Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

 

 

If You Have Ever Been Asked To Drive Your Personal Vehicle On Postal Business... READ THIS!

The following is an excerpt from a Step 4 Decision dated November 25, 1983, regarding employees using personal vehicles.
" ... the Postal Service does not require as a condition for bidding that a clerical employee use his/her privately-owned automobile to perform official duties."

Further, Regional Council for the United States Postal Service states:
"Unless there is a contract between the employee and the Postal Service for the use of the private vehicle, there would never be any circumstances in which the Postal Service could order the employee to use his private vehicle. If such an order were given, the employee would be entitled to refuse to obey. It would be a wrongful effort to exert dominion over private property on behalf of the Federal Government. The Judicial process for such an exercise is quite detailed, and the Postal Service only follows such judicial route under the most unusual of circumstances. This would never be applicable to an effort to require an employee to use his personal vehicle for Postal Service purposes."

It is the recommendation of National Business Agent, Jeff Kehlert, that under no circumstances should a bargaining unit worker use his personal vehicle in the performance of USPS duties. Management must make transportation available to you. If you utilize your personal vehicle for USPS duties, you may very well be exposing yourselves to liability for your vehicle's damages in the event of an accident. Your insurance may not cover you for use of your vehicle in a business capacity.

In a letter dated December 26, 1986, Regional Counsel for the USPS states:
... that it a Postal employee is traveling in their personal vehicle while in an on-duty status and involved in an accident, the Postal Service will pay damages to the other vehicle if it is established that the Postal Service employee was negligent. This is also true as to personal injury damages to the driver of the other vehicle. The Postal Service will not pay for the damage done to the vehicle of the Postal employee. The Postal Service will not Day any increase in premiums if the insurance company charges more as a result of the accident. The Postal employee would be covered by the OWCP just as if they were hurt in an industrial accident on the workroom floor. The primary differences in the situation where the Postal employee is driving a Postal vehicle and when they are driving their personal vehicle is that the Postal Service will not be responsible for damages to the private vehicle of the Postal employee, whether or not the Postal employee was at fault in the accident.

Fault does enter into whether the Postal Service would pay damages, except in determining whether payments are due to the driver or owner of other vehicles involved in the accident or other parties injured in such an accident. The postal service is liable for any such damages which are attributable to the wrongful or negligent conduct of a Postal Service employee acting in the scope of his or her employment.


(Reprinted from The Guardian)