USPS OIG Audit: Highway Contract Routes (HCR) Extra Trips in the Greater Indiana District

Start Date:  Monday, October 20, 2014
Estimated Report Date:  Friday, April 17, 2015

OIG_HCR_payments2(November 16, 2014) The U.S. Postal Service uses highway contract routes (HCR) to transport mail between its post offices and other designated points where mail is received or dispatched, such as mailers’ facilities. Extra trips are in addition to those normally provided under the terms of the contract that result in more cost to the Postal Service. Management schedules extra trips to prevent serious delays of preferential mail or as a result of high mail volume. PS Form 5397 authorizes extra trip occurrences and PS Form 5429 provides contractor additional payments.

The OIG has been monitoring HCR extra trips as part of its quarterly Surface Transportation Risk Model. The risk model consistently ranked Greater Indiana District as one of the 10 most at risk districts for extra trips for fiscal year (FY) 2014, Quarter (Q) 3.

We welcome your comments and insights on how the Postal Service could more effectively monitor and track its Highway Contract Routes Extra Trips. If you like, please provide feedback to the following:

1. Are there any specific issues with the way the Postal Service manages HCR Extra trips?

2. Do you know any ways or methods private companies limit their use of extra trips when making their deliveries?

 via Highway Contract Routes (HCR) Extra Trips in the Greater Indiana District | Office of Inspector General.

One thought on “USPS OIG Audit: Highway Contract Routes (HCR) Extra Trips in the Greater Indiana District

  1. Union and NAME of Local/Branch
    0266 Gary Area Local
    Office held, if any
    MVS Trustee, past MVS Director
    At the Gary, IN plant whenever a late or extra trip of priority mail arrives they just start filling out 5397 . Why can’t MVS take some of that work? Now that our plant is under consolidation, the MVS drivers have down time. The drivers are being paid so why not have them take out this late mail?

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