I'm more than skeptical, still. DeJoy would prefer to scale down operations and privatize as much of mail delivery as possible, as well as raise rates for regular mailpieces in (what I consider) a misguided effort to make the USPS more self-sustainable financially. I fundamentally disagree with his basic stance here: the post is a public service, and should not be run like a business. Certainly we should eliminate waste and inefficiency where possible (something most governments could stand to do in many areas), but not at the expense of service, and not by making mail costs more expensive for average people. (Jacking up rates on bulk mail is something I can get behind, though.)

I see his capitulation around EVs and in other areas not as a change of heart, or as a realization of what's actually the right thing, but as resignation (the lawsuits must have been exhausting) and self-preservation. While POTUS can't fire the postmaster general, the board of governors can, and if/when Democrats have a majority on the board, he could be voted out of a job if he's not playing ball. I very much expect that the next time a Republican is in the White House, if he's still in the position, he'll act much like he did when appointed, since he can assume he's relatively safe if board of governors seats open up.

Ultimately, though, it does seem that the USPS is moving in (IMO) the right direction for now, and DeJoy does deserve some credit for that, even if this isn't what he envisioned originally.

I wish we had a metric of "acceptable government waste, because we're providing a public service."

When we provide public services the goal needs to be that we provide them to everyone within a reasonable cost-basis. Too many gov't programs are the subject of budget cuts because people cry out "Waste!" when in reality the amount you save by addressing that waste undercuts the impact of the program.

There are so many basic programs where we cut people off because of "WASTE!", and we'd be better served trying to offer broad services at a base-level, and addressing individual needs more targeted. Feels like a Mountain vs. Valley approach. Gov't programs should be Mountains that we build up with a wide-base to cover the wide needs and that we can address smaller needs with more targeted approaches. Rather than the valley approach of wide need, and we cut support based on where we think we see waste.

Robustness looks like waste if you're obsessed with efficiency over all else.

I agree. Considering the old fleet had a measly 150 mile range I would expect the vast majority to be replaced by EVs, not a begrudging 50%. "Rave reviews" was not the bar. Just having AC will get rave reviews from a postal worker.

Do we care about electrification or not? Because it really seems like we don't. A huge opportunity wasted by an EV hater, is what it sounds like to me.

And to people suggesting it would be difficult: of course it would! You know what else is difficult? Designing a never-before-seen ICE truck. It's all difficult!

I’m still very skeptical. I think we’re at this point due to pressure, the failing old fleet, and lawsuits.

But I’m glad this is happening. I remember all the discussions around it but have never seen one in person so I had no idea what the status was.

To know they’re out there is great. I can’t wait until they get to my area. And I’d like to hear an update after carriers have really lived with them for a year and really know the flaws and benefits inside and out.

I’ll miss the old Grumman LLVs though. They are the post office to me, being there basically all my life. Such an unmistakeable symbol. But it’s time has come.

> I’ll miss the old Grumman LLVs though. They are the post office to me, being there basically all my life.

Same. I was 6 years old when they started rolling out, and don't really remember the previous vehicles. While I actually like (or at least don't mind) the look of the new trucks, they give me that feeling when I'm traveling in a different country, and the normal/standard service vehicles look different and "weird".

> I’ll miss the old Grumman LLVs though. They are the post office to me, being there basically all my life. Such an unmistakeable symbol. But it’s time has come.

Living in a rural area, the mail car was a right-hand-drive station wagon with their spare tire on the roof (to make more room for mail inside). My entire childhood, that is what I saw delivering mail. Now? Now it's an Outback with the spare on the roof...

Makes sense.

From time to time I'll see another kind of vehicle, often a white van. But living in suburbs they've been the majority by far for me.

The new mail truck program started in 2015 before Dejoy started in 2020. Contracts for prototypes were awarded in 2016, testing and evaluation started in 2017, and the production contract was signed in 2021. I wouldn't credit Dejoy too much.

Thanks for the info. I thought it was a little strange that he did this (Trump appointee, conflict of interest, EVs). We will see what the future brings.

Like the article said, the LLVs are 12 years past service life and catching on fire. Gotta do something.

And there's no way he'd get away with doing nothing. So something had to happen.

I'd still expect he tried to slow-walk it somehow and the no-EV thing seemed very politically motivated.