The Postal Service has notified stakeholders about the locations of seven more Regional Processing and Distribution Centers (RPDCs). While not identified as such, this is the second wave of RPDCs. The first wave of twelve RPDCs was announced months ago (as discussed in this post), so we now know the locations of 19 RPDCs — about a third of the ultimate number. (There’s a more comprehensive and up-to-date list in this post.)

The new RPDCs are:

• Los Angeles NDC, Bell, CA
• Nashville P&DC, Nashville, TN
• Oklahoma City NDC, Oklahoma City, OK
• Palatine P&DC, Palatine, IL
• Phoenix P&DC, Phoenix, AZ
• Royal Palm LDC, Opa Locka, FL
• San Antonio P&DC, San Antonio, TX

The notification includes only the names, so there may be an error in identifying the right facility. The notification has the dates for various stages of the design implementation and kickoff meetings, but not the ultimate launch date. Also, the potential RPDC in Bethpage, NY, has been put on hold and may not happen at all.

Here are a map and list of the 19 RPDCs of the first and second waves. The list is on Google Docs here.

Eventually there will be about 60 RPDCs. They’re the main nodes of the new network, and they’ll consolidate many operations from the processing facilities in their regions. They will handle originating operations for all letters, flats, and packages, as well as destinating package operations.

Most of the P&DCs that see some of their operations sent to an RPDC will become Local Processing Centers (LPCs).  They’ll handle destinating letters and flats, and perhaps house a Sorting & Delivery Center (S&DC) as well.

For the eleven RPDCs of the first wave, the Postal Service has informed the unions and management associations about which P&DCs will have some of their operations consolidated to the RPDC. (See the list below, tab “First Wave Consolidations.”)

The Postal Service has not yet identified which P&DCs could see operations consolidated to the seven RPDCs of the second wave, but here’s a list of possibilities. (View on Google Docs here.)

The Postal Service knows where all 60 RPDCs will be located, but they’re rolling them out in stages, notifying the unions and management associations on the schedule required by contracts. It will probably take several more months before the full list is made public. We’ll probably have to wait even longer for the full lists of 200 LPCs, 600 or 700 S&DCs, and the 5,000 spoke post offices (or however many there turn out to be) that will give up their carriers to the S&DCs.

In the meantime, here’s a list of 60 potential RPDCs — the 19 that have already been announced and 41 others that have appeared on maps in USPS presentations. The list is on Google Docs here.

To learn more about the network transformation now underway, visit our Delivering for America dashboard.

— Steve Hutkins

(Featured Image: Oklahoma City NDC-RPDC)

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