By James Raia
After years of consideration and proposals, Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corp., has been awarded the contract to build the next fleet of mail trucks for the United States Postal Service.
Under the contract’s initial $482 million investment, Oshkosh Defense will finalize the production design of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV). It’s a purpose-built, right-hand-drive vehicle for mail and package delivery. Oshkosh Defense will manufacture between 50,000 and 165,000 of the trucks in the next 10 years.
The new trucks will be significantly larger than the current fleet of 230,000 vehicles throughout the country. In addition, some of them will have internal combustion engines, others will have battery-electric systems. Further, the new design consists of a waist-high front hood. It resembles the beak of a duck in front of an extra-high windshield.
New mail truck: style and safety
The vehicles can be retrofitted to keep pace with advances in electric vehicle technologies. The initial investment includes plant tooling and build-out for the U.S. manufacturing facility where final vehicle assembly will occur.
Additional safety features will be a top priority in the new fleet, and the trucks will have air conditioning. Most current postal delivery trucks don’t have air conditioning.
The NGDV vehicles will also have heating, improved ergonomics and advanced vehicle technology. For example, it will include 360-degree cameras, advanced braking and traction control, as well as airbags. In addition, a front- and rear-collision avoidance system includes visual and audio warning and automatic braking. The trucks will also have increased cargo capacities. Plus, the back is tall enough for letter carriers to stand up in.
The USPS has used Grumman LLV mail trucks since the late 1980s. Some have been in service for more than 30 years.
Oshkosh Defense is based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is a global leader in the design, production and sustainment of best-in-class military vehicles and mobility systems. It develops and applies emerging technologies that advance troop safety and mission success.
Oshkosh Defense is now also in the mail service business. The first new vehicles are expected to begin deliveries in 2023.
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James Raia, a syndicated columnist in Sacramento, California, publishes a free weekly automotive podcast and electronic newsletter. Sign-ups are available on his website, www.theweeklydriver.com. He can be reached via email: james@jamesraia.com.
##RVT989b
Lots of right-wing fake news “talking points” being regurgitated here. Real patriots stick to facts, see that the “mismanagement” of the USPS has been mandated by partisan ideological politics, and give consideration to the fact that the USPS was formed in the earliest days of the republic and had Benjamin Franklin as its first postmaster general. Of course, some would rather just zombie repeat the squawking of elected courier industry shills who want to eliminate the least expensive competitor for premium-price services like UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc.
Interesting comments…
Good news for those that apparently HATE the USPS, no one is stopping you from using UPS, FEDEX, etc. today!
Why pay 55-cents to send a letter when you can be a cool trendsetter for around $10 and up to send it AND make a statement – sounds like a good photo op for your social media!
Me? I’m too cheap to do that and need the $ for my camping addiction.
Funny thing is that their letter will probably still be handed off to the USPS for the final mile.
Why do they need new trucks? They cannot even deliver the mail in anything close to a timely manner and when they do they put it in the wrong mailbox. The USPS is nothing more than a waste of money.
At least they are being made in America and not by a foreign country.
That’s a lot of windshield, and for what? Is the Postman going to drive standing up ?
Why not just parrot the old milk delivery trucks, where the milkman DID stand up.
Possibly. It has a standup cargo area accessible from the cab. Yes it has a/c.
Some of you need to get stronger reading glasses. Good grief.
Safety. Ever driven a LLV?
This design better have super A/C, that motorhome style windshield is going to roast the carrier. They need input from the drivers of these trucks as to what they need, not what some engineer at the manufacturer presents to a bureaucratic {bleeped} in D.C. the thought of a driver sitting behind that giant tanning screen for 10-12 hours a day is stupid. And with the big window on the drivers side that they are putting mail in every mail box every 250 ft the A/C is going to barely feel like a fan. Wake up USPS.
THE USPS!
If it weren’t for the fact that the USPS has been around forever in our US History, from the Pony Express to Now, I continue to Hope that they will simply go out of business!
The USPS is one of the worst and poorest managed entities in the US Government! Budget Over-runs abound, hence another price increase for stamps!
This vehicle is a JOKE! Millions being spent on something that will have massive Cost Overruns and will take years longer than expected to actually hit the road.
I would applaud the US Government to simply Shutter the USPS. UPS, FEDEX, DHL and numerous other business’ could easily take over the operations of USPS and probably run it allot more efficiently!
That 482 million contract will INFLATE to allot more and the USPS won’t get 230,000 trucks, but probably Half that total.
And to look at the specs, I didn’t see 4 wheel drive?? So what does the USPS do in Snow Country?? Get Stuck!
Ah Yes, Our government at its best!
Know what’s funny? You put a picture of the awarded vehicle as the only EV that was submitted and passed over. Much better looking than the rendering of an unproduced model that hasn’t even been devolved. That workhorse didn’t win this award after passing all tests and being the lowest cost solution is disgusting and should be reversed when investigated.
I’m trying to understand what you said. Please correct me where I’m wrong.
The picture is of a vehicle that was in the competition, is an EV, met all the requirements and was the lowest price, BUT it did not get the contract. The one that did does not even have a complete drawing yet.