Audit: Major delays, lapses at Charlotte USPS facility
A federal audit has uncovered several operational issues at the Charlotte Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC), one of the busiest USPS hubs in the Carolinas.
The report, by the US Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) shows the RPDC, as well as postal facilities in Concord, Charlotte and Gastonia were responsible for over 74,000 pieces of delayed mail.
Delays stemmed from management’s failure to report 74,254 pieces of undelivered mail, combined with staffing shortages, weak policy enforcement, inadequate training, transportation problems, and equipment limitations.
The audit evaluated how efficiently the Charlotte facility manages mail flow, scanning, staffing, transportation, and security procedures. Of the 13 recommendations made by the OIG, only three have been fully implemented to date.
Among the unresolved issues: late-arriving Express Mail is not being properly flagged by quality control systems; high rejection rates on packaging machines are slowing down operations; and staffing schedules don’t align with the facility’s actual mail volume, leading to delays and inefficiencies.
“During our observations at the RPDC on April 8 through 10, 2025, we identified delayed mail daily totaling about 54,421 pieces,” reads the report. “We identified packages in the Express Mail operation, registry cage, and in the manual package operation that were delayed or at risk of being delayed. Some of this mail was not properly reported in the Mail Condition Visualization (MCV) system.”
USPS management at the Charlotte facility has already acted on three of the recommendations, including reviewing and optimizing transportation schedules and improving employee scanning compliance. These changes are expected to help reduce mail handling errors and improve tracking accuracy.
The Postal Service has agreed with all 13 of the OIG’s recommendations and is in the process of addressing the outstanding items.
“Management agrees with the five findings in the report on delayed mail, late, canceled, trips, scan compliance, security of registry items, and safety,” said Director of Audit Services Victoria Smith.
The Charlotte distribution center plays a critical role in mail delivery for much of North and South Carolina. As the OIG continues to monitor progress, the report signals that more work is needed to ensure the facility can meet performance standards and maintain public trust.
“Audit: Major delays, lapses at Charlotte USPS facility” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.
