# What Replaced the US Mail Jeep? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316 "2004-01-02T17:13:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/1 "2004-01-02T17:13:06Z")
What are those little trucks most US Mail delivery persons drive through the neighborhoods? They replaced the US Mail Jeeps maybe 10-15 years ago now. I thought I once heard it was a German company that initially won the contract. Was that ever correct? A friend of mine swears they are built by Grumman. But, I don’t see the Grumman name on them. At best, there is a sticker that says “SCG”, IIRC. Other than that, there is no identifying ensignia. (Could it have once been a German design, perhaps?) Maybe some SDopers recall the story of what replaced those cute little US Mail Jeeps and why… - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/2 "2004-01-02T17:25:16Z")
[url=“[http://www.postaljeep.com/history2.html](http://www.postaljeep.com/history2.html)”]Here’s some information. IIRC the trusty DJ-5 (a 2WD variant of the CJ-5) had a two-speed transmission. Jeeps were never fast, nor did they need to be. They were not expecially efficient either. I would guess that the greater capacity of the “long-life vehicles”, and their assumed (by me) greater efficiency is why the Postal Service decided to replace the DJ-5. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/3 "2004-01-02T17:27:04Z")
[Fixing the link](http://www.postaljeep.com/history2.html). ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/4 "2004-01-02T17:32:35Z")
Grumman Olson is contractor for at least some of them. Here’s a blurb: [http://www.autoaluminum.org/appmail.htm](http://www.autoaluminum.org/appmail.htm) > [@](#): > > Tom Dolan, Engineering Manager for Grumman Olson, maker of delivery vans for the U.S. Postal Service noted that of the over one hundred and forty thousand aluminum-intensive postal delivery vans put in service since 1987, only about 200 have been retired. Freightliner and Grumman recently got contracts: [http://www.grummanolson.com/Press%20Releases/prjul17.htm](http://www.grummanolson.com/Press%20Releases/prjul17.htm) It’s possible that the work was contracted out to other manufacturers as well. Often, things like this are built to spec by a variety of manufacturers. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/5 "2004-01-02T20:11:59Z")
A guy I know who works for USPS as a mechanic says they’re just Chevy S-10’s with aluminum shells. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/6 "2004-01-02T20:32:52Z")
I heard a similar story on a competing message board indicating it was a Ford Ranger underneath. God knows who, if anyone, is right. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/7 "2004-01-02T21:44:49Z")
I’ve never seen a mail pickup truck. I still see lots of jeeps and some vans. Does anyone know what the vans are? ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/8 "2004-01-02T21:54:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Woodall \* > \*\*I heard a similar story on a competing message board indicating it was a Ford Ranger underneath. God knows who, if anyone, is right. \*\* The auto parts store where I used to work supplied parts for the Postal Service LLVs. Every single one I worked on during that time was a Chevrolet S-10. ---
**Author:** ![Nekosoft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c2a13f/32.png) [@Nekosoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nekosoft)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/9 "2004-01-02T22:01:15Z")
Friend of a friend says the newest vans are built on a Ford Explorer frame. But again, I don’t know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/10 "2004-01-02T23:13:20Z")
Going with most of them being Grumman Olson van bodies, the Grumman Olson site isn’t much of a help - they build their vans on both Ford and Chevy/GMC platforms: [http://www.grummanolson.com/products.htm](http://www.grummanolson.com/products.htm) They also use the Workhorse and Freightliner chassis. I would guess that that 2001 blurb about a new contract with Grumman and Freightliner means some of the more recent ones are on a Freightliner chassis. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/11 "2004-01-03T06:37:45Z")
Yabob, all those are the larger vehicles. The smaller ones that replaced the Jeeps are LLVs. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-replaced-the-us-mail-jeep/222316/12 "2004-01-03T06:41:27Z")
I just looked it up. The older ones are Grumman LLVs built on the Chevy S-10. These are what I supplied parts for. The newer ones (around 1998 and up) are Ford Utilimasters, built off of the Explorer.