What is a Mail Truck?

November 1st, 2007 by Shenron

Mail trucks are a common sight in the US. Mail trucks do exactly what they state- they deliver mail to residential, commercial and government addresses. The standard US mail trucks are Grumman LLV. LLV stands for long life vehicles and generally speaking, they were designed to be in service for up to 20 years without an overhaul. The mail truck is quite easy to spot having the color scheme of white blue and red and US Postal markings.

One of the main features of the mail truck in the US is that the driver sits on the right hand side (normally, the driver side is on the left in the US). In addition, on the left side are three shelves that easily hold mail. The mail truck was designed with the driver on the right so that he or she can easily move close to the curb and deliver mail to mailboxes that are located about an arms length from the curb in most localities. The rear of the mail truck is an empty cargo area that can carry large loads of mail.

Other interesting features of the mail truck is that it is able to make very tight turns, allowing it easily to make a u-turn on small side streets. Mail trucks also have a very low geared transmission to easily pull heavier loads. While mail trucks do carry letters and packages, they are not specifically built for extremely heavy carrying capacity. The LLV mail truck comes standard with a 2.5 liter engine named the Iron Duke. The engine and suspension are built by General Motors and the body and assembly are completed by Grumman.

The LLV has received high marks by many mail carriers for lasting a long time and being competent at its job. However, in some locations mini vans are used instead of mail trucks due to large distances that a mail carrier must travel.

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