Next The Generation Delivery Vehicle

Congressional reps want investigation n late February, the Postal Service President Biden described in January startup that specializes in electric awarded the contract for the Next his administration’s plan for purchas- vehicles, announced that it would chal- IGeneration Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) ing federal vehicles, as follows: “The lenge the award, and three members of to Oshkosh Defense of Wisconsin. The federal government also owns an Congress called for a freeze on the con- winning design provides the Postal enormous fleet of vehicles, which we’re tract. Ohio Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Tim Service with the option of ordering going to replace with clean electric Ryan, along with Rep. Jared Huffman of either electric or fossil fuel engines. vehicles….” California, put forward a resolution that USPS says that at least 10 percent of When the USPS contract was calls for Congress to investigate how the new vehicles will come with electric awarded, one of the losing vendors, the Oshkosh contract was awarded. It motors. Inc., an Ohio-based calls for the award to be in line with the

22 The Postal Record May 2021 May 2021 fter five years of proto- the 34 companies that responded to types and testing, on Feb. the RFI, USPS narrowed the field to a 23, the Postal Service an- 15 prospective vendors. After meeting nounced that it had awarded a contract with these vendors, the Postal Service to build the Next Generation Delivery issued a request for proposal (RFP), Vehicle (NGDV) to Oshkosh Defense. inviting each company to submit Under the terms of the contract, Osh- ideas for building a prototype vehicle kosh Defense will finalize the produc- for testing. After reviewing the pro- tion design of the NGDV and build up to posals, USPS awarded the contract to 165,000 vehicles over the next 10 years. build prototype vehicles to five manu- Throughout this process, NALC and facturers in September 2016. One of USPS have held numerous meetings the vendors awarded the contract regarding the design, production was Oshkosh, which partnered with and testing of the prototype vehicles. another manufacturer during the Drawing on their own experience as prototype phase of the process. letter carriers, as well as input from Testing of the prototype vehicles letter carriers across the country, began in September 2017 and was NALC national officers and staff have initially scheduled to last through worked with representatives from the November 2018. USPS tested the dura- Postal Service to finalize the required bility, fuel economy and emissions of features of the NGDV. each prototype at the Transportation The road from identifying the need Research Center in East Liberty, OH, to replace the current USPS vehicle while testing of the components of the fleet to awarding a contract started vehicles took place at the Dayton T. in 2014, when the Postal Service Brown facility in Bohemia, NY. Field initiated the process for developing a testing of the vehicles began in Octo- vehicle that would replace the Long ber 2017 in several locations around Life Vehicle (LLV). The journey began the country with varying climates to with USPS soliciting input from city ensure that each vehicle could per- letter carriers regarding the features form in the weather conditions letter they would like to see in a right-hand carriers face throughout the year. Test drive delivery vehicle. sites were and Utica in Michigan; In 2015, USPS issued a request for Alexandria and Manassas in Virginia; information (RFI) to solicit informa- and Tempe, Tucson and Apache Junc- tion from manufacturers interested in tion in Arizona. building a prototype vehicle for test- In November 2017, the Postal ing. After reviewing submissions from Service halted field testing and the into USPS’ NGDV contract award Paris climate accord and with Biden’s that the contract had been awarded “in With congressional support, DeJoy electric vehicle policy. It also urges the accordance with Postal Service procure- wrote, USPS “can commit to a majority Postal Service “to freeze the recently ment procedures” after an “extensive” of the Postal Service’s delivery fleet awarded contract to purchase 165,000 process. being electric within ten years…We new vehicles until an expedited review He added that the 10 percent in welcome support from Congress that is conducted to determine there was no electric vehicles is a “floor” and not a inappropriate political influence.” “ceiling.” USPS would like to procure advances the goal of a Postal Service In a March letter to leaders of more electric vehicles, DeJoy said, but vehicle fleet with zero emissions and congressional postal committees, it needs funding from Congress to do the necessary infrastructure that will Postmaster General Louis DeJoy wrote so, in the amount of $8 billion. be required to support it.” PR

