The US Postal Service finally awarded its contract for the all-new mail truck. It goes to Oshkosh Defense, and it looks like a Buick smashed into a bus. And it is almost as big as a bus. Get used to seeing it in the ‘hood because Oshkosh will be cranking them out for the next 10 years. That’s because this is how long the government contract is for.

Called the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (catchy!) the USPS will replace all of its 230,000 mail trucks with this newest Oshkosh design. Some will be built with internal combustion engines and others will be all-electric. Right now we don’t know the breakdown for either version.

While Oshkosh is awarded the mail truck contract, there’s no award for looks

While Oshkosh is awarded the contract, there’s no award for looks. This thing is not pretty. We know it is a utilitarian vehicle but some have a pretty good look. It looks like it was designed back in the 1970s. And that windshield has got to be a costly piece being as big as it is. Maybe a two-piece windshield would be better rather than one gigantic chunk of glass to replace. But we digress…

It will be a right-hand-drive delivery truck and the plan is to be able to retrofit newer technology into the trucks as new tech becomes available. A new facility will be made to produce the delivery trucks. It is expected that Oshkosh will spin out roughly 165,000 or so of them. 

USPS delivery trucks will now have safety features and air conditioning

The big news for postal carriers is that they will finally get air conditioning. Most of the current delivery trucks don’t have this comfort feature. Also, many advanced safety features will bring the postal trucks up to the safety standards of what is available in cars. That includes 360-degree cameras, advanced braking and traction control, airbags, and front and rear collision avoidance systems that feature visual and audio warnings. Automatic braking will also be part of the safety system.  

Improved ergonomics have also been incorporated into the USPS trucks. And they’re larger to accommodate much of the new eCommerce the postal service has embraced. Vision is increased with the lower hood and higher windshield height. 

2023 will be the soonest the new delivery trucks hit the road

Don’t look for them to begin in your area any time soon. It is looking like 2023 will be the soonest the new delivery trucks will hit the road. This was a big win for Oshkosh which deals in manufacturing US military trucks and tanks, truck bodies, airport fire apparatus, and access equipment. However, it’s a big loss for Workhorse. 

They’re the ones making the all-electric Lordstown pickups touted by former President Trump. A lot was riding on it picking up this contract and it shows in its stock numbers. In after-hours trading, the stock was down almost 50% after the news hit late yesterday.