Like the city it serves, the USPS vehicle maintenance facility in Manhattan never sleeps.
Open 24 hours a day, the facility serves an area that stretches from New York City’s West Side up to the tip of the Bronx.
The 53 employees who work there maintain an inventory of 1,258 trucks and conduct regular vehicle inspections, while keeping on top of a variety of repairs that range from fixing engines to replacing more than 60 tires a month.
The facility also has three tow trucks ready to haul disabled vehicles.
Keeping an eye on it all is Jesus Figueroa, the lead automotive technician.
In 2017, Figueroa joined the Postal Service as a city carrier assistant in the Tremont area of the Bronx, after leaving a job with the U.S. Department of Education.
While he enjoyed delivering mail, Figueroa, who had recently become a dad, continued to scour the postal job board for new opportunities.
He became a custodian and later moved into a garageman role at the vehicle maintenance facility.
Two years later, he advanced to automotive technician.
“I learned a lot on my own…. I would go to the vehicle and troubleshoot on the spot,” said Figueroa, a native New Yorker.
Like all Postal Service employees, Figueroa is focused on helping to implement Delivering for America, the organization’s 10-year plan to modernize USPS.
He said he’s thankful to be part of the team that helps keep New York’s mail moving — and he feels his postal career is just beginning.
“There’s so much to learn. I want to learn everything,” he said.
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