The USPS does not provide vehicles to most rural letter carriers. These carriers must provide their own personal vehicles to carry the mail on their routes.
2006-09-10 15:40:07 · 9 answers · asked by dusty179 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
The USPS is required to provide a certain number of vehicles (LLV or FFV) each year on rural routes. Currently, about 1/3 of rural routes are provided vehicles. Almost of all the routes with vehicles are less than 21 miles and primarily paved.
It costs the Postal Service about .92/mile to provide a vehicle. Under the current EMA (mileage allowance), stop chart EMA ranges from about $21.00to $29.00 per day. It doesn't make economic sense to the Postal Service to provide a vehicle on a route when it will cost them more than EMA, yet it does make sense on shorter routes.
There are also practical reasons. A LLV must be serviced at a VMF and fueled at a contracted station. Towing costs for servicing/breakdowns in remote locations can get very expensive. LLV's are horrible in the snow , on washboard roads and prone to rollover on steep hills. They wouldn't be Long Life on the roads that rural carriers are required to drive.
Rural carriers are a bit of a weird breed. We take pride in getting the job done, on our own, no matter what. However, it would be a big help in hiring new carriers if vehicles were provided to all carriers.
2006-09-13 18:00:19 · answer #1 · answered by ditsyquoin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are many pitfalls to being a Rural Letter Carrier, one of them is the need to supply your own vehicle. City Letter Carriers on the other hand, are provided vehicles, are paid by the hour, don't have to sell stamps and are paid overtime.
2006-09-11 11:59:36 · answer #2 · answered by MJ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
These rural route carriers have to bid on their routes to get them. They know already that they are not supplied a vehicle before they bid. And they get paid well enough to not worry about wearing things out, or having to replace them.
2006-09-10 15:44:54 · answer #3 · answered by knownothing 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Would cost to much money to buy, maintain and build a place to store all the vehicles, it is much cheaper to pay rural carriers a mileage expense. Most carriers prefer this, they get extra money and do not have to report to and return to a motor pool every day.
2006-09-10 15:48:44 · answer #4 · answered by Julie A 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it has to do with rural routes and the carriers I think are considered contract employees on rural routes not full time employees (as you notice most don't wear the employee clothing also)
2006-09-10 15:46:04 · answer #5 · answered by gearbox 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rural Route's are bid on by sub contractors who also supply their own vehicle as part of the bid.
2006-09-14 13:53:47 · answer #6 · answered by Norman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who needs snail mail anymore?
2016-03-27 06:19:15 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are being well compensated for using their vehicles.
2006-09-10 15:45:27 · answer #8 · answered by Trollhair 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They get paid a per-mile reimbursement. Don't worry, they ain't losin' money on it...
2006-09-10 15:43:20 · answer #9 · answered by christopher s 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