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Rural UPS routes to be cut to three days per week


Starting on May 1, under the new “Rural Deferred Program” UPS will begin cutting deliveries to many rural zip codes from daily to three days per week.

According to UPS communications representative Karen Tomaszewski Hill, “The program will apply to UPS Ground services, which is the majority of service to those zip codes, however express services such as Next Day Air or Two-Day Air may also be impacted. UPS will still deliver packages within the specified delivery window, though we are widening the window for our most rural deliveries. There is no change to our time-definite UPS Healthcare Premier deliveries, or UPS SurePost. The deferred days of the week will be determined by zip code.”

Hill goes on to say the change is being made “to help our drivers more efficiently serve our customers. It will also help ensure competitive and affordable rates for our customers. We regularly evaluate and modify delivery services. Another example of this is the way we flex our network to meet customer demands throughout the year.”

Mobridge will not be affected by this program, but many of the surrounding communities, like Bowdle, Pollock, and Timber Lake will see service cuts.

Customers can use the UPS My Choice tool to redirect deliveries if desired and visit ups.com for up-to-date delivery times

Bart Biegler, the owner of Biegler Equipment, the Napa store in Timber Lake, said this move will have a definite impact on his business, which has a large number of agricultural clients.

“Farmers and ranchers need to get important supplies in a timely manner. They need to get deliveries every day,” he said, adding that he would be seeking out other shipping options, such as Fed-Ex and Spee-Dee Delivery for parts and supplies.

He also said rural UPS customers could call 1-800-pickups (1-800-742-5877) to open up a “concern case” to lodge a complaint about the cut in delivery service.

While additional questions on the logistics of this program went unanswered at press time, an online search for information turned up a thread on the topic at browncafe.com, a forum for UPS employees. The thread is titled “Deferred Delivery Coming,” and includes posts from workers on the topic. While the posts are mostly speculative, they do provide interesting theories and background on rural UPS package delivery.

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