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**The Humble Mail Truck: An Iconic yet Outdated Vehicle**

The humble mail truck is one of the most recognizable vehicles on the road. They're icons, and they've been used continuously since 1985.

But what makes them so enduring? Despite their obvious outdatedness, the mail trucks have managed to remain a staple in our daily lives for nearly four decades. However, a closer look at these vehicles reveals several glaring issues that make them ill-suited for their purpose.

One of the most significant problems with modern mail trucks is their poor gas mileage. These vehicles guzzle fuel like it's going out of style, which not only harms the environment but also increases operating costs. Furthermore, they don't even have air conditioning, making long-distance deliveries a sweltering experience for drivers and passengers alike.

But that's not all - these trucks still rely on a 43-year-old engine notorious for starting on fire (flame roars). This is hardly reassuring, especially considering the safety risks associated with such an antiquated power source.

So why haven't we replaced these outdated mail trucks yet? What makes them the country's official courier truck despite their many shortcomings?

We'll be exploring these questions in more detail in this episode of [insert show name], sponsored by Omaze. Stay tuned to learn more about what makes the humble mail truck so enduring, and why we might still be using a 43-year-old engine in our daily lives.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- The humble mail truckis one of the most recognizablevehicles on the road.They're icons,and they've been usedcontinuously since 1985.But why?They're obviously outdated,they don't have ACand they get horrible gas mileage,and they still use a 43-year-old enginenotorious for starting on fire.(flame roars)Today we're breaking down how this becamethe country's official courier truck,what makes it the worst truck for the job,and: why don't we have a new one yet?Huge thank you to Omazefor sponsoring thisepisode of "WheelHouse."We're super stoked to teamup with them once againto give away this 2018 Dodge Demon,a car I would like very much,plus taxes and shippingincluded, plus $20,000.(Doug growls)(heavy death metal)- Someone ready to takehome a bad demon? Yeah!- No, Doug, we're giving awaythis Demon for a good cause.- What's the big deal?840 horsepower, 2.10-60, but can it do this?(retro hip hop beat)(Doug groans)(grunts) That hurt my knee.- Doug, I gotta ask,why are you so competitive with this car?- Just look at it, man.It's (beep) awesome.Comes with a crate fullof cool Demon stuff,the NHRA outlawed it for being too fast,and I'm over here drinkingan envelope full of juice.(juice slurping)- What?- Who would want this demon?(somber music)I mean, used to be you"demon" in search engineand you'd see a picture of me.Now it's all burnoutsand the largest factory hood scoop ever.Pretty much ruined my SEO.- Aw, man. Doug, it...Don't worry about that. It'll be okay.- Don't try to console me,Nolan. I'm a demon, all right?Demons aren't supposed tobe emotional, all right?(Nolan sighs)Go to omaze.com/donutmediafor your chance to win,and better yet, every donationhelps the UCLA RonaldReagan Medical Center,just in case you wanna feel goodabout getting this badass car.(Doug groans)- Can I borrow this to go get groceries?At least I got you, tomato juice.(juice slurping)(Doug retches)- There are so many reasonswhy the current mail truckhas worn out its welcome,but before we get into thelaundry list of problems it has,let's get into a briefhistory of mail trucksand how the current model came to be.At the turn of the 20th century,automobiles were poppingup all over the place,and the Post Office startedusing those as well,which was a smart move.But there was no uniformity to it, okay?According to theSmithsonian's Postal Museum,by 1921 the U.S. postal fleetwas running 43 different types of trucksmade by 23 different manufacturers.The variety was a lot formechanics to keep up with,and the cost and time itkept to maintain a fleetwas a total drain.But then in 1953 the USPS wizened upand commissioned their firstofficial mail delivery vehicle,the right-hand drive Jeep DJ,which stood for Dispatcher Jeep.Fresh off the heels ofthe Second World War,the Willys Jeep caughtthe eye of post officials.It was rugged, reliable,and inherently patriotic.It was so reliable, in fact,that a ton of other four-by-fourswere modeled after it,like the Land Rover andthe Toyota Land Cruiser.Over the next few years,the Jeep DJ kept evolvingand production changed handfrom Willys Overland to