Most autos within the US Postal Service really need this. The cars were intended with a 24-year life cycle, and are simply getting old. Replacing the entire fleet would cost $ 4.2 billion. Is replacement the only option?
Postal Service and LLVs
The right handed delivery trucks that the postal service uses are known as LLVs — Long Life Autos. The trucks were designed with a 24-year lifecycle of daily driving. That 24 year cycle is almost over. The Postal Service Inspector General has said that, over the span of the next eight years, the Postal Service would spend repairing the vehicles than replacing them.
Repairing USPS vehicles price
In 2009 alone, the Postal Service spent $ 524 million on LLV repair. Generally it is better to repair vehicles rather than replace them. The average repair bill for each LLV is about $ 5,600, with some going as high as $ 40,000. The automobiles do not generally require any kind of specialized maintenance, though the right-handed driving setup can cause a lot more expensive maintenance at times.
The LLV fleet being replaced
The cost comparison benefit of continuing to repair the LLV fleet is turning upside down. In the next eight years, the postal service will actually lose money if it repairs instead of replaces any automobiles that have a repair bill of more than $ 3,500. It would cost $ 30,000 per truck for straight across replacement.
Testing Postal Service automobile alternatives
There is many research going into US Postal Service delivery autos. The USPS has offered a $ 50,000 reward to five different firms for providing a working prototype of a USPS car by August. Letter carriers in many other areas are testing three-wheeled electric autos, bicycles, and more traditional minivan-style cars for delivering the mail, rain or shine.
