The USPS Is in Hot Water Over New Mail Truck
In 2015, the United States Postal Service announced that it was on the hunt for a new mail truck to make deliveries. And after years of bidding and some controversy, the Oshkosh Next Generation Delivery Vehicle, or NGDV, appears to be on the way. The NGDV is set to replace the Grumman LLV, which has been serving the agency since the 1980s. And while we are sad to see the LLV go, we are excited to see how the new Oshkosh will be able to handle its new job. It appears not everyone is happy, though; over 15 different states are suing to halt purchases of the USPS mail truck.
Which package carrier was sued by multiple states?
USPS is currently facing legal trouble initiated by 16 different states. These states have sued the postal service in order to halt the purchasing of gas-powered mail trucks from Oshkosh. The states involved in these lawsuits range from California to Maine. And the goal is to encourage this federal agency to buy more EV mail trucks instead of ones equipped with a combustion engine.
By design, the USPS has a fair amount of autonomy when compared to other government organizations. This is why it was able to circumvent various pressure from the Biden administration to electrify its fleet.
What’s wrong with the Oshkosh NGDV?
The NGDV should have the capability and utility to handle life as a mail truck, but apparently, efficiency is not something that it does well. According to Car and Driver, this new mail truck has only marginally improved efficiency when compared to the outgoing LLV. Additionally, the EPA has concerns with how impact studies were conducted.
The USPS hopes to replace its fleet of aging trucks over the next decade. But, its current orders do not meet President Biden’s executive order to make EV models more common in government fleets. Still, some NGDV trucks that are on order will be electric, and hopefully, if they see success, more will be purchased by the postal service.
What states are suing the USPS?
Currently, 16 different states have entered into lawsuits against the postal service. States suing include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. It is unclear what the various lawsuits will lead to or if they will be successful.
The end goal appears to be to get the USPS to switch a majority of orders from combustion mail trucks to EV mail trucks. This would help the organization to function more efficiently and to enter the modern automotive world.
When will USPS receive the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle?
Although there have been some slowdowns getting the new mail truck ordered, in the coming years the USPS is expected to take delivery of the Oshkosh NGDV. The postal service’s fleet of trucks makes up a large portion of the vehicles that the federal government owns. So, in my personal opinion, the more EV models the better.
EV mail trucks could help to cut down on things like pollution, plus getting mail delivered by an electrified truck would be just plain cool. Though, the cool factor is probably not why 16 states are currently suing the USPS.