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prototypes were returned to the Trans- Once all of the bids were received, portation Research Center. This was USPS reviewed them based on the done so that the manufacturers could technical specifications in each address mechanical issues that arose submission to ensure that they met during the course of testing. Once the guidelines in the SOW. USPS also the repairs were made, field testing reviewed the total cost associated resumed in April 2018 and continued with the NGDV, including the initial until the end of March 2019. cost to purchase the vehicles; the Once testing was complete, the cost to fuel and maintain them for Postal Service issued an initial the next 20 years; and any costs re- statement of work (SOW), which was lated to purchasing electric vehicles. provided to the manufacturers and The additional costs for electric NALC at the national level. In March vehicles include the installation of 2019, Director of City Delivery Chris charging stations at each facility Jackson and Director of Safety and as well as upgrading the electrical Health Manuel L. Peralta Jr., along service to handle the increased usage with NALC staff members, met with of electricity. The final technical and representatives of the Postal Service financial reviews were completed in regarding the SOW to ask questions, January 2021, which led to the an- give feedback and offer suggestions nouncement of the contract on Feb. for the production model of the 23. Based on projections made by NGDV. Between May and June 2019, the Postal Service, the first vehicles the Postal Service met with the pro- should be ready for deployment in spective manufacturers to finalize the 2023. specifications based on the supplier’s From the beginning, NALC’s goal input. has been to ensure that the new At the conclusion of these meet- delivery vehicle provides a safe work- ings, the Postal Service issued the ing environment by incorporating final SOW based on the input from the advances in automotive safety NALC and the prototype manufac- technology developed over the past turer. The SOW was submitted to the 30 years. Also, the NGDV had to inte- five manufacturers, and they were grate features focused on the comfort invited to submit their bids to design of letter carriers while operating the and build the final production model vehicle. of the NGDV. At the time, the Postal In addition to explaining how we Service anticipated the first pro- reached this point, this article will duction models being available for discuss some of the new features that deployment in 2021. Unfortunately, will be included in the final produc- the timeline for awarding the con- tion model of the NGDV based on the tract and manufacturing the NGDV final SOW described earlier. Once was delayed due to the COVID-19 Oshkosh finalizes the production pandemic. The final bids from the model, there may be modifications vendors were delivered to the Postal made to the function of these features Service in July 2020. based on the design.

24 The Postal Record May 2021 May 2021 One feature almost every carrier is even when the driver’s-side window A look at some of concerned about is the climate inside is open. Second, the heater must be the features in the the vehicle and the ability to main- able to heat the driver’s footwell to at new vehicle tain a comfortable temperature based least 65 degrees within 60 minutes of on the driver’s preferences. What is starting the vehicle when the outside too hot or too cold to one person may temperature is -20 degrees. A third be comfortable to someone else, and feature addressed the climate in the the LLV does not adequately allow cargo area. The NGDV will include an the driver to regulate the temperature active ventilation system, which must inside the vehicle. provide sufficient airflow so that the To address these concerns, the cargo area is within 10 degrees of the NGDV will be equipped with modern outside temperature. climate controls that will help allevi- Another area of great concern to let- ate those concerns. The NGDV will ter carriers is the safety of the vehicle. be equipped with air conditioning in Due to the standards at the time the the cab area, which must be able to LLV was built, the current fleet lacks cool the driver to 85 degrees when the the safety features most people take outside temperature is 120 degrees, for granted in their personal vehicle.

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The NGDV will include several fea- ers to enter the cargo area from the tures that will make the vehicle safer curb side. This door will be located to operate. adjacent to the driver’s-side door Over the past several years, letter and will be equipped with electronic carriers have been involved in horrific locks. A step will be located on the accidents while working from the rear outside of the vehicle and a grab of the vehicle on the street. Letter car- handle will be in the cargo area to as- riers have suffered traumatic injuries sist letter carriers when entering and after being struck and pinned by oth- exiting the vehicle. er vehicles. Tragically, some of these In contrast to the manual parking letter carriers have lost their lives. Be- brake in the LLV, the NGDV will be cause of these events, one of NALC’s equipped with an automatic brake. goals in the design of the NGDV has The automatic parking brake will been to ensure that letter carriers can engage when the vehicle is shifted in the park position, when the driver avoid the hazards of standing in the leaves the seat, or when the ignition street while loading and unloading is turned off. The brake will disen- the vehicle. To address this safety gage automatically when the vehicle concern, the NGDV will have a sliding is running and then shifted into side door that will allow letter carri- either drive or reverse. As an added safety feature, the vehicle will start only when the transmission is in ei- ther park or neutral. In addition, the driver will be able to shift out of park only when the seat belt is fastened. To help avoid collisions, the vehicle will be equipped with sensors in both the front and rear bumpers, which will beep when objects are within 8 feet. This beeping will become con- tinuous when the objects are within 6 inches of the vehicle. This system will also include visual alerts to notify deaf and hard-of-hearing employees. In addition to the sensors, the NGDV will have a forward collision warning system to alert the driver. The automatic front braking system will monitor the vehicle’s speed, trajectory and environment, and automatically apply the brakes if there is a high likelihood of a crash. This system will engage only after the sensors have notified the driver of the impending

