The reason why Mail Trucks have no license plates

If you have ever been held behind a post truck in traffic, you may have noticed that it has no license plates. Although the United States Postal Service (USPS) is an almost universal requirement for everyone else on the street, the US postal service (USPS) works under different rules. So what is so special about the USPS? On its website, USPS explains: “The congress offered the postal supply service on the market operating authority, except for most federal laws and regulations.” While USPS is exempt from many federal laws, including the registration of vehicles and the procurement regulations, laws such as safety regulations in the workplace and the anti-discrimination laws continue to apply to USPS operations.

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The lack of license plates is not the only unusual one that you may have discovered on a postal car. In contrast to most US cars, many USPS vehicles have the driver's seat on the right. This is designed in such a way that the e -mail delivery becomes more efficient and secure, since postal providers can easily access mailboxes along the curb without leaving the vehicle. However, left drives are not a legal requirement for normal drivers, while state plates are certainly.

Just because a post -truck does not have a license plate does not mean that it is difficult to identify. Instead of plates, Mail Trucks have a clear serial number printed on the front and back. These seven -digit figures enable the USPS to pursue and manage the vehicles, which can record mechanics and postal workers, report mechanical problems and be able to pursue the vehicle history efficiently. It is also used in cases of traffic accidents, violations of traffic law and theft so that law enforcement agencies and USPs officers can identify the specific vehicle. Mail Trucks are quite easy to identify due to their distinctive shape and branding.

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Most USPS email trucks are Grumman Long Life Vehicles (LLVs), which have been the backbone of the postal fleet since the late 1980s. These trucks produced by the Grumman Aerospace Corporation between 1987 and 1994 were specially developed for postal delivery. An interesting fact about the seven -digit number is that you can see how old a truck is according to its license number. The first number of the serial number of a USPS truck shows its age, with the numbers 7 to 4 indicated from 1987 to 1994. Since the latest LLVs have also been in operation for over 30 years, USPS has started to try them out and replace them with the next generation vehicles. NGDVs are also freed from the need for number plates.

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Since the post -reorganization law of 1970, USPS trucks have not needed any number plates that have been signed by President Richard Nixon in the law. The law transformed the old postal department into an independent agency of the federal government and named it into the US postal service. It is said that “no federal law on public or federal contracts, property, work, civil servants, employees, budgets or funds apply to the exercise of the powers of the postal service.” This exception enables the USPS to set their own guidelines in terms of vehicle identification and to eliminate the requirements for standard number plates.

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However, it does not mean that USPS trucks are not precisely regulated by regular license plates. USPS vehicles are exempt from state vehicle insurance laws and self-insured, which means that the USPS assumes financial responsibility for all incidents in which its vehicles are involved. This is possible due to its enormous scaling and resources that enable him to manage risks without external insurance policies internally.

There are some exceptions to vehicles covered by the law. If you live in a rural area, your post is sometimes delivered by an employee of rural area who often offers cover for postal workers and will probably use your personal vehicles for deliveries. You have to display license plates and take out insurance, just like everyone else.

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