HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - The United States Postal Office and major shipping companies are gearing up for a busy holiday season.
This comes after shipping delays were a major problem last year.
UPS says they're ready to take on the holidays after 10 months of training and hiring over 100,000 seasonal employees.
"The most important thing to UPS is to have a reliable network for all of our customers and we're fully expecting to do that," said Jim Mayer, UPS spokesperson. "Last year, we delivered 96% of our packages on time between Oct. 1 and Christmas Eve, and we expect that we will do the same or maybe even better this year."
These extra precautions come as global supply chain issues are disrupting shipping across the globe.
Experts recommend shipping packages as early as possible.
If you're planning to ship through USPS, experts recommend shipping two weeks in advance, as their retail ground deadline is Dec. 15 and their first-class mail deadline is Dec. 17.
UPS and FedEx offer next-day delivery, but packages must be dropped off by Dec. 23 as no deliveries will be made on Christmas Day.
UPS also recommends printing two shipping labels and saving your tracking number.
"One of the things I like to tell people is when you print that label, actually print two copies," explained Mayer. "So, put one in the box, and then one on the box. So, if for some reason something happens to the label en route, the first thing we're going to do is open it up and try to figure out where it's supposed to go. If we find that second label, we'll just put it on the box."
The White House also announced this week that they're aiding in shipping efforts. They say they are helping ports with their backlogs by eliminating traffic fees for containers moved on nights and weekends.
