The US Postal Service is looking for a automobile replacement

Most vehicles within the US Postal Service really need this. The autos were intended with a 24-year life cycle, and are simply getting old. $ 4.2 billion is what would be required to replace all of the vehicles. Is the replacement going to be the only option?

Article Resource: U.S. Postal Service looking for car replacement By Car Deal Expert

Postal service LLVs

LLV stands for Long Life Cars and is the kind of truck the Postal Service uses. The trucks had a 24 year life cycle. That 24 year lifecycle is coming to a close. The Postal Service Inspector General has said that, over the next eight years, the Postal Service would spend a lot more repairing the vehicles than replacing them.

The price of repairing all of the USPS vehicles

In 2009 alone, the Postal Service spent $ 524 million on LLV repair. Generally it is better to repair vehicles rather than replace them. The average repair bill for each LLV is about $ 5,600, with some repair bills going as high as $ 40,000. The cars do not usually require specialized maintenance, though 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. In the next eight years, the postal service will actually lose money if it repairs instead of replaces any vehicles that have a repair bill of more than $ 3,500. To replace the trucks straight across, it would cost $ 30,000.

Trying to test alternatives for Postal Service vehicles

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