Among those functionalities are hazard maps that warn carriers of potential weather, road conditions, aggressive animals, and/or highcrime areas. Image: eddtoro/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffAn inspector general report has cited issues ranging from performance problems to inventory control with devices the USPS has issued to letter carriers that are meant to improve their safety and efficiency.
The audit focused on Mobile Delivery DeviceTechnology Refresh (MDDTR) devices, part of the USPS strategy against theft of mail, which can endanger carriers, as well. The USPS has issued more than 290,000 of devices, which are handheld scanners used for tracking package delivery and for multi factor authentication to open electronic mail collection boxes and cluster box units, along with other functionalities.
Among those functionalities are hazard maps that warn carriers of potential weather, road conditions, aggressive animals, and/or highcrime areas. “However, we identified both external and internal factors that impacted MDDTR functional efficiency, such as connectivity, common weather conditions, lack of training, limited deployment of features, and a lack of oversight of battery capacity,” the IG said.
Performance issues included “unresponsive touchscreens, reduced battery performance, unwanted logouts, delayed prompts, forced reboots, and impaired scanning,” it said. “Even though the Postal Service delivers in rain, sleet, and snow six or seven days a week, the MDDTRs were not designed to endure wet conditions. Additionally, the protective casing did not sufficiently prevent issues caused by exposure to water or significant temperature changes.”
In addition, the Postal Service had no way to readily identify lost, stolen, or missing devices, because facility management did not maintain an accurate inventory, it said, with some 2,000 unaccounted for and potentially lost or stolen. At 15 facilities auditors visited, 101 of the 814 assigned devices “were missing, and management could not provide supporting documentation” for them.
USPS management agreed with 10 of the report’s 12 recommendations and partially agreed with the other two.
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