Kaiser,eventually to AM General.The DJ's postal run tookit all the way to the '80s,but as demands for the mail service grew,so did their need for a versatile upgradein the truck department.I mean, I'm sure you'veseen the back of a Jeep.You can't really fit a lot back there.Although you can still spot mail Jeepsrunning in rural parts of the country,Dispatcher Jeeps were officiallydecommissioned in 1984to make way for a new truck in town.But the Post Office wanted atruck that was totally uniqueand perfectly tailored to their needs.The only problem was: thatdidn't quite exist yet.In the '80s, the powersthat be at the Post Officedecided to do something a little crazy,and instead of shoppingfor existing modelsoff the assembly line,they challenged automakersto make a new truckfrom scratch, just for them.It was a bit of a powermove, and I respect that.The USPS drew up adetailed list of criteriathat was reflective of theirevery mail-delivering need,but their biggest goal wasto procure a mail truckthat could last at least20 years in daily dispatch.After sorting through the losers,the contestants were narroweddown to just three finalists.There was Poveco, American Motors,and a collaborationbetween GM and Grumman,a company that had previously builtspacecraft and fighter jets.The finalists' prototypeswere brought to Texasto compete in a seriesof challenges and tests,and let me tell you,this wasn't your average autocross, okay?These tests covered 24,000 milesand tested each vehicle's enduranceand durability, maneuverability,and reliability.They included trialslike passing each wheelover a pothole 35,000 times,driving almost 6,000 miles continuouslyat 55 miles per hour,driving over 960 miles over cobblestones,and hauling a one-ton load forhalf of the whole road test.This grueling competitionwas not only necessaryto see which was actually the best,there was also a lot riding on it,namely a $1 billion contractworth over 2.5 billion in today's money.Finally, after the vehicleswere tested, a winner emerged:the Grumman LLV, whichstands for Long-Life Vehicle.Grumman built the bodies,which were made ofcorrosion-resistant aluminum since,you know, neither rain norshine nor heat or all that,and flaunts a cargocapacity of 1,000 poundsand 123 cubic feet.GM provided the chassis,which was actually basedoff the 1982 Chevy S-10 Blazer chassis,with the slight modificationof putting the front wheelscloser together for a tighter turn radius,which is actually pretty cool.And under the hood was a 98-horsepower,2.5-liter, cast iron GM four-banger.By the time the LLV hitthe streets in 1986,this engine was already nineyears old, and let me tell ya,didn't have a great reputation.The Iron Duke was GM'soverhead cam in-linefour of the late '70s,named for it's cast iron block.In the '80s and '90s, GM putthis engine in everything.It was in the Camaro,the Pontiac Grand Am,and the car you probably think ofwhen you hear the nameIron Duke, the Fiero GT.Look, it didn't make a lot of power,but the cast iron constructiongave it a high ceilingin case you wanted to giveit a little more power, baby.Coming out of the oil crisis of the '80s,the Duke was lauded for its durability,emission standards, and fuel efficiency,which is why they put it in the LLV.But at 3,000 pounds,with an extra 1,000pounds in Donut fan mail,the LLV only averagednine miles per gallon.It was nine years outdated atthe beginning of the LLV run.Add 30 to that, and you'vegot an engine old enoughto have listened to ThePostal Service in college,which is not really a joke I get'cause I never listened to them.- What!- Nowadays more than ever,the Grumman is extremely expensiveand difficult to maintain.There are about 140,000 active LLVs,which account for about74% of the USPS fleet.Every year, LLVs alonetravel 765 million miles across the U.S.,and I'm not math boy, butI did some quick math here.765 million miles traveleddivided by nine miles per gallonequals 85 million gallonsused per year by LLVs.The national average for a gallon of gaswhen we filmed this is at$2.16, which is insane.I need to get out of L.A.85 million times 216 equals$183,855,000 per yearspent on gas just for the LLVs.If I snapped and all these vehicleswere instantly replaced by Kia Souls,they would save $126 millionevery year in gas alone.On top of that, a report fromUSPS said that each vehiclecosts an average of $3,000 per yearin repairs and maintenance.This is outrageous!But the dumbest part is that the LLVsare so old and outdatedthat it's kinda hard to find mechanicswho will even work on 'em.If you thought that's wherethe problems ended though, hoo,just wait.Beyond the engine and maintenance,these things catch on fire all the time.Since 2014, a whopping 407 Grumman LLVshave spontaneously burst into flames.Why do these things catch on fire?Well, I'm glad you asked.I addition to being old as hell,the windshield wiper fluid reservoirwas positioned overthe engine control unitand was prone to leaking,causing short-circuitingand sometimes fire.This is an entirely different issuethan why Iron Duke-poweredFieros caught fire in the '80s.The issue with those is thatthey had a short in the oil panwhich caused the oil panto heat up way quicker,blah-blah-blah, check out the"Up To Speed" on the Fieroif you wanna know more.