What will the new Post Office delivery vehicle look like?

In reply to johnp2 :

Thanks for the insight. I've heard similar stories from other postal workers. The lack of A/C, poor heat and zero insulation or soundproofing sounds pretty miserable in something that you are in for 8+ hours a day. Its pretty amazing that the USPS has been able to keep these on the road despite the budget constraints and logistical issues they have to deal with.

From Wikipedia:

The Grumman LLV was specifically designed for the United States Postal Service with Grumman winning the contract for production. The main design points of the vehicle in contract competition were serviceability, handling in confined areas, and overall economical operation. As its name suggests, the Grumman LLV is easily capable of a long life, perhaps approaching twenty years of operation. The original design lifespan of the Grumman LLV specified by the U.S. Postal Service was 24 years, but in 2009 this was extended to thirty years.

That's pretty impressive for a fleet vehicle. I think the LLV has earned its name.

A few years ago Canada Post contracted the purchase of Transit Connects to replace the small Grummans. CPC seems to be evaluating Transits and Promasters for the larger truck.

stanger_missle said:

In reply to Nick Comstock :

I grew up in rural Idaho. I'm pretty sure prior to 1987, our mail was delivered by a horse drawn carriage. I don't know if all the delivery vehicles were swapped immediately to the LLV in 1987 or there was a phase out period, so it is a very good possibility that at least some DJs stayed in service past 1987.

As someone who also grew up in rural idaho i can confirm horse drawn carriages.

Also i saw a DJ delivering mail in the not too distant past

A few other angles. 

BoostedBrandon said:

 I'm a garbage man, and mail carriers are my mortal enemy. Out on my rural route, we're always in one another's way. They usually can move along faster, though. They may stop at every mailbox, and I don't. But I stay still longer than they do.

We wave at each other when we pass, but I know they're cussing me the same as I'm cussing them.

Given that the primary use of the USPS today is direct mail advertising, you could save everyone a lot of time by emptying the contents of your vehicle and adding it directly to the contents of theirs. 

Some contenders that did not make the final round:

With the soon to be surplus of LLV's, maybe we can finally make this happen:

I think the Karsan looks cool. Within the contraints of a very strict specification, they managed to make something that stands out. I like the mirror arms.

The new options all look HUGE. 

Professor_Brap said:

The new options all look HUGE. 

With good reason - they're being made to cope with a mix of mail that's more parcels and fewer letters.

I have always wanted to take a c5 driveline and stuff it under one of those Grumman’s