WELD COUNTY, Colo. — Trucks contracted by the United States Postal Service (USPS) have been involved in hundreds of crashes that have killed dozens of people.
It wasn’t until five people died in a crash in Weld County and 9NEWS began asking questions that changes began to happen. Now, the Postal Service is cancelling its contracts with trucks that experts say should never have been on the road.
In June of 2022, Abby and Chris Godinez lost their mother, father, brother, niece and soon-to-be sister-in-law. The truck that slammed into the family’s car at 70 miles per hour was carrying mail, contracted by USPS.
"Angry, upset, confused, lost. It’s just a whole lot of emotion," Chris Godinez said. "The devastation that these vehicles can cause, there’s a reason why you have to have a Commercial Driver's License."
The driver didn’t have a proper license. The company didn’t have insurance. The truck didn’t have working brakes. Experts say it should never have been on the road. Yet a new report commissioned by Congress shows the crash is yet another example of lax oversight by the Postal Service.
The Office of Inspector General found trucks carrying mail were involved in 373 crashes resulting in 89 deaths across the country from 2018-2022. Not a single contract with any trucking company was cancelled by the Postal Service, even after all those people died.
"No other family should have to go through this. We should’ve never had to," Abby Godinez said. "This should’ve been prevented. 1,000% our family should be home with us right now. It shouldn’t be like this. We shouldn’t have to be fighting for our family."
In March of 2023, after Chris and Abby lost their family and 9NEWS started asking questions about why this truck was ever even on the road, USPS cancelled its contract with the trucking company involved in the crash. It was the first time it had ever done that.
"It tells you that it takes public pressure to get government servants at the USPS to give two cents about safety," said Zach Cahalan with the Truck Safety Coalition, a nonprofit advocating for safer roads. "That’s what it tells you."
The new report recommends a long list of changes to the postal service’s trucking policies.
"We recommend management finalize the method for tracking contractor accident and fatality data and policies; require subcontractor authorization and develop a reporting system; clarify policies to authorize subcontractors; implement a mechanism to track subcontractors; validate team drivers and update policies; define freight auction; and update and enforce freight auction guidance," the audit concludes.
The driver of the truck in Weld County, Jesus Puebla, is charged with vehicular homicide. The trial up in Greeley is expected to start on March 18.
While 373 crashes in four years involving trucks carrying mail may sound like a lot, there could actually be more. We don’t know for sure, since the audit also found the Postal Service doesn’t keep track of how many people died or were injured in crashes involving their trucks.
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