This is an accepted version of this page
93-490: The Grumman Long Life Vehicle ( LLV ) is an American light transport truck model designed as a mail truck for the United States Postal Service , which has been its primary user since it first entered service in 1986, 38 years ago. It was also used by Canada Post . The LLV uses a chassis built by General Motors based on its Chevrolet S-10 with an aluminum body built by Grumman . In 2021, after
186-628: A Yale lock on the driver's door. Similarly, in the United States automotive mail vans used by the United States Postal Service were modified commercial vehicles. From June 1929 to March 1932, for example, the Ford Motor Company sold Model A and Model AA chassis to the USPS, whose regional garages would then outfit them with mail van bodies (in oak or white ash) painted in the USPS colors. These bodies came from five companies:
279-551: A 2,000 lb (910 kg) lead-acid battery consisting of 39 modules at 8 volts each, connected in series. It has a curb weight of 4,950 lb (2,250 kg) and a payload of 1,250 lb (570 kg); the estimated driving range is 50 mi (80 km) and the maximum speed is 60 mph (97 km/h). Testing at EVTC showed the ECRV met or exceeded its performance requirements, including an accelerated 20,000 mi (32,000 km) reliability test. Real-world testing at
372-427: A 24,000 mi (39,000 km) road test, including frequent starts and stops, gravel surfaces, cobblestones and potholes, hauling a payload of up to 2,000 lb (910 kg). Previously, Grumman had built a limited number of KurbWatts , a battery electric vehicle with an aluminum delivery van body, which was tested by the USPS in the early 1980s. At about the same time, Grumman also built 500 KubVans, which used
465-657: A RHD Ford Ranger EV chassis. Most were tested in California, with the remainder tested in Washington, D.C. , and White Plains, New York . Southern California Edison tested six prototype ECRVs at the Electric Vehicle Technical Center (EVTC) in Pomona, California . The ECRV uses a 90-horsepower (91 PS; 67 kW) AC induction traction motor driving the rear wheels, drawing power from
558-522: A change to RHT, but, a few years later, the government ordered it and it occurred on Sunday, 3 September 1967 at 5 am. The accident rate then dropped sharply, but soon rose to near its original level. The day was known as Högertrafikomläggningen, or Dagen H for short. When Iceland switched to RHT the following year, it was known as Hægri dagurinn or H-dagurinn ("The H-Day"). Most passenger cars in Iceland were already LHD. The United Kingdom
651-469: A chassis built by Ford Motor Company with a body built by Utilimaster . In 2010, approximately 140,000 LLVs remained in the USPS delivery fleet; retirement and attrition had reduced that to 126,000 by 2021. A number were also sold to Canada, Mexico, and several other countries. Like the older postal-service Jeep DJ-5, the Grumman LLV features a right-hand-drive (RHD) configuration, in contrast to
744-626: A clear view of other vehicles. The first keep-right law for driving in the United States was passed in 1792 and applied to the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike . Massachusetts formalized RHT in 1821. However, the National Road was LHT until 1850, "long after the rest of the country had settled on the keep-right convention". Today the United States is RHT except the United States Virgin Islands , which
837-613: A double driving seat, and mail coach style headlamps. These were frequently called mail coaches, although unlike actual mail coaches they carried no passengers. At least six regular long-distance, i.e., not just to and from local railway stations, mail van services out of London existed in the late 19th century. A London-to- Chatham mail van service ran until the summer of 1908, and one mail van service ran from London to Oxford until 1909. During World War II such horse-drawn McNamara mail vans were reintroduced, because of petrol rationing, but only for local work. These vans were drawn by
930-474: A familiar sight, and at least one survived until 1982 to sport the livery of British Telecom . The GPO vehicles were special order vehicles, and not quite the same as the commercial Morris Minor LCVs. The early series vans had one seat, no heater, and headlamps fitted to the front of the vehicle on rubber wings (US: fenders). Later series adhered more closely to conventional LCV norms, but differences remained. The Series III GPO Morris Minor van, for example, had
