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Pushing the Envelope Blog

Driving the Rural Delivery Route

Date: 02/07/22 | Category: Finances: Cost & Revenue

The U.S. Postal Service has almost 80,000 rural delivery routes serviced by some 133,000 rural letter carriers. For some of those routes, USPS provides the vehicle; for others, the carrier uses a private vehicle and receives a maintenance allowance from the Postal Service for wear and tear. In fiscal year (FY) 2020, the Postal Service paid out nearly $583 million in maintenance allowances — a rise of $71 million, or 13 percent, over FY 2015.

Not long ago, the Postal Service started converting some private-vehicle rural routes to USPS-vehicle routes, estimating the change would save $888 million over six years. For a recent audit, we reviewed a sample of these completed conversions nationwide as well as future conversions, and found that the Postal Service’s strategy for these changes was generally effective. We also discovered a few shortcomings.

For instance, maximum savings weren’t realized because USPS wasn’t implementing conversions in a timely manner, and we determined that some of the future conversions wouldn’t be the most cost-effective. We made a couple recommendations to improve the process, and Postal Service management agreed with both.

Are you a rural letter carrier, or do you know one? How does a USPS-vehicle route compare with the private-vehicle route? Does one seem more cost-effective from your point of view?

Leave a Comment

Your Name
Roger McCain
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
I am a regular carrier in rural Oklahoma. In my opinion, changing these rural routes to GOV vehicles would be catastrophic. These rural roads are not all weather roads, we must maintain a 4X4 vehicle with 10 ply mud grip tires to just make it thru our routes anytime the weather is bad. Not to mention to get thru not only mud and snow, but also deep dry sand and rough terrain. Our EMA doesn’t actually cover all the extra maintenance and repair cost we actually incurr on a monthly basis. It would definitely be a grave mistake financially if the postal service went all GOV routes in the rural areas!
Your Name
Connie Perkins-Brown
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
I don’t believe putting postal vehicles on all routes is cost effective for the post office. I have a rhd Jeep. In one week I had four flat tires. That would mean giving me wait time for sitting there waiting for someone to bring me a tire. I’ve had a government vehicle before and the wait time can be over an hour. I also have had to use my four wheel drive on my route. None of the government vehicles that have been proposed have four wheel drive. That means sending a tow truck out to get me along with wait time. My route is 69 miles long. While I think it’s good in theory I don’t think it’s appropriate for all routes.
Your Name
Jan McGhee
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
I believe every route needs a government supplied vehicle. It would make hiring and retention a lot better for the rural side. The biggest downside for the rural carrier position, is having to supply a vehicle for the route. It would also cut down on multiple trips, because it’s almost impossible to find a private vehicle that can handle the new workloads.
Your Name
Mike W Shue
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
As a retired rural carrier who had a POV route my whole career, I can say that USPS did not provide enough EMA to cover the costs of owning, operating, and maintaining a POV for delivery, leaving the carrier to spent tremendous costs out of pocket over a career. Plus most carriers had to keep a second, or back-up vehicle. However, with the current fleet of worn out LLVs, it is hard to believe using these is cost effective as they are in a constant state of disrepair.
Your Name
LeAnn Argo
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
I think USPS vehicles would help us be able to hire more RCAs for rural routes, its very hard for someone to come off the street and have to find a vehicle they can deliver in, as for my self, a 22yr Rural carrier, I would love to not have to worry about keeping up a vehicle for the post office.
Your Name
Patricia Baxter
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
The post office needs to provide vehicles for every route. It is becoming almost impossible to find a pov to use unless you by a rhd and the jeeps are to small for the package volume. Imports are already 25 years old.
Your Name
Rita Wahl
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
I am a rural carrier and I would like my own vehicle because the roads I travel on my route in the winter are horrible and I have a 4x4 Jeep RHD.
Your Name
Breanna Flanagan
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
The metris vans they propose would never make it on my rural route!! I think it would cost them more in the long run.
Your Name
Sonya D Sutton
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
I would have to say, a USPS provided vehicle for rural carriers would be a major plus for us carriers. Many times, cost of a vehicle, insurance, maintenance all the way around for the carrier far exceeds the allowance. Not to mention, having to use annual leave to repair our delivery vehicle.
Your Name
Aaron Withrow
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
I believe it would be cost savings not for just the post office but the carriers because of the additional need to have right side drive setups installed and most the time on the carriers cost and the cost of maintenance in a LLV is much cheaper then those in a modernized vehicle some of the routes in WV still use our own vehicles and I hope to someday have a LLV for my route
Your Name
TANO ELVIS
Feb 7, 2022
Your Comment
Good job
Feb 17, 2023
Your Comment
All but 1 route has a postal vehicle at my office. It’s straining because no one has a vehicle and we have to split the route every day or drive and stick that route (someone drive while the other is in the passenger seat putting mail in) which I think is unsafe. If all other routes have an llv why can’t this one? No one wants to bid on the route because of it!