the tumblr hive mind would like to know isaac’s opinions on the new usps trucks
Sure!
On the one hand: the people who think it looks funny have been conditioned by vehicles which are designed to kill pedestrians while keeping their occupants safe. The little beak is there so we don't mulch children who run out to say hi to the mailman, and the giant windows are there so we can see them. Recently I've been delivering out of one of the stopgap vehicles we've been using, which is a surplus european minivan with a bunch of aftermarket modifications that aim for safety and arrive at constant indistinguishable warning beeps, and I long to be back in a vehicle that is actually designed for the job we do.
On the other: you may notice that the new vehicles are all-electric. There were definitely people in the progressive side of the union pushing for this, but I think they assumed that America would have electric vehicle infrastructure by the time the new vans rolled out (ha!) or that the post office would invest in installing charging ports at every station (HA!). What is in fact going to happen is that these things will operate out of giant central hubs, which will give the PO the excuse they've wanted to shut down local post offices. The labor/management shitstorm this will unleash will take years to work out and I doubt we'll be using the new vehicles for a long time even after they're delivered.
