Bnited States Senate
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
April 23, 2015
‘The Honorable Megan J. Brennan
Postmaster General
United States Postal Service
475 L"Enfant Plaza S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20260
Dear Postmaster General Brennan:
We applaud the United States Postal Service's (USPS) recent issuance of a Request for
Information for Next Generation Delivery Vehicle Acquisition Program, and recognize that this
is an important first step toward modernizing the USPS fleet. This transition provides USPS with
a unique opportunity to lead the country in the use of safer, more fuel efficient vehicles, made in
the United States. We urge you to invest in cutting-edge vehicle improvements that will reduce
emissions, decrease accidents, and save lives in communities across the country.
Last year, the General Services Administration (GSA) and the National Highway and
‘Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) formed a partnership to test and evaluate
potential vehicle safety devices on GSA-leased vehicles in order to improve safety across the
federal government's vehicle fleet. Since USPS operates approximately 190,000 vehicles, new
crash avoidance devices would have the potential to significantly reduce accidents, yielding
serious cost savings as a result. For example, modern camera technology and radar can be used
to warn drivers when a collision is imminent. Automatic braking can also help reduce accidents
by cutting down on driver delays in response time, Borrowing on the success of the GSA-
NHTSA partnership, we urge you to consider market ready collision avoidance technologies as.
well as collision avoidance technologies that will be available in the near term, in the proposals
for a replacement USPS fleet.
Ata time when budgets are tight, itis in our best interest to find creative ways to make prudent
investments that save taxpayers money. Investing in proven safety technologies to reduce the rate
of expensive accidents in the USPS fleet should be a priority. As you know, in recent years there
have been over 20,000 motor vehicle accidents involving USPS vehicles annually. The United
States is a world leader in innovation and we have an opportunity to integrate cutting edge
technical solutions to improve service to the public, increase safety and ultimately savings. To
that end, we seek your feedback on the following questions to help better inform us on how
Congress might be helpful throughout this process:
1. What steps is the USPS taking to consider fleet safety improvements, including the
use of market-ready crash avoidance technologies, as well as crash avoidance
technologies that will be available in the near term?2. What role can Congress play in helping to expedite the acquisition of a safe, efficient
replacement fleet?
3. What role could a Public-Private Partnership play in implementing solutions-based
‘transportation safety improvements in the replacement fleet?
4, What efforts are you making to ensure the new fleet will cut down on et
increase fuel efficiency?
ions and
Please keep us informed as the process moves forward. Again, we commend your efforts to
modernize the USPS vehicle fleet, and we look forward to working with you on this important
effort.
Sincerely,
Cory A. Booker F rian Schatz Gary
United States Senator United States Senator United States Senator