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Getting a postal vehicle

Blue

Member
I am going to be getting a route that requires a POV. In order for me to purchase a RHD I will have to dip into my savings for purchasing a home. My family and I currently live in a 5th wheel so I REALLY don't want to use my savings for a car right now. Is there any way to get a postal vehicle assigned to the route? The current regular on the route told me that years ago the PO offered her an LLV and that she refused it saying it would be unsafe on her route. My PM tells me that the route will have a postal vehicle in about 4 years. So here I am thinking that I will need to get a RHD with my savings and then have to sell it in 4 years in a market that doesn't want them anymore. From what I hear, rural offices will be getting older city vehicles over the next few years. The car I am using now has a lot of issues and kills my back and shoulders. I don't think I could do a full time route out of it. Is there any way to get a postal vehicle because of considerable financial difficulty providing your own? Lol. I highly doubt it but I am needing to check it out just in case. Thank you!
 
I am going to be getting a route that requires a POV. In order for me to purchase a RHD I will have to dip into my savings for purchasing a home. My family and I currently live in a 5th wheel so I REALLY don't want to use my savings for a car right now. Is there any way to get a postal vehicle assigned to the route? The current regular on the route told me that years ago the PO offered her an LLV and that she refused it saying it would be unsafe on her route. My PM tells me that the route will have a postal vehicle in about 4 years. So here I am thinking that I will need to get a RHD with my savings and then have to sell it in 4 years in a market that doesn't want them anymore. From what I hear, rural offices will be getting older city vehicles over the next few years. The car I am using now has a lot of issues and kills my back and shoulders. I don't think I could do a full time route out of it. Is there any way to get a postal vehicle because of considerable financial difficulty providing your own? Lol. I highly doubt it but I am needing to check it out just in case. Thank you!
No PM has any idea when, or if, they are getting LLV's or any other pv delivered.

I would not, under any circumstances, go into house savings to buy a mail vehicle.

Beg borrow or steal $2000.00 and get a 2005 Escape or the such.
 
Are you going to be a Regular? If not, the whole POV route and vehicle issue is very critical to consider. Enough that some might prefer to try and locate another (non POV) postal job in some cases.
So much depends on the route, road conditions, and your ability as a mechanic. If its paved, short, etc and you can change break pads, its way different than the horrific 100+mile gravel nightmares some of us face.
There will be lots of good, varied advice from the highly experienced folks around here, to be sure.
Finding a reliable low mileage vehicle and having a RHD kit might be the more economical option.
 
Goin-Postal -- [never got an LLV that was "promised" ]

-- Unfortunately, there are a few things to remember regarding the USPS:

-- The routes belongs to the USPS.

-- The LLV's belong to the USPS.

-- Placement of LLV's usually is made at the District level.

-- While there are references in handbooks and manuals, such as:

a. Page 1 of the PO-603 -- Carrier responsibilities: 12.e. Providing and maintaining a vehicle ( if a USPS-owned/leased vehicle is not provided )....

b. Page 4 of the PO-603 -- Carrier Responsibilities: 141.1 Vehicle Requirements -- You are responsible for furnishing all vehicle equipment necessary for safe and prompt handling of the mail, unless a USPS-owned/leased vehicle is assigned to the route.

c. Page 4 of the PO-603 -- Equipment and Supplies: 141.2 Vehicle Requirements - Your personnel vehicle......

d. M-38, Section 224.1 -- Managers must assure that, when required, rural carriers furnish a vehicle which is of sufficient capacity to accommodate the normal mail load.....

e. M-38, Section 224.2 -- Any regular rural carrier or substitute assigned to serve a rural route, who is required by management to furnish a vehicle for that route shall.....

f. Page 18 if the contract Article 9.2.J.5 -- Auxiliary Assistance and Auxiliary Rural Carriers. Unless a USPS owned or leased vehicle is provided, a leave replacement who is performing auxiliary assistance or is employed as an auxiliary rural carrier shall provided a vehicle...

g. One of the unofficial, long-standing "givens" of the postal service: an rural carrier is expected to have a route-capable vehicle from day one.

-- You are not going to find any reference that the USPS will supply a USPS-owned/leased vehicle for a route.

-- Which brings us to another postal "given": If manglement's lips are moving, most likely what ever is coming out is a lie.

"Its not like Jordanj16’s case where she was told the route would be getting one, mine was actually already dropped off there, waiting to be taken to my office."

-- In the harsh reality of the postal service, an LLV was never officially assigned to your route, so the LLV was never officially yours -- even if an LLV was delivered to a near by post office and supposedly destined for your route.

" Bet they won’t like it when the repairs mean l can’t work! "

-- About the only thing manglement will care about is finding someone to cover your route when your vehicle has broken down.

-- In fact, manglement will expect you to have a second route-capable vehicle in case your primary vehicle breaks down -- or for you to rent a vehicle.


A relatable quote from another thread that doesn't give much hope ^^^

Your handle implies you're a ptf so you're about to get the short end of the stick on this one unfortunately until someone else retires.

4 years is a long time, you probably have plans to purchase a vehicle. Read these threads for some important information to take into consideration




See mou #8
 
It's a tough call. They're distributing the Mercedes out.

I got a certified pre owned Subaru and purchased a bumper to bumper warranty. $20k out the door. I put in a pedal kit, used seat covers, and the real nice $25 door protector. After 2 1/2 years and 90k miles. I sold it. I did the basic maintenance, the warranty covered the rest(2 transmissions, passenger seat, a arms) After a full detail, you'd never know it was used for mail. It sold for $14k. I got 23 mpg on the route.

