Today, the House of Representatives voted by voice to pass the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) to require the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to collect, track, and publicly report information related to deaths and injuries resulting from traffic crashes involving vehicles transporting mail. The legislation is co-led by Congressman James Comer (R-KY), the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
Over the last three years, at least 79 people have been killed in crashes involving trucks contracted by the Postal Service. The number of lives lost could be even higher as, last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that USPS did not track and report serious crashes involving its trucking contractors.
“For too long, the Postal Service has taken an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach to truck safety,” said Connolly. “This legislation is about saving lives and protecting families on our nation’s roads. I am thrilled we’ve taken this big step toward getting it to the President’s desk, and I want to thank Chairman Comer for his continued partnership on that front.”
In May 2023, Connolly urged the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) to investigate the safety of freight contract trucking practices at the Postal Service. The OIG released a report in response to Connolly’s request. The report found that the Postal Service still does not have a single written policy requiring the tracking of trucking contractor accidents and fatalities. The OIG’s number one recommendation was that the Postal Service establish a method for tracking contractor accident and fatality data and establish corresponding written policies and procedures for such a tracking system. The Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act would codify that recommendation by requiring the tracking and reporting of serious crashes and fatalities related to the transport of U.S. postal mail.
Connolly outlined the importance of the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act in a March, 2024 OpEd for The Hill.
Text of the legislation is available here.