Postal Service to replace mail trucks
LEFT: KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL FILE - A Grumman LLV on West Coal Street in Shenandoah. RIGHT: PHOTO COURTESY / USPS - The new Oshkosh NGDV.
WASHINGTON, DC – The mail trucks that have scurried around the Shenandoah Valley and communities across the nation since the 1980s will soon be replaced with a modernized equivalent, the U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday.
The Postal Service plans to replace its aging fleet of Grumman Long Life Vehicles (LLVs), built from 1987 to 1994, with a new fleet of Oshkosh Defense Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs).
Like the LLV, the Postal Service says the NGDVs are purpose-built right-hand-drive vehicles for mail and package delivery. Between 50,000 and 165,000 of them will be built over ten years under the multi-billion dollar contract between the Postal Service and Oshkosh.
“As the American institution that binds our country together, the U.S. Postal Service can have a bright and modern future if we make investments today that position us for excellence tomorrow,” said Postmaster General and USPS Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy in a media release. “The NGDV program expands our capacity for handling more package volume and supports our carriers with cleaner and more efficient technologies, more amenities, and greater comfort and security as they deliver every day on behalf of the American people.”
The NGDVs will either have fuel-efficient internal combustion engines or battery electric powertrains and can be retrofitted to keep pace with advances in electric vehicle technologies, the postal service said.
The new vehicles will have air conditioning — a much-needed upgrade from the LLV — among other modern technology innovations, like 360-degree cameras, advanced braking and traction control, airbags, front-and rear-collision avoidance systems, and more.
“Our fleet modernization also reflects the Postal Service’s commitment to a more environmentally sustainable mix of vehicles,” DeJoy said. “Because we operate one of the largest civilian government fleets in the world, we are committed to pursuing near-term and long-term opportunities to reduce our impact on the environment.”
The first NGDVs are expected to hit the road in 2023.
The Postal Service has experimented with other replacements in the past, such as the Ford FFV, and has used other vehicles, such as Ford Windstars and Dodge Caravans, for delivery as well. Locally, the Postal Service primarily operates LLVs and Dodge Caravans.
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