One of many vehicles tested by the Post Office Department

Sit or Stand Van

Jeep

1950-1986

A New Design On Mail Volume

After the end of the Second World War in 1945,
the Post Office Department was finally able to
purchase 3,247 new trucks. Post-war booms in
business and employment fueled an increase in
mail volume. More mail flowing into individual
mailboxes meant more mail toted by the carriers.

Growing suburban sprawl added to the complexity
of the challenge facing the Department after the
war. City mail delivery systems were strained to the point of breaking and letter carriers to the point of exhaustion. A new approach was needed to keep mail moving quickly and efficiently.

“The unprecedented suburban
grown throughout the country
has made obsolete many of the
old methods for delivering mail.”

Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield, Annual Report to Congress, 1954

Letting the Carriers Drive

For the first half of the 20th century, mail trucks transported both carriers and their mail to the spot where the daily rounds began on foot. Faced with more homes to reach, and more mail to bring, the Post Office Department’s solution was to put their letter carriers behind the wheel. By using vehicles to haul all that mail, carriers could complete longer routes in the same amount of time.

To ensure the success of this plan, the Department needed to obtain vehicles that were lightweight, maneuverable and able to withstand the rigorous demands of mail delivery service. To find these vehicles, postal officials instituted a series of tests, including one in Miami, Florida in July 1954. A number of vehicle types were offered for inspection and testing. When the tests were over, three vehicle types had sparked the Department’s interest, the Sit or Stand Van, the Mailster and the Jeep.

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Mailster