The Postal Service has ordered more than 9,000 cargo vans from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, part of a broad effort to invest in new vehicles and equipment for USPS.
Fiat Chrysler will supply the Postal Service with 9,113 Ram ProMaster 2500 cargo vans. The 2016 vehicles are equipped with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine rated at 280-horsepower and 260 pound feet of torque.
The vehicles also offer electronic stability control, as well as a rear backup camera.
USPS will begin deploying the vehicles late this year and into 2016. They will be used primarily to replace aging minivans and support the changing mail mix.
This purchase is separate from the Postal Service’s plans to replace as many as 180,000 delivery vehicles with next generation delivery vehicles.
“The Postal Service has a range of delivery vehicles — including vans — to fit the needs of our day-to-day operations. This purchase is part of an overall plan to replace aging delivery vehicles across the fleet, allowing us to improve efficiency and reduce maintenance costs,” said Fleet Management Manager Phil Knoll.
USPS operates one of the nation’s largest vehicle fleets, including about 190,000 vehicles to collect and deliver mail.