The U.S. Postal Service is tightening the rules for the trucking companies it works with, part of a broader government push to make sure truck drivers are properly trained and vetted.
What’s Related
Under a new policy, USPS will phase out the use of contracted truck drivers who hold non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses and have not been vetted by the Postal Inspection Service. Non-domiciled CDLs are a special type of license issued to certain foreign drivers who are legally in the U.S. but do not meet standard residency requirements.
“The safety of our employees, our customers, and the American public is of the utmost concern to the Postal Service,” said Amber McReynolds, Chair of the Postal Service Board of Governors. “In order to maintain the highest possible safety standards, we have decided to phase out any use of non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s License operators who have not been thoroughly vetted by the Postal Inspection Service.”
USPS said the tighter rules are part of a larger effort to bring more accountability to its transportation network. The agency moves about 55,000 truckloads every day, which adds up to nearly 2 billion miles on the road each year.
“USPS just completed an extremely safe and efficient peak season delivering the nation’s holiday mail and packages,” said Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner. “We believe this additional requirement will strengthen the safety, efficiency and reliability of our services into the future.”
Latest in string of federal action on CDLs
USPS’s move comes as federal regulators take a closer look at how Commercial Driver’s Licenses are issued and monitored nationwide.
In California last year, federal officials revoked the licenses of more than 17,000 non-domiciled CDL holders after finding that many were issued without proper residency checks. The action was aimed at closing loopholes that allowed drivers to obtain licenses in states where they did not actually live, raising concerns about oversight and safety.
At the same time, the White House has stepped up efforts to tighten CDL requirements nationwide. Officials have called for stronger training and testing standards, arguing that better oversight is needed to improve safety on highways that carry massive amounts of freight every day.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has also gone after so-called CDL mills, training providers that issue licenses with little real instruction. Thousands of these providers have been removed from the federal registry as part of an effort to make sure drivers meet consistent standards before getting behind the wheel.
USPS volume trends report
The trucking rule changes come as USPS also released its annual report to Congress for fiscal year 2025, which paints a mixed picture.
Total mail and package volume fell 3.3% compared to the previous year. At the same time, total revenue, including investment and interest income, increased by 1.1%. The number of delivery points also continued to grow, reaching 170.4 million addresses nationwide.
The report highlights several operational changes made during the year, including the rollout of larger delivery vehicles and the decision to move mail and packages on shared schedules instead of separate networks.
