I was told today I will be getting one of the vans. I'm a 34 mile aux route. I have concerns over a possible huge reduction in pay, not just loss of EMA, but in evaluated time. My coworker regular (there are just 2 of us for the area in which we deliver) expressed concern over being counted if they were to get a van. My manager is trying to get one for the regular too. Does anyone know if I will be counted as soon as they bring in the van? Right now would be terrible with such low mail volume. Also, would I be held to the time standards for LLV routes? If you consider the cage situation, all of us getting vans should gain time! Think of how often we are going to need to get out. And I'm trying to envision how all the getting out is going to go. Are we supposed to stop the van before the mailbox, set the parking brake, curb the wheels, turn the vehicle off, unbuckle the seatbelt, step out onto the side of a road, which may be long grass and a ditch, or a busy, 55 mph road, or 2 feet of snow, slide open the door, find the package, walk it to the mailbox, scan it, return to the vehicle, buckle up, turn on the car, uncurb the wheels, release the parking brake, and do all that all over again at the next house with a package small enough to fit into a box, but not able to be within reach up front? I guess you could do all of it, minus walking the package to the box. You could retrieve it and get back into the driver's seat and deliver it from the van, but you're still getting out and going through all of those steps. Wouldn't time added to the route be legitimate with the new vans?
Drats! The New Vans!
- Thread starter Bukowski
- Start date
Jiminy Christmas
Well-known member
Maybe you can convince the PM to give the van to a city route and you get their LLV
Eeeeee. No LLV for me! I'm just wondering how time standards should be applied to working with a cage and how they want us to deliver parcels to boxes when we need to get out to obtain them. Did no one consider this when they designed the van? Sheesh.
And by this, you mean . . .?
By van you mean the Mercedes Metris, correct?
Pretty sure getting a RHD Gov vehicle does NOT trigger a count.
But It does trigger a reduction in DPS and FSS time.
You also gain inspection and refuel time (ball park 1 hr per week I think, but I've never dealt with it).
From what I've seen, there is quite a bit of room up front in the Metris. Keep a tray or two of small packages. Grab another tray when you go back for a big package. Should be doable...
Pretty sure getting a RHD Gov vehicle does NOT trigger a count.
But It does trigger a reduction in DPS and FSS time.
You also gain inspection and refuel time (ball park 1 hr per week I think, but I've never dealt with it).
From what I've seen, there is quite a bit of room up front in the Metris. Keep a tray or two of small packages. Grab another tray when you go back for a big package. Should be doable...
Bukowski -- [ time and $ loss from getting a Metris ]
-- All good questions.
-- Since the NRLCA has opened the doors to social media, why not send your questions to NRLCA HQ? ( better be a member if an answer is expected! )
-- If you will note on the 4241-M time comparison chart, RRECS only mentions "Inspect Government Vehicle" and "Fuel Vehicle" with no specific reference to LLV, FFV, or Metris. Granted, Metris came along after the August 2018 issue of the national magazine.
-- Have not seen nor heard of any NRLCA efforts to change / redo RRECS LLV "standards" and apply them to the Metris. Anyone??
-- More than likely both the USPS and NRLCA will just consider the Metris a "postal-provided" vehicle.
-- Don't forget it was all but impossible to get to the cargo area from the cab of the FFV. ( never used one, but did get to inspect one - long ago )
-- Diving deeper in the the 4241-M tables:
- Case DPS Letters - With ( and without ) Gov Vehicle = 0.0294 mpp and that is only for second-run DPS and fewer than 400 pieces per day
- Case DPS Flats - Without Gov Vehicle = 0.0708 mpp -- weekly average from EOR
- Case DPS Flats - With Gov Vehicle = 0.0708 mpp -- Weekly average from EOR - LHD Gov vehicle only! ( what about RHD Gov vehicle? )
-- Reload / Unload time standards S053, S054, S059, and S060 refer to retrieving items from behind bulkhead which will be hard to do with the wire cage separating the two areas. Maybe they will just go with retrieving items from the rear and or add "side doors".
" Van≠LLV"
-- Could be the Metris van is not equal to an LLV.
-- Supposedly the Metris has more cargo space, plus 2 shelves, plus the wire cage that separates the driver area from the cargo area.
-- All good questions.
-- Since the NRLCA has opened the doors to social media, why not send your questions to NRLCA HQ? ( better be a member if an answer is expected! )
-- If you will note on the 4241-M time comparison chart, RRECS only mentions "Inspect Government Vehicle" and "Fuel Vehicle" with no specific reference to LLV, FFV, or Metris. Granted, Metris came along after the August 2018 issue of the national magazine.
-- Have not seen nor heard of any NRLCA efforts to change / redo RRECS LLV "standards" and apply them to the Metris. Anyone??
-- More than likely both the USPS and NRLCA will just consider the Metris a "postal-provided" vehicle.
-- Don't forget it was all but impossible to get to the cargo area from the cab of the FFV. ( never used one, but did get to inspect one - long ago )
-- Diving deeper in the the 4241-M tables:
- Case DPS Letters - With ( and without ) Gov Vehicle = 0.0294 mpp and that is only for second-run DPS and fewer than 400 pieces per day
- Case DPS Flats - Without Gov Vehicle = 0.0708 mpp -- weekly average from EOR
- Case DPS Flats - With Gov Vehicle = 0.0708 mpp -- Weekly average from EOR - LHD Gov vehicle only! ( what about RHD Gov vehicle? )
-- Reload / Unload time standards S053, S054, S059, and S060 refer to retrieving items from behind bulkhead which will be hard to do with the wire cage separating the two areas. Maybe they will just go with retrieving items from the rear and or add "side doors".