26 The Postal Record May 2021 May 2021 crash and the driver has failed to cor- rect the collision trajectory. To help avoid collisions when traveling in reverse, the NGDV will be equipped with an automatic rear braking system to prevent any impact or contact with the rear of the vehicle. This system will automatically stop the vehicle after the rear sensor has notified the driver of an impending collision and the driver has failed to correct the trajectory. The vehicle will include a blind- spot warning system that will detect vehicles in the left and right travel will override a monitor that has been lanes and include a visual alert turned off. when another vehicle enters one The images captured by the camera of the blind spots. The system will will be shown on the touch-enabled include a visual and audio alert if operator display inside the cab area. the vehicle’s turn signal is activated While active, the display will provide or moves into a lane where another the various camera displays and will vehicle is present. duplicate the Mobile Delivery Device In the event a letter carrier is (MDD) display when the camera sys- involved in a collision, the vehicle tem is inactive. will be equipped with a driver’s-side The camera and display system will airbag. include an event data recorder that To provide the driver with a view will record and store data from the of the area surrounding the vehicle, camera monitoring system. Recording it will be equipped with a 360-degree will be activated five seconds before camera and monitor that displays a triggering event, such as a vehicle an area at least 10 feet on each side. accident, to five seconds after the The camera and monitor will auto- event ends. matically turn on when the vehicle is Another safety concern to letter traveling less than 5 mph; however, carriers across the country is the the driver will be able to turn off the hazard posed when exhaust from monitor if it is distracting or unhelp- a vehicle powered by an internal ful. The vehicle also will include a combustion engine enters the cab rearview camera to assist the driver area. To alleviate this issue, the while backing up. When the vehicle is exhaust system of vehicles that use shifted into reverse, the monitor will an internal combustion engine will display a rear trajectory projection discharge on the street side. This will based on the location of the vehicle prevent the fumes from entering the and the steering angle of the tires. cab area through an open window on When the rear camera is activated, it the driver’s side.

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Along with added safety features, prevent slips or falls while working in the NGDV includes numerous im- the vehicle, the cargo area will have provements in the cab area to make anti-skid flooring, like the flooring the vehicle more comfortable and used in the Promaster . The cab easier to use while delivering . area will have non-slip flooring that Letter carriers will see a dramatic will also provide thermal and acous- upgrade in both the look and feel tic insulation. of the cab area in the NGDV. New To assist letter carriers working in features include an improved driver’s low light, the NGDV will have two seat, which will incorporate many lights in the cab area. One will be an of the features available on modern overhead light capable of illuminat- vehicles. The new seat will have an ing the entire cab area when it is adjustable lumbar support, the abil- dark outside. The second will be a ity to adjust the seat for height as task light, which will illuminate the well as the distance from the steering mail tray without generating window wheel, and the ability to tilt the seat glare. The cargo area will have a light back. To accommodate drivers of dif- equipped with a motion sensor. This fering heights, the steering wheel on light will turn on automatically when the NGDV will tilt both up and down. the driver enters the cargo area and The vehicle will even be equipped turn off after one minute if there is no with intermittent windshield wipers movement in the area. for use on rainy days. All of the doors will be equipped The cab area will also include with electronic locks, which will be an adjustable cup holder and coat operated with a keyless remote. In hooks. A docking station for the MDD addition, the driver’s-side door to the adjacent to the driver’s seat will be cab area will include a manual lock included. This station will charge the device and display the screen on that can be operated with a key. All the operator display. The charging doors, except the roll-up door at the station will include two 12-volt power rear of the vehicle, will lock in the ports, with one port dedicated to the open position. MDD. For those letter carriers who work The NGDV will be equipped with a in parts of the country affected by two-tiered mail tray in the cab area. snow and ice, the NGDV will include The width of both trays will allow an option for all-wheel/four-wheel three letter-sized or FSS trays to be drive. placed side by side. The lower tray As the process moves forward and will tilt toward the driver to make Oshkosh Defense finalizes the design it easier to read addresses on mail of the NGDV for production and de- pieces. Each vehicle will be equipped ployment, we will continue to update with two rows of foldable shelving on the membership about any changes each side in the cargo area. The driver or modifications to the NGDV that will be able to stow and lock these may affect the safety and comfort of shelves in the raised position. To help the new vehicle. PR

