Grumman LLV

Grumman Long Life Vehicle
A Grumman LLV of the United States Postal Service, seen here in Carson City, Nevada, in December 2005.
Overview
Manufacturer	Grumman
Also called	USPS Mail truck
Production	1987–1994
Assembly	Montgomery, Pennsylvania
Body and chassis
Class	Mail truck
Related	Kurbwatt, Kubvan
Powertrain
Engine	GM Iron Duke engine I4 engine
Transmission	3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 180 automatic transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase	100.5 in (2,550 mm)
Length	175.5 in (4,460 mm)
Width	75 in (1,900 mm)
Height	85 in (2,200 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor	Jeep Dispatcher

The Grumman Long Life Vehicle, also known by its acronym as the LLV, is an American light transport truck. The Grumman LLV was designed as a mail truck for the United States Postal Service, which is its primary user.

The Grumman LLV was specifically designed for the United States Postal Service with Grumman winning the contract for production. The main design points of the vehicle in contract competition were serviceability, handling in confined areas, and overall economical operation. As its name suggests, the Grumman LLV is easily capable of a long life, perhaps approaching twenty years of operation. The original design lifespan of the Grumman LLV specified by the U.S. Postal Service was 24 years, but in 2009 this was extended to thirty years. The body and final assembly is by Grumman, and the chassis (based on the 1982 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer) is made by General Motors, with the powerplant (2.5L I-4 TBI "Iron Duke" and, in later production, General Motors 2.2L I-4 iron block/aluminum head engine), instrument cluster and front suspension similar to those used in the Chevrolet S-10 pickup and S-10 Blazer sport utility vehicle.

In the United States, the Grumman LLV is the most common vehicle used by letter carriers for curbside and residential delivery of mail, replacing the previous standard letter-carrier vehicle, the Jeep DJ-5. Curbside delivery from a driver seated in a vehicle to a curbside mailbox is sometimes termed "mounted delivery", in contrast to walking delivery. The Grumman LLV entered service in 1987. The USPS purchased over 100,000 of these vehicles, of which the last was purchased in 1994. Approximately 140,000 LLVs are in the USPS delivery fleet. A number were also sold to Canada, Mexico, and several other countries.