CHARLESTON — The U.S. Postal Service garage in Huntington is, like the Charleston one, chronically behind on mail truck preventive maintenance. As of halfway through this year, its backlog of delinquent inspections is even larger.
The Postal Service, in response to HD Media open records requests, said the Huntington location had 241 delinquent preventive maintenance inspections in June. According to records from the past four-and-a-half years, that’s up from a low of 52 delinquent inspections in March 2018.
Since then, the backlog has grown and shrunk, but it essentially started a relentless climb in the fall of 2020.
There were 54 delinquent inspections in September 2020, the next month the backlog hit 61, at the start of last year it exceeded 100, in November it surpassed 200, and in May of this year it reached 273 before dropping to the 241 in June.
It’s unclear how many unchecked vehicles this backlog represents because a single vehicle could be behind on multiple inspections. HD Media is awaiting open records responses for July data.
During these inspections, mechanics check things like brake pad thickness and tire tread and perform routine maintenance like oil changes. But they can also spot bigger issues during these checks.
The inspections are supposed to be conducted every six months, with shorter intervals for vehicles that rack up mileage faster.
In May, the Charleston Gazette-Mail revealed a backlog at the Charleston location. Located on Donnally Street, that facility services vehicles in about 15 counties in southern and central West Virginia, including Kanawha, Putnam and Raleigh.
In reports to facility manager Bob Scott and supervisor Jeff Blackburn, plus official grievances, Charleston garage employees had been complaining about the backlog and reporting vehicles with worn brakes and steering equipment on the verge of failure.
According to the Postal Service, in June Charleston had 158 delinquent preventive maintenance inspections. The backlog there had grown to 187 in May before dropping, but it was still as large in June as in December.
The Huntington garage is an auxiliary of the Charleston Vehicle Maintenance Facility, and it’s also under Scott and Blackburn.
Blackburn, reached at the Charleston location Friday, declined to answer questions and said Scott was off work. He deferred inquiries to Postal Service higher-ups.
“Safety remains our top priority at USPS,” spokeswoman Susan Wright wrote in an email. “We have a robust plan in place to address vehicle service issues in the district.”
Wright didn’t explain what the plan is or whether it has yielded any progress.
Ryan Quinn covers education for the Charleston Gazette-Mail. He can be reached at 304-348-1254 or ryan.quinn@hdmediallc.com. Follow @RyanEQuinn on Twitter.
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