All USPS vehicles are not required to have license plates

The United States Postal Service has over 236,000 postal vehicles in service to deliver mail across the country.  A VERIFY viewer in Maine noticed many USPS delivery vehicles don’t have license plates. They reached out to ask if USPS delivery vehicles are required to have them. 

THE QUESTION

Are all United States Postal Service vehicles required to have license plates?

THE SOURCES 

• Postal Reorganization Act of 1970

• Albert Ruiz, USPS senior public relations representative

• United States Postal Service

• United States General Services Administration

THE ANSWER

No, all United States Postal Service vehicles are not required to have license plates. 

WHAT WE FOUND

USPS vehicles are not required to have license plates because of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, which exempts the agency from many federal laws.

Section 410(a) of Title 39, United States Code of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 says that “no Federal law dealing with public or Federal contracts, property, works, officers, employees, budgets, or funds, including the provisions of chapters 5 and 7 of title 5, shall apply to the exercise of the powers of the Postal Service.”

The United States Postal Service website explains that through this act “Congress afforded the Postal Service broad powers of operation in the marketplace, excluding it from most Federal laws and regulations.”

This means that the USPS can set its own policies for its vehicle identification. Albert Ruiz, USPS senior public relations representative, told VERIFY, “The Postal Service policy on license plates or vehicle identification has been to ensure its vehicles are conspicuously marked with either Postal branding and unique numbering or by a license plate.” 

If a vehicle has USPS branding, only unique numbering may be required. But if the vehicle is not clearly marked as a USPS vehicle, such as a staff car, a license plate is issued. 

In some cases, carriers in rural areas may use their own vehicles for mail delivery. These personal vehicles must “be insured, dependable, and in good working condition.” Ruiz notes that these vehicles are inspected by the state and will have a license plate.