I took a 6k loss over 30 months. My 6 day ema was 400x50 weeks. I used 5 gallons fuel a day. 18 oil changes, 10 brake changes, 9 air filters, 1 set winter tires, 2 sets summer tires, 1 transmission/axle fluid change. $200/month payment.

That was as an rca. Ive given you some solid #s. I checked my local dealer and prices are not any different.

I got a Jeep thinking Mopars lifetime warranty would be a thing. But just like Table 2, they decided to not honor lifetime warranties anymore...
 
It's a tough call. They're distributing the Mercedes out.

I got a certified pre owned Subaru and purchased a bumper to bumper warranty. $20k out the door. I put in a pedal kit, used seat covers, and the real nice $25 door protector. After 2 1/2 years and 90k miles. I sold it. I did the basic maintenance, the warranty covered the rest(2 transmissions, passenger seat, a arms) After a full detail, you'd never know it was used for mail. It sold for $14k. I got 23 mpg on the route.

I took a 6k loss over 30 months. My 6 day ema was 400x50 weeks. I used 5 gallons fuel a day. 18 oil changes, 10 brake changes, 9 air filters, 1 set winter tires, 2 sets summer tires, 1 transmission/axle fluid change. $200/month payment.

That was as an rca. Ive given you some solid #s. I checked my local dealer and prices are not any different.

I got a Jeep thinking Mopars lifetime warranty would be a thing. But just like Table 2, they decided to not honor lifetime warranties anymore...
I've always had the Subaru idea in my head. Was just talking w/Reg about it. The big question is if there is a current Subaru out there that could handle Amazon?
Our carrier here at the house has been a Subaru guy forever, and he somehow manages it from the left! Cannot figure it out. But, we've got some awful roads, and he keeps it going. His route gets only small Amazon, though, as his route gives no hope of returning to the PO once he leaves.
 
I have a RHD 2000 Cherokee and A 98 left hand drive. Certainly they need work, but I can do minor fixes on route, and can wrench on some bigger things when I need to, I’m lucky to have a great mechanic to do bigger issues or when I’m lazy. 5 months a year the need for 4wd on the back roads is almost constant, and until the packages surged was able to cover a big route in one trip. the Constant abuse the jeeps take make me fear trying any newer rigs on these roads, I can’t see the new fragile rigs standing up to it, and I’m expecting a lot of mercedes are going to be breaking down even on aux routes in rural areas.
 
So far, I really like my 02 explorer (paid $2000 for it with 102k miles , it now has 138k miles)
And my 06 expedition (paid $5000 for it with 133k miles, it now has 137k miles on it).

I removed the center console on both, and have no conversions on either. They both sit roughly the same height (door ledge wise, Expedition is a lot taller tho, but door ledge is within an inch or 2 of each other).
I personally see no reason to buy a right hand drive. It’d be nice, but I wouldn’t dig into house funds for something like that. Right hand drives are pretty pricey if you ask me.
The only thing I really look for when purchasing a route vehicle is “it’s gotta have a steering column mounted shifter (no floor shifter allowed), and the passenger mirror NEEDS to fold in.” Those are my 2 main concerns. Center consoles are fairly easy to remove. I prefer an suv, oh yeah, I’m in bfny, so 4x4 is a must (so I guess I have 3 requirements) there ain’t no 2 wheel drive going to get me around here in the middle of some of our snow storms up here. (A few years back, Buffalo ny got 7 FEET of snow dumped on them in just 3 or 4 days... 7 feet. Not inches, Buffalo was shut down for many days. My area only got between a foot to 2 feet. We lucked out, but Buffalo got hit hard that year.) even a front wheel drive vehicle I wouldn’t trust as a route vehicle in our snow. 4x4 or I won’t buy it.
All in all, it really isn’t that bad driving a left hand drive vehicle from the right seat. My explorer, I just have an old couch cushion cut down to size to fit between the front seats. And for the expedition, I made a wooden box, about 7 inches tall to fit between the seats, and I use same couch cushion on top of the box, so that my 2 bucket seats are “almost” like a bench seat in both vehicles....

Give it a try. My first route vehicle only set me back 2 grand (And is still running strong) 35000 plus miles (mostly route miles, with a few K miles personal use). Ema driving the explorer got me more than enough to buy the expedition. So now, I swap out vehicles every month. One is with my mechanic making sure she’s good to go, next month, I swap out and leave it with mechanic to make sure she’s good to go. Change the oil, and make sure everything’s ready for next months abuse. I told my mechanic “don’t let her break down on me while I’m out there delivering mail. I know chit happens, but you find problems before they happen and fix em.your job is to keep me delivering mail.”
A word of advise. Run 10 ply truck tires on everything!!! I’ve picked up more flat tires on passenger load rated tires than I care to count. (My expedition, I’m on flat #4 now...... passenger rated tires was on it when I bought it, and I’m gonna run them bald, but E load rated tires will go on it when these junk tires are bald). I had several flats on my explorer to. Once those tires was bald, I got E load tires, and (knock on wood), haven’t had a flat in her yet.

Oh yeah, gas milage sux azz in the expedition. 5.4 liter v8, I get between 9 and 11 mpg delivering mail (right now, it depends on wether ac is running or not). With my 4 liter v6 explorer, it ranged from 11-14 mpg delivering mail. 11 was in full time 4x4 during the winter. 12 during summer months running ac all day long. And 14 in spring and fall, no ac, no 4x4..... I’ll find out this winter how bad the expedition does in full time 4x4.
 
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