USPS to modernize vehicle fleet

by | May 5, 2015 | Direct Mail

By Terry Ross from Corpus Christi, Texas, United States (p1180833 Uploaded by berichard) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Terry Ross from Corpus Christi, Texas, United States (p1180833 Uploaded by berichard) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Fiscal Times reports that the United States Post Office will soon upgrade its relatively old fleet of vechicles (which hail from the late 1980s to early 1990s) in a bid to improve reliability, fuel efficiency and environmental friendliness.

According to the article, “the new generation of trucks will require the standing room and shelving for packages like UPS and FedEx trucks. In addition, it will have safety features like ABS brakes missing on the older fleet but now standard for vehicles.”

While established auto makers such as Ford, Fiat/Chrysler, Nissan, and Freightliner are expected to submit prototypes for consideration, the USPS will also consider entries from smaller electric vehicle companies such as ZAP Jonway, Emerald Automotive and AMP Holding.

The cost of modernizing the USPS fleet of some 211,000 vehicles is estimated to be between $5 – $6 billion. Currently, annual vehicle maintenance costs comprise $1.1 billion; vehicle modernization is projected to save the USPS about $22 million per year.

Having a more efficient vehicle fleet in place will improve delivery performance as well as keep fleet lifetime costs down, putting the USPS in a good position to compete against private package carriers.