28 The Postal Record May 2021 May 2021 The of letterhistory carrier vehicles or as long as letter carriers have to Lenoir’s been delivering the mail, the Post horseless A city collection mail wagon that was used in Office has been looking for ways carriage. In 1893, brothers Frank and F Chicago in 1890 to speed up the delivery process, often Charles Edgar Duryea developed and through the use of vehicles. Now that road-tested the first successful U.S. the Postal Service has awarded a con- gasoline-powered car. Three years tract for the Next Generation Delivery later, they started the first American Vehicle, here is a brief history of the car manufacturing company in Spring- vehicles used by letter carriers. field, MA, called Motor Wagons. In When the Second Continental 1896, Henry Ford built his first automo- Congress created the nation’s first bile in Detroit. postal service in July 1775, it enshrined By 1899, the Post Office had become the Post Office in Article I, Section interested in these developments and 8, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution, set up the first Post Office Department empowering Congress “to establish test. The test involved a mail wagon Post Offices and Post Roads.” The Post built by the Winton Company of Cleve- Office used horses and wagons at the land. In the December cold, and over A Winton vehicle in Cleveland in 1899 time to transport the mail from city to snow-covered streets, the city along these post roads. vehicle covered 22 miles Horses remained the primary mode of paved and unpaved of transportation even as Free City road in just under two Delivery was established in 1863. (For and a half hours, stop- more on the establishment of Free City ping at 126 mailboxes Delivery, see the January 2021 edition along the route. The Post of The Postal Record.) That same year, Office estimated that it Belgian engineer Jean J. Lenoir invented would have taken a horse- the “horseless carriage.” Though the drawn wagon six hours to internal combustion motor had been deliver the same route. in development for decades, Lenoir’s “Officials cheered invention was the first commercially the dramatic increase in collection successful one. It could move at about 3 speed and soon postmasters across mph and had no steering wheel, using a the country were testing motorized steering tiller instead. vehicles,” a historian at the Smithson- The first Post Office letter carriers- de ian’s later livered on foot in the late 1800s, but car- wrote. “Collection times were cut at riers often used horse-drawn wagons to least in half in most trials. This was collect mail from collection boxes scat- exciting news for the time-conscious tered throughout the cities they served, Post Office Department.” and they would continue to do so even Another test was held in Baltimore Harley-Davidson tri-cars as American inventors started creating in 1906 with a pair of Columbia Mark their own self-powered vehicles. 3 “autocars.” Each had a special In 1879, American inventor George compartment holding two mail sacks Baldwin filed the first U.S. patent for mounted on the back of the front seat. an automobile, one that looked similar Because driving wasn’t a skill many