1023-585: A fleet of Transit Connect vans . On January 20, 2015, the USPS released solicitation RFI-NGDV for the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle. Potential bidders had until March 5, 2015, to submit comments and pre-qualification responses. The USPS was to then select companies to receive the RFP for prototype development. On February 13, 2015, it was announced that General Motors was actively pursuing this new contract, which would have them provide
SECTION 10
#17327690776411116-605: A long competition, the USPS announced it had awarded a $ 6 billion contract to Oshkosh Defense to produce the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle , which will replace the LLV. In February 2023, the USPS announced the purchase of 9,250 each of stock Ford E-Transit vans and Stellantis gasoline-powered vans. As of May 2023, the first custom NGDVs were scheduled to enter service in June 2024, nine months after
1209-415: A newspaper said, "The cart was near to the right hand kerb. According to the rules of the road, it should have been on the left side. In turning sharp round a right-hand corner, a driver should keep away to the opposite side." That rule was codified when the first Highway Code was written in 1936. Samoa , a former German colony, had been RHT for more than a century, but switched to LHT in 2009, making it
1302-612: A nominal range of 30 km (19 mi). The traction motor was an AC induction type, with a peak output of 50 kW (67 hp; 68 PS) and continuous rated output of 20 kW (27 hp; 27 PS). Testing showed the typical consumption on a postal driving cycle was 19.74 kWh/100 km (106.1 mpg‑e) at an ambient temperature of −20 °C (−4 °F), giving a range of 27.39 km (17.02 mi); these figures improved to 16.04 kWh/100 km (130.6 mpg‑e) consumption and 29.58 km (18.38 mi) range at 20 °C (68 °F). By comparison,
1395-532: A pilot program, adding a battery electric drivetrain developed by GM Hughes and U.S. Electricar . They used lead-acid battery chemistry. The resulting Electric Long Life Vehicles (ELLVs) were deployed to post offices in Harbor City, California (in Los Angeles); Merrifield, Virginia ; and Westminster, California . When GM canceled its electric vehicle program, the vehicles were taken out of service at
1488-748: A similar lightweight aluminum delivery body on a Volkswagen Pickup diesel chassis and also underwent testing by the USPS. These designs influenced Grumman's candidate body design for the LLV. Grumman won the competition and was awarded a $ 1.1 billion contract to produce 99,150 LLVs in April 1986; USPS also held an option for an additional 54,000 LLVs. The vehicles were assembled by the Allied Division of Grumman in Clinton Township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania . The first vehicle
1581-409: A simple traffic light to do the switch, but there are also interchanges that enable the switch while keeping up a continuous flow of traffic. There are six road border crossing points between Hong Kong and mainland China. In 2006, the daily average number of vehicle trips recorded at Lok Ma Chau was 31,100. The next largest is Man Kam To , where there is no changeover system and the border roads on
1674-511: A single horse, had pneumatic tyres, and were painted in the Post Office livery colours. A few of them were still in service in the early 1950s. Horse-drawn mail vans were replaced by automotive mail vans. These were commercial vans. For example, over almost two decades the U.K. General Post Office purchased 50,000 Morris Minor light commercial vehicles for use as either mail vans or telephone engineer vans. These Morris Minor vans became
1767-644: A sixth of the world's land area, a quarter of its roads, and about a third of its population. In 1919, 104 of the world's territories were LHT and an equal number were RHT. Between 1919 and 1986, 34 of the LHT territories switched to RHT. While many of the countries using LHT were part of the British Empire , others such as Indonesia , Japan , Nepal , Bhutan , Macao , Thailand , Mozambique , Suriname , Sweden and Iceland (which use RHT since September 1967 and late May 1968 respectively) were not. Most of
