Monday, June 21, 2010

Car replacement being searched for by US Postal Service

Most automobiles in the US Postal Service really need this. They were intended with a 24 year life cycle and are just getting old. $ 4.2 billion is what would be required to replace all of the vehicles. Is replacement the only option?

Article Source: U.S. Postal Service searching for vehicle replacement By Car Deal Expert

LLVs Postal Service

The right handed delivery trucks that the postal service uses are known as LLVs — Long Life Autos. The trucks had a 24 year life cycle. That 24 year cycle is almost over. The Postal Service Inspector General explained that, over the next eight years, the Postal Service would spend more repairing the vehicles than replacing them.

Repairing USPS automobiles price

The US Postal Service spent $ 524 million on LLV repairs in 2009. Instead of replacing them, it is usually better to just repair them. The average repair bill for each LLV is about $ 5,600, with some repair bills going as high as $ 40,000. The autos do not usually require specialized maintenance, although the right-handed driving setup can cause more expensive maintenance at times.

How to replace the LLV fleet

The cost to benefit comparison of continuing to repair the LLV fleet is quickly turning upside down. Within the next eight years, the postal service will really lose quite a bit of money if it repairs instead of replaces any automobiles that have a repair bill of a lot more than $ 3,500. Straight-across replacement of the full LLV fleet would cost $ 30,000 per truck.

Testing Postal Service car alternatives

New alternatives for the Postal Service are being researched. The USPS has offered a $ 50,000 reward to firms for providing a working prototype of a USPS car by August. Letter carriers in numerous other areas are testing three-wheeled electric automobiles, bicycles, and more traditional minivan-style cars for delivering the mail, rain or shine.



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