The U.S. Postal Service has rolled out new delivery vehicles to assist mail couriers in the "swift completion of their appointed rounds" that are outfitted with elongated windshields, longer hoods with massive bumpers - and air conditioning.
The Next Generation Delivery Vehicles began appearing last month on postal routes near Athens, Ga., and the fleet is expected to expand to 60,000 vehicles in a few years - with most of them electric models, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
The new trucks, made by Oshkosh Defense in South Carolina, replace the current boxy Grumman Long Life Vehicles that date back to 1987.
The report said the Grumman vehicles are expensive to maintain, lack fuel efficiency, have only an electric fan to offer respite from the heat and are a fire and safety risk.
On the other hand, the Oshkosh trucks were designed for comfort and safety, with enough headroom for tall postal carriers to stand up inside and walk from front to back to retrieve packages.
They also come with airbags, 36-degree cameras, blind-spot monitoring, collision sensors and anti-lock brakes, features missing on the Grummans.
And the addition of air conditioning provides cool comfort to mail carriers working in the South or Southwest where typical summers can be broiling.
"I promise you, it felt like heaven blowing in my face," postal worker Avia Stonum told the AP of her first experience working in an air-conditioned truck.
While workers laud the upgraded vehicles, they're less than thrilled with their appearance.
"You can tell that (the designers) didn't have appearance in mind," Stonum told the wire service.
The new trucks are part of the USPS' 10-year, $40 billion overhaul led by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
Other than the vehicles, the transformation involves renovating old facilities and updating the processing and transportation network.