1860-470: A ten- shilling fine to anyone not driving or riding on the left side of the road within the county of the city of Dublin , and required the local road overseers to erect written or printed notices informing road users of the law. The Road in Down and Antrim Act 1798 (38 Geo. 3. c. 28 (I)) required drivers on the road from Dublin to Donadea to keep to the left. This time, the punishment was ten shillings if
1953-425: A variety of vehicle sizes and drive configurations, in addition to advanced power trains and a range of hybrid technologies. On February 23, 2021, USPS announced that Oshkosh Defense was awarded the contract for design and manufacture of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) to replace the LLV and FFV, delivering up to 165,000 vehicles over a ten-year period. Mail truck A mail truck or post van
SECTION 20
#17327690776412046-426: Is 17 miles per US gallon (13.8 L/100 km; 20.4 mpg ‑imp ; 7.2 km/L) [16 / 18 mpg ‑US (14.7 / 13.1 L/100 km; 19.2 / 21.6 mpg ‑imp ; 6.8 / 7.7 km/L) on the city/highway cycles, respectively]. In actual use by the USPS, which includes extensive stop-and-go driving for residential delivery, average fuel economy
2139-606: Is LHT like many neighbouring islands. Some special-purpose vehicles in the United States, like certain postal service trucks, garbage trucks, and parking-enforcement vehicles, are built with the driver's seat on the right for safer and easier access to the curb. A common example is the Grumman LLV , which is used nationwide by the US Postal Service and by Canada Post . In Canada, the provinces of Quebec and Ontario were always RHT because they were created out of
2232-693: Is LHT, but two of its overseas territories , Gibraltar and the British Indian Ocean Territory , are RHT. In the late 1960s, the British Department for Transport considered switching to RHT, but declared it unsafe and too costly for such a built-up nation. Road building standards, for motorways in particular, allow asymmetrically designed road junctions, where merge and diverge lanes differ in length. Today, four countries in Europe continue to use LHT, all island nations:
2325-501: Is a type of delivery vehicle that is used to transport post . Originally horse-drawn , most modern mail trucks are automotive vehicles . In his article, "Right through the Post", John Hollingshead describes mail vans from the point of view of a letter navigating through the postal system: Here we find [...] many really dismal, but rather would-be gay-looking, vehicles, drawn up to convey us to our different railway stations. These are
2418-413: Is about 8.2–10 mpg ‑US (28.7–23.5 L/100 km; 9.8–12.0 mpg ‑imp ; 3.5–4.3 km/L). Like other U.S. Postal Service vehicles before it, the Grumman LLV does not carry a license plate and instead uses a seven-digit U.S. Postal Service serial number, usually starting with 020, 021, 120, 125, 126, 220, 221, 330, 331, 430, 431, 720, 820, 821, 920, or 921. The first digit of
2511-406: Is dreadfully shattered and work-worn. Something of the hearse also mingles in its composition, and something of the omnibus. Its stand, when off duty, is at the end of Bedford-row, Holborn , where it basks in the sun, within a maze of posts, against the dead wall, looking with its companions like a crooked line of Chelsea pensioners waiting for the doctor. As described by Hollingshead, mail vans in
2604-447: Is easily capable of a long life. The required lifespan specified by the U.S. Postal Service was 24 years, but in 2009, this was extended to 30 years. The Grumman LLV can easily last over 200,000 miles on its original engine and transmission before needing an overhaul. The USPS acquired 21,000 Ford–Utilimaster FFVs in 2000 and 2001 to supplement the LLV fleet. The FFVs have a similar aluminum body and also are right-hand drive, but ride on
2697-507: Is room for more than one vehicle in the one direction, and the side on which the vehicle in the rear overtakes the one in the front. For example, a driver in an LHT country would typically overtake on the right of the vehicle being overtaken. RHT is used in 165 countries and territories, mainly in the Americas , Continental Europe , most of Africa and mainland Asia (except South Asia ), while 75 countries use LHT, which account for about
