The holiday season is just around the corner and for those planning to send gifts through the mail, the United States Postal Service says it’s ready to handle the increased workload. That’s thanks to $20 billion in investments made over the last four years, according to the service.

The massive investment improved facilities and processing capabilities across the country, giving USPS the ability to handle a heavier workload in a more timely manner.

These improved offerings have helped the agency remain competitive with non-government shipping services like FedEx and UPS.

“The Postal Service plans throughout the year to deliver the nation’s mail and packages during the high-volume holiday season and we are well prepared and ready to deliver for the American public,” said Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner. “For the past several years, the Postal Service has been gaining market share in our package business, which reflects the strong value and excellent portfolio of the shipping options we provide.

“We expect to see a continuation of this trend in the coming holiday period and to continue winning a larger share of the nation’s shipping business.”

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The improvements also mean customers will be able to count on the service to deliver packages in a timely manner during the holiday rush.

The USPS says it has added 614 state-of-the-art package sorting machines over the past five years, including 94 units added this year. The new machines allow the agency to handle more and larger packages than it could using old technology.

In December 2024, USPS delivered 45 percent more packages per operating day than its competitors thanks to the new tech, the USPS claims.

The agency has also opened several new facilities this year, along with numerous regional processing and distribution centers, regional transfer hubs, local processing centers, and sorting and delivery centers over the last four years that will help reduce processing times significantly. These facilities are spread throughout the country, helping ensure there’s enough space to properly process packages.

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USPS expects to hire 14,000 temporary employees for the holiday season, down from 40,000 in recent years. The agency says that’s a good thing because it has worked to stabilize its workforce over the last five years and in that time has moved nearly 232,000 pre-career employees to full-time positions.

How the packages get to their destinations has also been upgraded as the agency has received nearly 29,000 new vehicles this year. More than 24,000 of them have already been deployed on postal delivery routes.

For more information on the changes and the USPS’s efforts to prepare for the holidays, visit the USPS website.