Before repairing damage caused by negligence and the fault of a Postal Service employee or an HCR driver, the Lease Trailer Services supplier provides a minimum of two cost estimates from reputable third parties for the required repairs to the site transportation manager (or designee). If the supplier has in-house capabilities and due to cost or other considerations obtaining a repair estimate from the supplier is considered advantageous to the Postal Service, an in-house estimate is acceptable as one of the two required estimates. In response, the site transportation manager (or designee) approves the lower or most complete estimate and authorizes the supplier to proceed with the repairs.
The chain of approval includes the site transportation manager (or designee) as the primary approver; if the process is delayed the Area trailer coordinator may approve, and if approval is not completed within 30 days, the supplier may request that the COR assist with gaining an approval. Once this approval is completed, the site transportation manager (or designee) coordinates the repair of the trailer with the supplier.
The site transportation manager (or designee) is responsible for documenting that damage to a lease trailer has been repaired before the trailer is put back into service. At the time the lease trailer is returned by the Lease Trailer Services supplier, the site transportation manager (or designee) must complete the right side (G-2) of Section B of PS Form 5201. The manager (or designee) must confirm that repairs have taken place and document any unresolved damage on the right side of the form. The manager (or designee) signs and dates the right side of Section C and obtains the signature of a representative of the Lease Trailer Services supplier. The site transportation manager is responsible for submitting the fully executed PS Form 5201 to the COR for claims processing, to ensure the integrity of the claim.