2790-434: Is still geared to LHT as its neighbours India, Bangladesh and Thailand use LHT. Most cars are used RHD vehicles imported from Japan. Afghanistan was LHT until the 1950s, in line with Pakistan (former part of British India). Although Portuguese Timor (present-day East Timor ), which shares the island of Timor with Indonesia , who is LHT, switched to RHT with Portugal in 1928, it switched back to LHT in 1976 during
2883-426: Is the opposite: traffic keeps right, the driver usually sits on the left side of the car (LHD: left-hand drive), and roundabouts circulate anticlockwise. In most countries, rail traffic follows the handedness of the roads; but many of the countries that switched road traffic from LHT to RHT did not switch their trains. Boat traffic on bodies of water is RHT, regardless of location. Boats are traditionally piloted from
Grumman LLV - Misplaced Pages Continue
2976-634: The British Virgin Islands , and the United States Virgin Islands are LHD due to their being imported from the United States. Brazil , a Portuguese colony until the early 19th century, had in the 19th and the early 20th century mixed rules, with some regions still on LHT, switching these remaining regions to RHT in 1928, the same year Portugal switched sides. Other Central and South American countries that later switched from LHT to RHT include Argentina, Chile, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Suriname , along with neighbouring Guyana , are
3069-592: The Cape Colony (present-day South Africa and Lesotho ), as well as in British West Africa (present-day Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria); former British West Africa, however, has now switched to RHT, as all its neighbours, which are former French colonies, use RHT. South Africa, formerly the Cape Colony, introduced LHT in former German South West Africa , present-day Namibia , after
3162-520: The Fountain Valley, California , post office during July and August demonstrated the average route covered 13–16 miles (21–26 km), consuming an average of 41% of the battery state of charge. After Ford announced they were also canceling their electric vehicle program in October 2002, the battery manufacturer (East Penn Manufacturing Company) offered to sell replacement traction batteries for
3255-561: The French Revolution . Scholars who have looked for documentary evidence of this story have found none, and contemporary sources have not surfaced, as of 1999. In 1827, long after Napoleon's reign, Edward Planta wrote that, in Paris , "The coachmen have no established rule by which they drive on the right or left of the road, but they cross and jostle one another without ceremony." Rotterdam had no fixed rules until 1917, although
3348-871: The Indonesian occupation of East Timor . In the 1930s, parts of China such as the Shanghai International Settlement , Canton and Japanese-occupied northeast China used LHT. However, in 1946 the Republic of China made RHT mandatory in China (including Taiwan ). Taiwan was LHT under Japanese colonization from 1895–1945. Portuguese Macau (present-day Macau ) remained LHT, along with British Hong Kong , despite being transferred to China in 1999 and 1997 respectively. Both North Korea and South Korea use RHT since 1946, after liberation from Japanese colonialization . The Philippines
3441-560: The Maghreb , where it is still used. Countries in these areas include Mali , Mauritania , Ivory Coast , Burkina Faso , Benin , Niger , Morocco , Algeria , and Tunisia . Other French former colonies that are RHT include Cameroon , Central African Republic , Chad , Djibouti , Gabon , and the Republic of the Congo . Rwanda and Burundi are RHT but are considering switching to LHT (see "Potential future shifts" section below). In
3534-419: The starboard side (and not the port side like RHT road traffic vehicles) to facilitate priority to the right . Historically, many places kept left, while many others kept right, often within the same country. There are many myths that attempt to explain why one or the other is preferred. About 90 percent of people are right-handed , and many explanations reference this. Horses are traditionally mounted from
3627-685: The 1931 Model A chassis, and 2,500 on the 1931 Model AA chassis. One such 1931 Ford Model A mail van can be seen exhibited in the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. The first door to door mail truck was manufactured by the Twin Coach Company of Kent, Ohio, in 1954. It was first used by the Warren, Ohio, Post Office 4 August 1954, under Postmaster Sam Verlenich who posed with five carriers next to their trucks, for
