers.

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