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. The next year, the Postal Service issued a Request for Information (RFI) launching the NGDV acquisition process.
We then benchmarked the Postal Service’s delivery vehicle replacement practices against foreign posts’ best practices and determined they were generally consistent with or as compelling as foreign posts’ best practices. We did, however, identify some best practices USPS could consider, including exploring alternatives to gasoline-fueled vehicles, outsourcing maintenance, and acquiring alternative vehicles such as e‑bikes and e-trikes in urban areas.