Standard U.S. Government Issued Autos

Just like any other country, the United States issues vehicles to people who work for the various arms of its government. Priority is given to those who most urgently require the use of a vehicle in order to do their job, and there are often a number of restrictions attached to how employees are allowed to use such vehicles. The following is a brief look at standard-issue U.S. Government vehicles, along with some of the most important things to know about them.

Who gets them?

The U.S. is a huge country with over 300 million people, requiring quite a large government and a significant number of government employees in order to effectively keep the country running. Many of these employees, such as public officials, require the use of a vehicle, and some public services such as police and emergency response units require a large fleet of vehicles just for themselves. It is fair to say that there are tens of thousands of government vehicles across the U.S. helping to keep the country running.

What are they?

It takes a lot of different types of vehicles to run a large country, ranging from sedans to buses and garbage trucks, and over the years there have been a number of automakers favoured by the Federal Government in the United States. Today there are three main car companies that make up U.S. Government fleets, and not surprisingly, they are all American based. The largest amount of U.S. Government-issued vehicles are Fords, the second most are GMs, and Chrysler vehicles are a distant third.

Are they any good?

U.S. Government-issued vehicles these days have to meet very specific guidelines, two of the most important being high safety and environmental standards, so more so than at any point in history, today’s U.S. Government-issued vehicles can be considered extremely good rides. U.S. Government vehicles are also upgraded regularly and are required by law to undergo frequent servicing and maintenance, so they are almost always in great condition

What happens to those auction items that get replaced?

When U.S. Government-issued vehicles are replaced, they are sometimes given to their employees as rewards for service, but more often they are auctioned off to the general public. Car auctions provide a quick and easy way for a government to sell off its older vehicles, which can also mean fantastic deals for those looking for a car. Considering that government-issued cars have meticulous records and will generally have been regularly serviced, it is little wonder that government car auction have become such a popular place to go car shopping.

In recent years, there have been some fantastic improvements made to the U.S. Government fleet of vehicles, in particular by reducing the environmental impact of its cars and buses. Considering that these vehicles tend to be replaced roughly every three years, the general public can expect to see some high-quality, eco-friendly vehicles starting to appear at U.S. Government auto auctions in the coming few years.