Truckers are reporting long lines and hours of waiting at a Georgia USPS distribution center.
For weeks now, major delays have been reported at the United State Postal Service (USPS) Atlanta Regional Processing and Distribution Center located in Palmetto, Georgia.
On March 14, Atlanta News First reported lines of trucks backed up a quarter of a mile at the Palmetto USPS center, with some truckers telling the outlet that they waited six or even eight hours to enter the facility.
The outlet also reported that some drivers waited so long that they changed shifts while still in line.
Postal customers have also reported delayed or missing packages out of the distribution center.
The problem has attracted the attention of U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, who recently launched an inquiry with USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy into the problems at the Palmetto center.
“I write to express concern regarding numerous reports of missing and delayed mail in the metro Atlanta area, reportedly connected to the Atlanta Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Palmetto. Postal customers in Georgia are increasingly reporting untraceable or stalled packages to local news outlets, in some cases for up to weeks,” Sen. Ossoff wrote. “The timely delivery of mail across the nation is a vital public service. I urge you to expeditiously investigate the reported delays across the metro Atlanta area and to take any necessary and appropriate actions to ameliorate any issues.”
The USPS responded to complaints of problems at the facility, but did not provide an explanation for the delays: “While a vast majority of mail in the Atlanta area is being delivered in a timely manner, local management has been made aware of the concerns of some local customers regarding their mail delivery and are working quickly to resolve any issues.“