30 year old trucks lead to a plethora of mail delivery truck fires at the US Post office
vice.com
On April 30, 2016, a United States Post Office letter carrier in Fall River, Massachusetts, left his truck to do a 20-minute loop by foot to deliver some mail. When he got back to the truck, the dashboard was on fire.
The next day, on the other side of the country, a letter carrier in Chandler, Arizona loaded his truck with the day’s mail. After driving for about 10 miles, the truck lost power and the engine abruptly shut off. He pulled over, got out of the truck and called his supervisor. While on the phone, white smoke came out of the truck. He started walking towards the truck to investigate when he heard a “whoosh” noise. The truck burst into flames.
Less than 24 hours after that, in Newport News, Virginia, a letter carrier driving her mail truck heard a loud pop and smoke started to come out of the engine. She turned the truck off and by the time she got out, a neighborhood resident came running out of their home to tell her the truck was on fire.
All three of those trucks, which were destroyed in fires within a 72-hour period, were the iconic USPS Long Life Vehicles, or LLVs, featuring right-side driver seats so letter carriers can easily put mail into mailboxes. They are the vehicles you are most likely to picture if someone says “mail truck.” And all over the country, they have been bursting into flames at an alarming rate. |
