For over 20 Years rain or shine the LLV has kept the Mail moving and become a staple of American Suburbia

USPS Grumman LLV 

Manufacturer Quick Facts: 

Founded: 1929 (Merged with Northrup in 1994 to form Northrup Grumman Corporation)

Headquarters: Bethpage, New York

Industry: Aerospace, Airplane Manufacturing, Electrical Equipment, Delivery Vehicles

Notable Product: Apollo Lunar Module, Grumman F4F WIldcat, Grumman F6F Hellcat, Grumman F-14 Tomcat, LLV, Grumman Olsen UPS Package Car

USPS Grumman LLV beginning a shift

Model Quick Facts: 

Vehicle Length: 175.5 Inches

Vehicle Width: 75 Inches

Vehicle Height: 85 Inches 

Engine Options: General Motors Inline 4 Engine

Transmission Options: 3 Speed Turbo-Hydromatic 180 Automatic Transmission

Assembly: Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States

Production: 140,000 Units Produced

Canada Post Grumman LLV

Overview: In the 1980s the United States Postal Service began to look for a replacement for its aging fleet of Jeep Dispatcher (AM General Jeep DJ) mail delivery vehicles. At the end of WWII the large inventory of unused Military Jeeps became useful as mail delivery vehicles and AM General developed an newer model designed to expand on this new role. The Jeeps were manufactured with Right Hand Drive so that the Mail Carrier could deliver mail to the mail boxes without having to exit the truck, making delivery faster. By the 1980s these Jeeps had finally reached the end of their usable service life and the USPS began a search for its replacement. The Jeep Dispatcher however set the benchmark that the Post Office required the next mail truck to meet or exceed. The Post Office created a list of required features and opened up a bidding competition to any companies that could build a truck that would meet or exceed those demands. 

Three vehicles made it to the final round and were taken to Laredo, Texas where they were put through difficult testing trials. These trials were meant to replicate the conditions most postal carrier vehicles drive every day. The Trials Were:

• Drive 5,760 Miles on a Closed 5-Mile Loop paved road at 50-55 MPH
• Drive 11,520 Miles on a Gravel Road at 30-45 MPH
• Drive 2,880 Miles on a road with a shoulder, Stopping every 250 Feet and accelerating to 15 MPH in between each stop
• Drive 960 Miles over Cobblestones 3-4 Inches high at 10-14 MPH
• Drive 960 Miles over Potholes at 10-14 MPH
• Haul a 1 Ton Load during half of the road test
• Haul a man and a 400 pound load during half of the road test
• Drive over potholes ensuring each wheel hits a pothole 35,000 times 
• Make 100 Consecutive stops from 15 MPH

Other requirements for the vehicle were that it must be constructed from weather tight aluminum alloy. The Body of the vehicle had to be easy to enter and exit for letter carriers ranging from 4'11 to 6'2. The vehicles were also required to run at least 20 hours a day 7 days a week for an entire year as well as have a tight turning radius. At the end of the testing session the Grumman LLV (Long Life Vehicle) won the contract from USPS.

The First LLV on display at the Smithsonian Postal Museum

After over 20 years of service the "truck that lasts 20 years" is finally being replaced. The post office has since been replacing LLVs with standard cargo versions of minivans until a new replacement can be found. For its years of service and excellent design it seems fitting that the LLV makes it into the Hall of Transit Greats as well.

LLV Testing Trials