USPS Office of Inspector General

Three years ago, the U.S. Postal Service began replacing 7-and 11-ton cargo vans and adding new lift gates — equipment on the rear that helps load/unload containers of mail. Transportation managers could choose between a tuck-under lift gate or a rail lift gate. The former tucks beneath the cargo van when not in use while the latter folds up against the back of the van.

Election day is right around the corner, and a lot of attention has been focused on voting by mail here in the U.S. But did you know there are also mail-in ballots coming in from Americans overseas? Even before the pandemic, the Postal Service processed international election and political mail for eligible U.S. citizens throughout the world, including military and diplomatic members and their families, as well as other Americans abroad. In fact, during the 2016 election, over 600,000 Americans abroad sent their ballots to their home states.

Have you ever had to fill out a customs declaration for an international package and wondered how that information is used? All that customs data, called Advance Electronic Data, or AED for short, is turned into electronic data that is shared between posts to help expedite the shipping and delivery process. AED also has other benefits and can potentially save lives. For example, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can use AED to identify and stop incoming packages that may contain lethal opioids and other illicit goods.