- 20% of your cars catching on fireis way too many of yourcars catching on fire!- I mean, look, I actuallystill love the LLV.I even bought one ofthose little die-castsfrom the Post Service, butthe question still stands:why haven't these thingsbeen replaced yet?Well, truth is, it should'vehappened a long time ago.(shotgun cocking)The long list of delaysin the quest for the Grumman'sreplacement started in 2009,just one year before thefirst generation of trucks'predetermined expiration date.The USPS just plain wasn'tfinancially or logistically readyto replace the vehicles on a large scale,so they implemented apreventative repair programto extend the lifetime of theGrumman from 24 to 30 years.This bought them enough timeto get their poop in a group,and they officially launched a programto find the next-generationdelivery vehicle in 2016.The idea for the searchwas pretty much identicalto their setup before.The USPS put millions ofdollars into contractsfor automakers to produce a prototypespecifically suited tothe Post Office's needs.The major difference thistime around, however,is the emphasis onalternative fuel options.It's no secret that the futureof the automotive industryis gonna have a lot moreEVs and hybrids in it,and choosing the type fuelthe USPS mail truck runs onwill be incredibly influentialto the automotivelandscape of the country.Plus, you have to make an improvementon nine miles per gallon.Like, please.Several companies threwtheir hats in the ringfor a chance at the estimated$6.3 billion USPS contract,but after years of trials, delays,funding problems, and more delays,the search for thenext-generation delivery vehicleis finally...Postponed again. That's right,already three years late.The USPS announced in December 2020that due to complicationsrelated to the pandemic,they are delaying the contract yet again.But the good news isthey are making progress.They've narrowed itdown to three finalists.The first prototype comesfrom a collaborationbetween Karsan and Morgan Olson.Their mail vehicle is ahybrid plug-in design.It's got a super-widewindshield with a tall stature,and honestly looks kinda like a party bus.The second prospect comes froma company called Workhorse.Originally they were partnered upwith commercial truck makersHackney, but they dropped out,leaving Workhorse on their own.I guess Hackney couldn't hack it.(crowd boos)This vehicle isbattery-powered. It's electric.It also has a hugewindshield and cargo area,and honestly looks the mostreminiscent of the Grumman LLV.Last but not least is a collaborationbetween truck manufacturerOshkosh and Ford.It's based of the Ford Transit Van,with the addition of extra cargo space,four-wheel drive, and a sliding door.If I had to put my money on it,I'd probably say that the Ford Transithas the best shot of becomingour next mail vehicle.Ford and Oshkosh arealready huge manufacturerswith established relationshipswith the government,and when it comes to this kind of stuffit's really all about who you know.But the question remains:when is it gonna happen?Barring additional delays,we can expect the decision to be madesometime in the middle of 2021.This year has forced so many cancellationsand delays across all industries;no exception for car production.But there is light atthe end of the tunneland hope on the horizonfor a new era of mail carrying vehicles.It's all but certainthat they'll be cheaper,more comfortable, and saferthan the legendary butdeteriorating Grumman LLV,and hopefully they won't burst into flamesquite as often either.Thank you very much forwatching "WheelHouse."If you'd like to give thoseLLVs a little more work,we do have a P.O. box,which I'll place right here.- P.O. Box 64669.- Yeah, you can send us some fan mail.Please don't send usanything perishable or alive.We don't check it that often.You know, the LLV obviouslyhas a lotta issues,but I'm just surprised thatthey've lasted this long.They're an icon of Americanculture, in my opinion.I support the USPS. Here's apicture of me with all my gear.Stay safe, be kind,I'll see you next time.