Efficiency of Operations at the Norfolk Local Processing Center, Norfolk, VA
Background
The U.S. Postal Service needs effective and productive operations to fulfill its mission of providing prompt, reliable, and affordable mail service to the American public. It has a vast transportation network that moves mail and equipment among approximately 308 processing facilities and 31,100 post offices, stations, and branches. The Postal Service is transforming its processing and logistics networks to become more scalable, reliable, visible, efficient, automated, and digitally integrated. This includes modernizing operating plans and aligning the workforce to meet marketplace needs; leveraging emerging technologies to provide world-class visibility and tracking of mail and packages in near real time; and optimizing the surface and air transportation network. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviews the efficiency of mail processing operations at facilities across the country and provides management with timely feedback to further the Postal Service’s mission.
This report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of the efficiency of operations at the Norfolk Local Processing Center (LPC) in Norfolk, VA (Project Number 26-043). We judgmentally selected the Norfolk LPC in Norfolk VA, based on a review of Leg 1 and Leg 3 failures; workhours; scanning compliance; scanner accountability; and late, canceled, and extra trips. The Norfolk LPC is in the South Atlantic Division and processes letters and flats. The Norfolk LPC services multiple 3-digit ZIP Codes in urban and rural communities (see Table 1).
As of January 15, 2026, the unit’s employee availability for mail processing was 88.9 percent and for logistics was 96.3 percent. The Postal Service’s employee availability goal for fiscal year (FY) 2025 is 89 percent for processing and 92.9 percent for
logistics.