New Ugly A$$ Postal Trucks

[OFC Ranger]

the fact that people care more about how it looks than about how it functions is exactly why the manufacturers can keep making crappy vehicles

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[Dr_Strangelove]

That bad boy has bumper-car bumpers! Function over form indeedily-doodily. The mail is. Going. To. Get. Delivered.

Get out of the way.

 

[HeatXfer]

It ain't made for speed, that's for sure. Looks like across between dolphin and the Pope mobile.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

It ain't made for speed, that's for sure. Looks like across between dolphin and the Pope mobile.

Flipper would approve. ?

 

[LaBalbe]

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/usps-new-mail-truck-georgia-debut-athens

First thing that popped into my mind when I saw that bumper....

 

[OGMix376]

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/usps-new-mail-truck-georgia-debut-athens

Whoever the group of people who are responsible for this very obviously grew up reading Dr. Suess books..and took it seriously..some of the mail trucks around here have replaced some of the old grumman mailcat with sprinters and transits..not the Oshkosh children’s clothing manufacturers turn defense contractors whoville toontown parcel cruiser?.

 

[OGMix376]

Functional and a major upgrade. I don't think USPS employees will be complaining - especially the ones who live in warm climates

Yeah if it has AC, thats a major upgrade from the original LLV, my good friend was a mail carrier for five years they worked him like he was the only mule (other employees were driven hard too) I swear those five years aged him 15 years (he said driving the mail truck was the scariest thing he’s ever had to do? the vehicle wants to kill you and it tells you.)

 

[Langwilliams]

I delivered mail for 25 years in those crappy LLV's. 2wd an the drive wheel in back was the right wheel, the one off the road in the muck an snow so getting stuck was routine. Crazy hot in the summer an freezing in the winter....If you had to go on the highway the wind would blow them all over the place. If those issues are resolved I don't think carriers will care how they look.

I always said it was one of the few jobs where an electric vehicle made sense. I drove about 17-22 miles a day making about 700 deliveries. I wondered if the grid would support changing all of them them but a charge might last 2 weeks so they might only need one charging station for every ten vehicles or so. As far as the price goes, when a low volume vehicle is designed an built for a specific purpose they are always costly.

 

[GreyAreaRanger]

" For the first order of 50,000 NGDVs, the cost is estimated to be $2.98 billion. "

So that's roughly $60K each of ugly.

What is insane about that is the Mercedes Sprinter vans are roughly the same cost and probably could get a bulk discount. The commercial Ford transit van starts at $47k for non electric and $51k for electric. Not that I would approve of FCA products but even the Ram Promaster is an option at $44k and all of these options can be configured for postal duties and appear to match or exceed the capabilities of that platypus looking vehicle.

 

[Langwilliams]

What is insane about that is the Mercedes Sprinter vans are roughly the same cost and probably could get a bulk discount. The commercial Ford transit van starts at $47k for non electric and $51k for electric. Not that I would approve of FCA products but even the Ram Promaster is an option at $44k and all of these options can be configured for postal duties and appear to match or exceed the capabilities of that platypus looking vehicle.

As far as I know only the MB Sprinter come in right hand drive, maybe there are euro models in RHD but I haven't seen one. I retired before the sprinters came an they had some smaller rhd models. There are some issues with the sprinters that make working out of them harder an slower. If you lose 15-20 minutes a day working around a bad set up an multiply that by 230,000 routes that's a lot of productivity. There are days when you can't fit your whole route in the truck so you have to make a trip back to reload, the tall design looks like it solves that an allows walkthrough to reload mail an grab packages.

 

[GreyAreaRanger]

As far as I know only the MB Sprinter come in right hand drive, maybe there are euro models in RHD but I haven't seen one. I retired before the sprinters came an they had some smaller rhd models. There are some issues with the sprinters that make working out of them harder an slower. If you lose 15-20 minutes a day working around a bad set up an multiply that by 230,000 routes that's a lot of productivity. There are days when you can't fit your whole route in the truck so you have to make a trip back to reload, the tall design looks like it solves that an allows walkthrough to reload mail an grab packages.

I know my grandpa and aunt both custom ordered vehicles as right hand drive from Jeep and Toyota so that they could deliver mail in Arkansas years ago. I am not sure what steps they went through to get that approved but I bet if the order was large enough, Ford and Ram could configure the vans in right hand drive and I'd prefer an American company (Ford) to get the contract anyhow. Either way, 60k for the new mail vehicle just seems excessive though all vehicle prices right now are. And we are talking about the government, who spends our money like we won't run out of it.

 

[Ranger_Rocks]

 

[rapid21]

When the government makes decisions.............. I'm sure its function over form.

 

[Motorpsychology]

" For the first order of 50,000 NGDVs, the cost is estimated to be $2.98 billion. "

So that's roughly $60K each of ugly.

It's our fault, collectively. If we would quit buying mail order stuff from Amazon, etc we could have Transit Connect mail vans. Around here, rural mail is delivered by Y2K Buick Le Sabres and Dodge Grand Caravans. We occasionally have Sunday and holiday delivery because of all the packages and junk mail.
I'll turn my topic lane keeping off briefly:

What is with all the junk mail?? Window replacement, hearing aids, Vote for Trump, Vote for Harris, Wounded Warrior, DAV, AARP, ASPCA...The latest "trick" is to make surveys to send back with the ubiquitous $25-100 donation, or "Here is a check for $XX just for you! Please match it and return immediately!!" The check goes in the shredder and the rest to recycling along with the mostly unopened junk mail. The ones that come with nickels or dimes attached to them get "return to sender" writ large. If they have enough cash reserves to send me 20¢-$5.00, use it to further your 501(c)(3) cause. I consider it insulting and degrading for them to try to guilt me into donating. and they're getting bolder. Some of the "surveys" I get, "Exclusively for you as a concerned voter in the County/Congeressional District/USA" in 8x14 envelopes with 6-color illustrations of the VIP, and 3 pages of extremism.

Tell you what. Vote for me and I'll see to it that 503's get charged regular postal rates for anything larger than a standard business envelope weighing no more than 2oz. That would cover a one page solicitation and a return envelope.

We could put new ecoBoost engines and 10R60-80 trans' in the 1987 mail trucks and save billions.
End Rant, Peace Out; Topic Keeping back on.

 

[Motorpsychology]

It ain't made for speed, that's for sure. Looks like across between dolphin and the Pope mobile.

I want the windshield replacement account!

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