Postal Service Has No Cash for Needed New Trucks, GAO Says
GAO estimates it would cost $5.8 billion to replace the USPS’ entire delivery fleet, or $3.5 billion to refurbish it, using 2005 numbers.
Funds that could be used were already spent buying 40,000 flexible-fuel vehicles and minivans that use E85, a fuel that is an 85% ethanol blend, a fuel that is difficult to find around the country, the report said.
The USPS has met a 75% requirement for alternative fuel vehicles, but cannot put them on the road. Using E85 also can be costly because the fuel is less fuel efficient, postal officials said.
The report said USPS has no option but to maintain the vehicles it has, but noted the cost of that is rising, too.
USPS has experienced small increases in maintenance costs over the past five years, about $2,600 per vehicle in fiscal 2010, GAO reported.
But the service is now paying for unscheduled maintenance because of vehicle breakdowns. In fiscal 2010, at least 31% of USPS’ vehicle maintenance costs were for unscheduled maintenance — 11% more than budgeted, GAO said.
