Are USPS Trucks Manual? (All You Need to Know)

USPS trucks have become somewhat of a hallmark of American life, with the instantly recognizable boxy white truck with red and blue stripes being a daily sight in neighborhoods across the country.

But are these ever-familiar trucks manual transmission, and what else is there to know about USPS trucks? If you’d like to find out, keep reading!

Are USPS Trucks Manual In [currentyear]?

As of 2019, all USPS trucks are automatic. USPS trucks are Grumman LLVs, which were designed specifically for USPS. USPS recently announced that Oshkosh Defense has been awarded the contract for the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) which will be a hybrid electric vehicle. USPS trucks don’t have to have license plates if they are marked trucks in [currentyear].

There’s so much more to understand about both old and new USPS trucks, so be sure to keep reading to learn more!

Are All USPS Vehicles Automatic?

All USPS mail delivery trucks are Grumman Long Life Vehicles (LLVs) and Grumman LLVs are automatic transmission vehicles.

Grumman LLVs were designed specifically for USPS after Grumman Aerospace Corporation (formerly Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation) won the USPS contract in 1987.

Originally, most of the Grumman LLVs were manual transmission vehicles.

However, USPS began pouring money into refurbishing and repairing the trucks around 2008, which included shifting many of them from manual to automatic transmission.

While USPS owns over 100,000 Grumman LLVs, USPS also employs several other vehicles such as Dodge Grand Caravans and Chevrolet Uplander minivans.

Both Dodge Grand Caravans and Chevrolet Uplander minivans also have automatic transmissions.

As well, they’re used predominantly in areas with harsher weather conditions, as they have features such as AC and heaters.

If you’d like to read more about the Grumman LLVs and their journey as the main vehicle of USPS, you can check out this page.

Do USPS Vehicles Have License Plates?

Do USPS Vehicles Have License Plates?

Marked USPS vehicles don’t require license plates under federal law,  because they are immediately identifiable as being owned by USPS, which is a federal agency.

As well, they have clearly printed serial numbers on the front and back of the vehicle that doubles as vehicle registration numbers.

The serial numbers USPS trucks use, namely the Grumman LLVs, are typically 7 digits long with the first digit of the number representing the last digit of the year it was manufactured in.

For example, Grumman LLVs were manufactured for USPS from 1987-1994, so a USPS truck with a serial number that starts with 331 was manufactured in 1993.

For other vehicles used by USPS, and any other vehicle that is not clearly marked as belonging to the post office, license plates are required.

Will New USPS Trucks Be Electric?

On February 23, 2021, USPS announced that Oshkosh Defense had been awarded the contract for the design and manufacturing of the new USPS vehicle.

This vehicle is referred to as the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle, or NGDV.

Only 10% of NGDVs for the USPS federal fleet will be fully electric.

However, the other 90% of trucks containing “fuel-efficient internal combustion engines” are being set up so they can be easily retrofitted in the future for entirely electric engines.

The $6 billion contract means that between 50,000 and 165,000 trucks will be manufactured over a 10 year period.

They will begin being released for use in USPS facilities in Spartanburg, South Carolina starting in summer 2023.

However, Oshkosh Defense has no previous experience manufacturing, designing, or creating road-going vehicles.

Therefore, the company is partnering with Ford and a subsidiary known as Ford Component Sales to supply critical parts to the new USPS vehicle.

Alongside some of the trucks’ fully electric battery engines, the new USPS trucks will be outfitted with the following:

  • 360 cameras
  • Telematics compatible technology
  • Air conditioning
  • Automatic electronic parking brakes
  • Forward collision warning

If you’re interested in reading more about Next Generation Delivery Vehicles, you can check out this page of the Green Car Reports website.

If you want to know more, you can also read our posts on whether or not USPS delivers to Jamaica, if USPS trucks have cameras, and when do USPS trucks go out for delivery.

Conclusion

USPS trucks are mainly Grumman Long Life Vehicles, or Grumman LLVs, which are all automatic transmissions after refurbishing was done by USPS starting in 2008.

Grumman LLVs are the main vehicle used by USPS, although the company also employs Dodge Grand Caravans and Chevrolet Uplander minivans, both of which are also automatic transmission vehicles.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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