Here's What The US Postal Service Wants In Their Next Mail Truck

The USPS is replacing the squat little vans you're use to seeing around the neighborhood, and is now trying to find a replacement. This sketch has just been released as an idea of what the Postal Service has in mind.

In a presentation to prospective suppliers that the USPS made last week (and posted online a few days ago) America's next mail truck would need total cargo space of 330 to 400 cubic feet, a minimum clear floor space of 72" by 108", 76" of headroom, and a clear bulkhead passage that's 30" wide.

The USPS is looking for an ambitious 18-20 year planned service life, right-hand drive, AWD availability, and a minimum payload capacity of 1,500 pounds.

Prescribed dimensions are a total length of 230", width of 85", and a towering 106" of height which gives it a fatter footprint than a modern four-door pickup truck. As the USPS themselves are providing these images as a guide, it seems like a safe bet that whoever wins the rights to build America's next mail truck will execute something pretty similar to this:

A six-month prototype vehicle testing phase is slated to commence in a year, after which we might start seeing these things on the street.

Contact the author at andrew@jalopnik.com.