Town of Dunstable, MA

Dunstable mail is now coming in carrier routed. What this means is that a greater proportion of our mail is already sorted to the routes so there is less manual sorting. If you are a PO BOX holder, you really need to have your mail addressed to you using your PO BOX number. If you use your street address instead of your PO BOX number, it will be sorted to the routes and it can delay your mail getting to your PO BOX. The next step for automating incoming mail will be mail sorted by streets to the carriers so that they don't even have to sort it to their cases. It will already be in delivery order instead of them handling it and putting it in street order of delivery. I have been advised that offices that have 5 routes or more will have this implemented or already have it implemented. Currently Dunstable has 3 routes so it might be some time before it is implemented here. But I had been advised some time ago that carrier routed mail was a few years away, and we already have it now.
Also coming in the near future, the ability to track anything and everything mailed in the US Postal Service system. Bottom line: machines are doing more of the sorting and automation will continue to become more sophisticated. Correct addressing will be more important than ever.