Focus On

The Postal Service is in the process of acquiring new delivery vehicles, including electric vehicles, to replace its aging delivery fleet. While some will be commercial, off-the-shelf vehicles, most will be Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs), which are purpose built to the Postal Service’s specifications. The OIG has published several reports about the Postal Service’s purchase process and preparations. In 2014, we found the Postal Service had not fully implemented its strategy for replacing delivery vehicles because of funding constraints. We recommended USPS continue to pursue its short-term plan of buying some new vehicles each year, while it worked to finalize its long-term plan.

Since 2009, the OIG has a done substantial amount of work in the area of employee pension and retiree health liabilities. This Focus On provides an overview of that work.

Highway transportation is the main method the Postal Service uses to move mail between processing facilities and from processing facilities to delivery units. Contract highway transportation accounted for $6.1 billion in costs in fiscal year (FY) 2022, 59 percent of total purchased transportation costs. In addition, the Postal Service spent $1.2 billion on labor, supplies, and other costs for its…

In response to the ongoing concern about postal services in rural areas, the OIG has published a series of reports on this topic. We found rural postal customers value and have a greater interest in using the mail compared to urban customers. The relative size of rural areas is important. Rural areas are geographically dispersed across the country and comprise 88 percent of the area served by the…

Read this paper to learn more about rural customers need and want from USPS In response to the ongoing concern about postal services in rural areas, the OIG has published a series of reports on this topic.