[Auto] U.S. Postal Service's Ugly Duck Mail Truck Debuts, And Carriers Love It

[7aMoDi]

The United States Postal Service's new mail trucks are hitting the streets to a very warm reception by carriers, according to the Associated Press.

The Next Generation Delivery Vehicles, built by Oshkosh Defense, are a big improvement over the outgoing Grumman LLV, which didn't have A/C or airbags.

The new fleet of NGDVs is expected to grow to over 60,000 vehicles within the next few years, and a majority of them will be electric models.

 

The life of a U.S. Postal Service carrier can be a thankless job, especially when the rickety old delivery trucks they drive turn into rolling hot boxes with no air conditioning. The only form of cooling in the USPS's old Grumman LLV mail trucks, which have been in service since 1987, was a hilariously small fan or opening the side doors and driving as fast as possible. Thankfully for the hard-working men and women who deliver our mail, the Next Generation Delivery Trucks are starting to enter service, bringing air conditioning, airbags, and other features that will make their job easier, and the early reception is positive. Last month, the Postal Service's new mail trucks, which are built by Oshkosh Defense in South Carolina, started running routes in parts of Georgia, according to the Associated Press. And so far, mail carriers are reportedly raving about them, with one person telling the AP the addition of A/C, "... felt like heaven blowing in my face." Another applauded the truck's bigger and taller cargo area because he no longer needs to crouch to get around.

 

Brian Renfroe, president of the National Letter Carriers Association, told the AP that the enthusiasm surrounding the new mail trucks is similar to how carriers felt when the outgoing Grumman's were first introduced three decades ago, replacing the mail-delivery-outfitted Jeep DJs. While the government's fleet of Grumman Long Life Vehicles lived up to their name, exceeding their initial 24-year lifespan, their replacement is obviously long overdue. The new NGDV is not only safer and literally cooler (looking like an ugly duck notwithstanding), but it also features a 360-degree camera system, front and rear parking sensors, and myriad other upgrades that make the life of a mail carrier more enjoyable, although it doesn't offer a deterrent for dogs that see a mail carrier and can't help but give chase—at least not that we know of. The USPS had previously said that it plans to purchase 106,000 delivery vehicles from Oshkosh Defense through 2028. Initially, the plan called for at least 66,000 of those to be all-electric models, but following significant pushback, the agency changed course and promised that 75 percent would be EVs until 2026, whereafter every NGDV would be electric. The USPS is electrifying its delivery fleet and taking other steps in an attempt to reduce its carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a62187981/usps-new-mail-truck-debut/