" Van≠LLV"
-- Could be the Metris van is not equal to an LLV.
-- Supposedly the Metris has more cargo space, plus 2 shelves, plus the wire cage that separates the driver area from the cargo area.
PostalServiceEmployeeNewman
Well-known member
They GOTTA get rid of that stupid ass cage.
Ive used their old vans that had a cage. Its horrific. I ran parcels and had to write them all down on a piece of paper because i had no idea what i had because i couldnt just reach from behind.
Ive used their old vans that had a cage. Its horrific. I ran parcels and had to write them all down on a piece of paper because i had no idea what i had because i couldnt just reach from behind.
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Rt2mailman
Well-known member
All aux. Route's will be counted.
flash
Well-known member
The metal tray fits 3 postal trays, and clearly you can stack on top at least 2 more, 2 deep, but would need room for empties.... relax and enjoy cruisin in the Benz........
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Voglio-il mio
Well-known member
I agree with you the VAN should have its own set of Time Standards due to its configuration and the cage separating the front from the back. Its evaluation would most likely fall somewhere in between POV and LLV!
Voglio-il mio
Well-known member
Van "Not equal to" LLV
100% ^^^^^^
That cage will be a nightmare for most if not all carriers including me. As someone who runs POV & LLV routes equally. The nice part of the LLV for me is that I can put 3 trays in the tray (I.E. DPS, flats, SPR (small packages)) or (DPS & flats together, SPR, & little bigger packages or papers on paper day) then I can put packages that are bigger but fit between the chair and under the tray in order so when I stop at a house, all I have to do is grab and go. Then when I get back to LLV, I just look down and I know where my bigger packages goes. Once I run out of them, go back and grab the next batch to move up there. If I have that cage in, have to stop, go to back, find it, and go. It will slow me down so much. Then I will have to write it down or something because I will forget them. At least with LLV I can glance at them and move them up by me
invictus1440
New member
I completely agree! I am a 40k and supposedly my van is coming next week. I would rather keep my pov. Still trying to figure out how much my eval is going to go down.
Twomoreyears
Well-known member
I’m supposed to get the van too but I don’t know when. I’m actually looking forward to it 
:
- I pay out of my pocket now to maintain two RHD vehicles (primary and back up) for my route. I’m gonna save an estimated $250/mo. And the hassle of maintenance is gone. I’ve heard the reduction in eval time due to govt vehicle Dps is almost a wash when adding back in fueling and inspection time that we don’t get now with a POV.
- I currently have an old postal van as my back up rig with the cage in it that I converted to RHD. I was able to turn the cage around backwards and push it back about 3 1/2 feet to act as a divider to keep things from sliding around and to put some larger packages. Then I cut a rectangle out of that to fit longer parcels. I doubt the post office will let us alter the cage on the metris but I will ask. If not, I think there will be room up front on the tray table for some smaller SPRs in addition to mail. The bigger ones will be an issue, I agree. Just do the best you can and be organized.
- Also having to not make second trips in my Wrangler is going to be nice. And this van is brand new. My biggest issue is when we get snow/ice and how it will handle in that weather. We don’t get a lot of bad weather but still some. Also it’s going to be awkward how you shift into reverse and drive on the arm (normally where the blinkers are).
All in all I’m looking forward to it,
:- I pay out of my pocket now to maintain two RHD vehicles (primary and back up) for my route. I’m gonna save an estimated $250/mo. And the hassle of maintenance is gone. I’ve heard the reduction in eval time due to govt vehicle Dps is almost a wash when adding back in fueling and inspection time that we don’t get now with a POV.
- I currently have an old postal van as my back up rig with the cage in it that I converted to RHD. I was able to turn the cage around backwards and push it back about 3 1/2 feet to act as a divider to keep things from sliding around and to put some larger packages. Then I cut a rectangle out of that to fit longer parcels. I doubt the post office will let us alter the cage on the metris but I will ask. If not, I think there will be room up front on the tray table for some smaller SPRs in addition to mail. The bigger ones will be an issue, I agree. Just do the best you can and be organized.
- Also having to not make second trips in my Wrangler is going to be nice. And this van is brand new. My biggest issue is when we get snow/ice and how it will handle in that weather. We don’t get a lot of bad weather but still some. Also it’s going to be awkward how you shift into reverse and drive on the arm (normally where the blinkers are).
All in all I’m looking forward to it,
invictus1440
New member
I’m supposed to get the van too but I don’t know when. I’m actually looking forward to it
- I pay out of my pocket now to maintain two RHD vehicles (primary and back up) for my route. I’m gonna save an estimated $250/mo. And the hassle of maintenance is gone. I’ve heard the reduction in eval time due to govt vehicle Dps is almost a wash when adding back in fueling and inspection time that we don’t get now with a POV.
- I currently have an old postal van as my back up rig with the cage in it that I converted to RHD. I was able to turn the cage around backwards and push it back about 3 1/2 feet to act as a divider to keep things from sliding around and to put some larger packages. Then I cut a rectangle out of that to fit longer parcels. I doubt the post office will let us alter the cage on the metris but I will ask. If not, I think there will be room up front on the tray table for some smaller SPRs in addition to mail. The bigger ones will be an issue, I agree. Just do the best you can and be organized.
- Also having to not make second trips in my Wrangler is going to be nice. And this van is brand new. My biggest issue is when we get snow/ice and how it will handle in that weather. We don’t get a lot of bad weather but still some. Also it’s going to be awkward how you shift into reverse and drive on the arm (normally where the blinkers are).
All in all I’m looking forward to it,
I know we get 30mins for the inspection time. What do we get for fueling?
