The USPS upgrades their trucks after more than 30 years

You can spot them instantly a mile away. We’re talking about those Grumman LLVs trucks driven by your friendly neighborhood mailman(woman.) The trucks which were manufactured in the late eighties and early nineties have been delivering our mail for years.

While the Grumman LLVs were only meant to be around for 24 years many of the trucks have been running even longer. Some have been in operation for 30 years or more. They didn’t have any A/C or airbags. This creates a whole new level of respect for those responsible for delivering our mail.

The USPS recently announced that it’s time for them to upgrade the vehicles. The Grumman LLVs will be replaced by the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV.) These NGDV are manufactured by Oshkosh Defense of Wisconsin.

The initial investment of $482 million made by USPS is the beginning of the 10-year contract with Oshkosh. The USPS will probably order between 50,000 and $165,000 vehicles during the 10-year period. The contract that the two companies agreed to is an indefinite quantity. In other words, USPS will continue to order vehicles for Oshkosh until the contract ends or is renewed.

Unlike the old Grumman LLVs the new vehicles will be equipped with A/C airbags and heat. In addition, there will be emergency collision systems and emergency braking. While some will be powered by a fuel-efficient gasoline engine others will be fully electric.

USPS