Post Office Delivery Vehicles Coming to the End of Their Lifespan

The Washington Post reports that cost-effectiveness is an issue for Postal Service vehicle repairs.

Staff Writer Ed O'Keefe pens, "The wheels are literally falling off at the Postal Service, and it's getting more expensive to fix them, according to a report by the agency's auditors."

He goes on to say, "Most of the Postal Service's right-hand-drive delivery trucks, known as long-life vehicles (LLVs), are nearing the end of a 24-year life cycle, and the agency estimates that it would cost $4.2 billion -- or $30,000 a truck -- to replace them. The big price tag and plummeting revenue caused the Postal Service to delay buying new vehicles until 2018."

According to the article, "Auditors discovered that about 19,000 trucks required an average of $5,600 in maintenance, with the cost rising to as much as $43,000. Repairs ranged from complete reconstruction to minor fixes, the report said. Postal officials told auditors that they plan to start replacing broken trucks more often next year and that they will remind maintenance staff and district managers to keep costs under control."

To read the entire piece, click here.