The USPS Is Getting New Funky Looking Trucks With a Boring Name

The United States Postal Service is getting a new truck that will be saddling up to your mail box in 2023. It's the NGDV, or Next Generation Delivery Vehicle which is being purpose built for the U.S. Postal Service.

I saw a picture of the new truck and thought cool, these are unique looking. To me it goes back to the 1970's when the U.S.P.S delivered mail in jeeps. Jeeps weren't everywhere back then. And the U.S.P.S Jeeps with the sliding doors on the side, they were pretty unique looking too.

Oshkosh Defense will finalize the truck's design and then build 50,000 to 165,000 of the vehicles over the next 10 years. The new trucks will include air conditioning, heating, improved ergonomics and 360 degree cameras. Additionally they'll come equipped with advanced braking and traction control, air bags, and a high tech rear-collision avoidance system.

As far as functionality goes, the vehicles are designed to carry more mail and accommodate higher package volume due to the rise in e-commerce.

One of the interesting features of the new trucks will be the flexibility the U.S.P.S will have with the vehicle. Some will be assembled with fuel-efficient gasoline engines, and others will come with battery eclectic power-trains that can be retrofitted as electric vehicle technology changes and grows. It's the ability to update the electric power trains that I like.

As I said, I like cool funky looking vehicles and this fits the bill. I have one problem. The name. Next Generation Delivery Vehicle. Could a government employee come up with a name that's more of a snooze than that? They should have called it The Alien because of that futuristic curved windshield and low grill. Or Fred, I think the truck looks like a Fred.