“It looks like it’s from a Pixar movie”: The Story Behind the Post Office’s New Trucks

Driving around Saratoga County, you may have noticed a new addition to the paved landscape: a boxy truck bearing the logos and color scheme of the US Postal Service. 

Officially called the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle, these new trucks have certainly turned heads with some, like our boss, calling them ugly, while others thinking they’re adorable and comparing them to cartoon characters.

While the design may look like something out of Pixar the truth is more nuanced and can be traced through government reports, proposals and press releases which tell a story of a vehicle made to fit the specific needs of one of America’s oldest institutions. 

Here is the story of the new mail trucks and their unique design.

“I feel the need—the need for [slow and interrupted] speed!”

Before getting into the history of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle, it’s important to understand the story of its predecessor — the Grumman Long Life Vehicle (LLV). If the name Grumman sounds familiar, it should as they made the F-14 made famous in the movie Top Gun.

In the 1980s, the Post Office was looking for a new right hand drive vehicle to replace the jeeps they had been using for mounted delivery since the 1960s, according to an article from the Smithsonian. Instead of going with an off-the-shelf vehicle, however, the Post Office requested a vehicle built from the ground up to meet their needs. 

After a long series of tests, a Grumman body on a GM frame and engine won the contract with the LLV first being manufactured in 1985 with the last one being made in 1994. Close to 100,000 were ordered and purchased by the Post Office. 

While the LLV served its purpose, changing needs of the Postal Service, rising maintenance and fuel costs, design flaws, and a desire to make the machines more bearable for their operator made it clear to the Postal Service by 2014 that a long-term replacement was needed. 

The Next Generation Delivery Vehicle

In October 2015, after a few delays, the Postal Service put out its first request for proposals for what would become the Next Generation Delivery vehicle. The RFP looked at the LLV’s shortcomings and focused on making a vehicle that could fix them. 

According to an Inspector General Report published in 2020, while the Postal Service had considered off the shelf vehicles like most fleets do, the decision was made to custom build a truck due to the unique needs of the organization and sheer size of it. 

So why does it look that way? Because the Postal Service needed a vehicle that was low enough to allow the driver to stay seated and deliver mail to most mailboxes while allowing the same driver to fully stand up to grab parcels from the back. This gives it its low to the ground floor and high ceiling. 

Beyond just being able to accomplish two different needs, the new vehicle had to be bigger than the LLV, to accommodate packages, meet modern safety standards and not catch on fire like the LLV, have full climate control features, and accommodate individuals in the bottom five percent of women (a height of 4’ 11”) and in the top five percent of men (a height of 6’ 2”) equally. 

As for powertrains, originally the Postal Service wanted mostly electric vehicles to replace their aging and inefficient fleet; however, over the course of the project this fluctuated, with around 50% of the new vehicles being electric. 

While six manufacturers took part in the contest and built 44 prototypes, ultimately, it was an Oshkosh Corporation built truck on a Ford powertrain that won the contest. Again, if the name Oshkosh sounds familiar, it should as the Wisconsin-based manufacturer is known for making trucks for the military — including the HUMVEE replacement which was awarded in 2018. The contract was announced in 2021. Manufacturing began in 2023 and the first models hit the American streets in 2024. 

What you guys thought. 

Prior to publication, Saratoga TODAY posted on Facebook that we were planning on writing about the trucks and asked for thoughts. Afterall, the prompt for the story was our boss sending the reporters an email calling the trucks ugly after he saw one on the road with an office straw poll unanimously backing him up.

With 87 comments at the time of writing, our readers didn’t disappoint. A common theme was comparing the trucks to cartoons and animals, including the car from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Perry the Platypus, ducks, a stormtrooper, a dog, and Tow Mater from Cars among many others.

Some said the vehicle made them laugh, and others followed the example of our boss and said they were ugly. Among the more serious comments came from those postal workers and others who praised the fact they were more ergonomic than the LLV thanks to the design. 

Others criticized the height of the vehicles, saying it interfered with existing structures, trees, and basketball hoops. Another complaint was with the noise of the vehicle, with readers commenting that the vehicles didn’t allow them to hear when the trucks drove through their neighborhoods. 

Whether you think they’re ugly or adorable, the new trucks will continue to carry out the 250-year mission of the Postal Service — ensuring that your jury duty summons arrives safely or Lego set arrives safely and efficiently.