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CHAPTER 3
MAIL PACKAGING AND ACCEPTANCE
Before any article may be accepted for mailing, it
must meet certain packaging and wrapping
requirements. The DMM contains these requirements.
Check each article you receive at the postal finance
window for proper packaging and wrapping. Examine
each article’s outside wrapping. If you believe the
package will become unwrapped in the mail, advise the
customer that the package is not acceptable and discuss
correct wrapping procedures. Be as helpful and
courteous as possible.
As a window clerk, you will also need to know how
to operate certain equipment and how to conduct
window transactions.
This chapter will provide
general information in this regard.
MAIL PREPARATION
Learning Objective: Identify the packaging
procedures involved in mail preparation.
Proper packaging is the key that guards against
damaged mail. No item should be packaged so that its
contents may harm mail-handling personnel,
equipment, or other mail. Through proper packaging
the mailer is responsible for providing protection
against damage to articles under normal handling
while the articles are in the custody of the U.S. Postal
Service (USPS) and the military postal system. The
mailer should consider the type of item that is to be
mailed, the transit time, the extent to which the item
will be handled, and the method(s) of transportation.
You, as a military postal clerk, are not authorized
to assist the mailer in preparing articles for mailing.
However, you should be able to advise the mailer of the
best type of container to use, the type of cushioning
that may be required, and the proper method to seal the
container. Additional information on mail preparation
is found in the DMM.
TYPES OF LOADS
Learning Objective: Recognize the types of
loads used in the transportation of mail.
Three types of loads used in the transportation
industry are recognized by the USPS. The contents,
type, and strength of the container determine these
loads.
EASY LOAD
Items of moderate weight that completely fill the
container are known as an easy load. Puncture or shock
(dropping or movement) does not readily damage easy
loads. They do not shift or otherwise move within the
package or present a hazard to other mail.
AVERAGE LOAD
An average load is when several items are
packaged directly into a shipping container and
provide partial support to all its surfaces. Average
loads may also be prepackaged by nesting items within
partitions or in separate paperboard boxes (such as a
set of glasses) as shown in figure 3-l. This tends to
prevent the items from shifting and causing damage to
them and the container.
DIFFICULT LOAD
The term, difficult load, is applied to items that
require a high degree of protection from puncture,
shock, or distortion.
These include fragile items,
delicate instruments, and heavy and small bulk items.
These items do not support the mailing container and are
not acceptable in paperboard boxes, bags, or wraps of
any type.
ACCEPTABLE CONTAINERS
Learning Objective: Determine the types of
containers authorized for use in the mail
system.
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