OIG compares USPS fleet replacement strategies with foreign posts
A recently-published report from United States Postal Services (USPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has found that the US postal delivery fleet replacement strategies were “either consistent with or as compelling as the best practices and strategies used by foreign posts”. The OIG said that it would not be making any recommendations, but it did offer the “four best
practices and strategies used by the foreign posts” which it felt “might be useful for the Postal Service to consider as it plans to acquire new vehicles”.
Specifically, said the OIG, the foreign posts primarily:
- purchased/leased vehicles annually within a three- to nine-year replacement cycle
- operated their vehicles primarily on diesel/bio-diesel fuels, with limited investments in other green technologies
- outsourced vehicle maintenance and repair as part of a vehicle lease agreement
- acquired alternative delivery vehicles for letter and small parcel distribution in urban areas.
The OIG said that the USPS, in contrast, planned to buy vehicles over a 12-year period and it primarily uses in-house vehicle maintenance facilities (in its reply to the report, USPS pointed out that it uses a mix of in-house and outsource maintenance). The OIG added that the USPS also does not plan to invest in “alternative” delivery vehicles like e-bikes or e-trikes.
As previously reported, the US Postal Innovation Act has called for the USPS to take a “greener” approach to its delivery fleet renewal programme.
The foreign posts whose delivery fleet strategies were considered for the OIG report were Posti, Postnord, Royal Mail, Deutsche Post and Swiss Post.
Click here to access a copy of the OIG report.