May 2021 May 2021 The Postal Record 29 The of letterhistory carrier vehicles

and other manufacturers built tri-cars for testing, but the vehicles didn’t perform well in the tests and were abandoned. In 1920, after the end of World War I, the War Department gave thousands of trucks and motorcycles to the Post Office, but many were too damaged for use. Through the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s, the Post Office amassed a fleet of postal trucks. But with so many different manufacturers and suppliers, it became difficult to service the fleet. During the Great Depression, the Post Office limited purchases of new vehicles, resulting in many remaining on the road longer than expected. And during The Columbian Mark 3s were driven by drivers people had, the company supplied World War II, the Motor Vehicle Service provided by the manufacturer, who would take drivers. The letter carriers stood on had to make do with whatever it had on the letter carriers along their route. the back of the truck for easy access to hand, as spare parts were hard to find. mailboxes along the route. “When you hear talk of keeping a A Sit or Stand Van The tests were successful and motor- vehicle together with bailing wire, ized mail vehicles were introduced believe me, the Post Office was good at elsewhere. By the end of 1912, they it,” Baltimore letter carrier Jim Byrne were being used in Boston, Detroit, said at the time. Indianapolis, San Francisco and other Until the 1950s, most carriers and cities, all with drivers provided by the the mail were transported by truck to vehicle manufacturers. But these driv- where their walking routes began. But ers soon proved to be a problem. in the post-World War II period, busi- In a 1913 New York City public ness was booming, more people were hearing, mail drivers were accused of employed and mail volume surged. reckless driving, for allegedly exceed- City delivery had expanded to include ing the 15 mph speed limit and driving curbside delivery in the 1930s, and as on the wrong side of the road. When suburbs started to grow in the ’50s, the drivers went on strike in New York that need for better-suited vehicles became same year, the Post Office decided that a pressing issue. It was time for letter it was time to develop its own Motor carriers to get behind the wheel. Vehicle Service. It did so the next year. In Miami in 1954, the Post Office Meanwhile, some letter carriers used tested many types of vehicles, before bicycles for delivery, but the Post Office focusing on three: the Sit or Stand Van, was less successful with motorcycles, the Mailster and the . as it was difficult to balance the mail The Sit or Stand were built while on the motorcycle. In 1908, the by the Twin Coach Company of Kent, Post Office tested a three-wheel motor- OH, and gave letter carriers the option cycle called the “tri-car,” which had of standing up while driving short storage in the rear. Harley-Davidson distances or sitting down for longer

30 The Postal Record May 2021 May 2021 The assembly line for the Jeep

distances. The sliding side panel doors allowed carriers easy access to mail- boxes along the route. The Mailster was a smaller, three- wheeled vehicle based on an ice cream truck design. As soon as the vehicles were put into use, the problems with • Drive 960 miles over pot- them became apparent. The heating holes at 10 to 14 mph. often didn’t work and the Mailster • Haul a 1-ton load during could become immobilized in 3 inches half of the road test. of snow. With three wheels, if the letter carrier went around a corner too fast, it • Haul a man and a could topple over. One carrier com- 400-pound load during plained that his Mailster was tipped half of the road test. over by a large dog. • Drive over potholes ensur- The most successful of the new ing that each wheel hits a vehicles was the Jeep. The Jeep had pothole 35,000 times. become famous for its rugged perfor- • Make 100 consecutive mance during World War II. Willys Mo- stops from 15 mph. tors of Toledo, OH, produced a right- hand drive vehicle so carriers could Additionally, the vehicles A Mailster from 1955 save time on their routes by delivering had to have a weather-tight, straight from the window. These aluminum-alloy body, be easy to enter were built in a lighter, less durable and exit for carriers ranging from 4 design than the standard Jeep. feet, 11 inches tall to those standing In the 1980s, the Postal Service at 6-foot-2 and weighing 210 pounds, decided to replace its fleet, seeking a and had to be able to run 20 hours a new vehicle that would meet its needs day, seven days a week, for more than in terms of longevity. But rather than 20 years. using a design from an already existing The winner of the competition vehicle, as it had in previous searches, was the Long Life Vehicle (LLV), it created a set of testing criteria and produced by the Corpora- asked manufacturers to compete to cre- tion, then based in Bethpage, NY. It ate a new design. Each vehicle had to: began service in 1986 and The Grumman LLV 99,150 LLVs were produced • Drive 5,760 miles on a closed-loop until the last was built in 5-mile-long paved road at 50 to 55 mph. 1994. The Postal Service • Drive 11,520 miles over a gravel pushed the lifespan up to 30 road at 30 to 45 mph. years, but by 2014, it knew it had to prepare for the next • Drive 2,880 miles over a road with postal vehicle. a shoulder, stopping every 250 The Next Generation De- feet and accelerating to 15 mph in livery Vehicles are expected between. to appear on carrier routes • Drive 960 miles over cobblestones in 2023, becoming the latest that ranged from 3 to 4 inches high vehicle to help letter carriers at 10 to 14 mph. deliver. PR

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