The Postal Service's new delivery vehicles aren't going to win any beauty contests, but they're getting rave reviews from letter carriers.
The first handful of Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs) rolled onto postal routes in Athens, Georgia in August, and deployment will soon expand to other locations across the country.
By 2028, the fleet is expected to be 66,000 strong, with mostly electric models, and will serve as the Postal Service's primary delivery truck from Maine to Hawaii.
Many letter carriers say the new vehicles are strange looking. They've been described as tall and ungainly with enormous bumpers and hoods that resemble a duck bill.
Postal worker Avis Stonum told The Associated Press, "You can tell that (the designers) didn't have appearance in mind."
Looks aside, employees have welcomed the change after growing accustomed to older vehicles that lack modern safety features and are prone to breaking down. Current postal vehicles, the Grumman Long Life Vehicle, date back to 1987 and are well overdue for replacement, the AP reported.
"Many of our 190,000 delivery vehicles on the road are more than 30 years old and lack basic safety features which are standard in most vehicles today," Postmaster General and USPS Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy said in a statement. "The safety of the men and women of the Postal Service is our number one priority, and they have waited long enough for the NGDV."
Unlike the vehicles they are replacing, NGDVs feature something letter carriers have been without for decades: air conditioning.
"I promise you, it felt like heaven blowing in my face," Stonum said, describing her first experience working in an air-conditioned truck to the AP.
The NGDVs also have "some of the most advanced vehicle and safety technology," USPS said, including 360-degree cameras, advanced braking and traction control, air bags, automatic braking and a front-and rear-collision avoidance system that includes visuals. The vehicles also have increased cargo capacity to maximize efficiency and better accommodate higher mail and package volumes.
In December 2022, the USPS announced a plan to start replacing its aging delivery fleet with 106,000 new vehicles -- at least 45,000 of which will be electric -- through 2028.