3720-464: The 2.5-liter inline-four TBI Iron Duke and, in later production, 2.2-liter inline-four SPFI LN2 ; the instrument cluster and front suspension are similar to those used in the Chevrolet S-10 pickup and S-10 Blazer sport utility vehicle. The LLV has a unique footprint. The front wheels (taken from the two-wheel-drive S-10 Blazer model) have narrower spacing than the rear wheels (using
3813-601: The 2008–2010 purchase of Dodge Grand Caravan and Chevrolet Uplander minivans, which tend to be more comfortable for postal workers, especially in extreme climates. The United States Postal Service has announced it would purchase 7,160 Ram ProMaster (to replace Caravan and Uplander vehicles) and up to 30,608 right-hand-drive Mercedes-Benz Metris vehicles as part of the Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) vehicle program announced on August 3, 2018, to replace and upgrade its fleet of delivery vehicles. In 2014,
Grumman LLV - Misplaced Pages Continue
3906-571: The ECRVs to be held in cold storage as experience showed the batteries would need to be replaced after two years of service. The USPS instead traded the ECRVs in August 2003 back to Ford in exchange for Windstar minivans. A second round of testing five converted all-electric LLVs began in 2011. Each second-generation eLLV was converted by a different group, funded by the USPS through a $ 50,000 grant to each electromodder , and tested in Washington, D.C. In
3999-460: The Post-office vans, furnished and horsed by contract, to the department, for a payment of ten thousand pounds per annum; and forming the only existing link that binds the railway-governed Post-office mail box; of to-day, to the mail-coach-governed Post-office of the past. In shape, the Post-office van is like a prison-van; in colour it is a mixture of dingy black and red; and in condition it
4092-555: The USPS reviewed options for replacement. The Office of Inspector General found that the Postal Service's acquisition plan for replacements lacked details and while the USPS could continue deliveries until 2017, there were concerns over the aging vehicles. Canada Post also adopted the Grumman LLV, but around 2008, it began studying whether to refurbish, upgrade, or replace its fleet. On March 18, 2010, Canada Post and Ford Motor Company announced that Canada Post would purchase
4185-611: The USPS with 180,000 new vehicles at a cost of at least $ 5 billion. On September 22, 2016, the United States Postal Service awarded the NGDV Prototype Contract to six selected suppliers: AM General , Karsan , Mahindra , Oshkosh , Utilimaster , and a joint-venture bid involving Workhorse and VT Hackney. Half of the prototypes would feature hybrid and new technologies, including alternative fuel capabilities. The prototypes would represent
4278-694: The United Kingdom were originally horse-drawn, operating in conjunction with the railway network, including Travelling Post Offices , carrying mail between railway stations and places distant from them, and between sub-post offices and sorting offices . Some of these vans were of the Brougham type. In the 1880s the General Post Office began hiring larger enclosed box vans from McNamara & Company. These vans had elliptical spring front suspension, semi-elliptical spring rear suspension,
4371-481: The United Kingdom, Ireland (formerly part of the UK), Cyprus and Malta (both former British colonies). Many former British colonies in the region have always been LHT, including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji , Kiribati , Solomon Islands , Tonga , and Tuvalu ; and nations that were previously administered by Australia: Nauru and Papua New Guinea . Initially traffic was slow and very sparse, but, as early as 1856,
4464-807: The York-Hoover Body Company, of York, Pennsylvania ; the Mifflinburg Body Company, of Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania ; the August Schubert Wagon Works, of Syracuse, New York ; the Metropolitan Body Company, of Bridgeport, Connecticut ; and the General Motors Truck Company, of Pontiac, Michigan . In total, 400 such mail vans were built on the 1929 Model A chassis, 400 on the 1929 Model AA chassis, 1,000 on
4557-452: The chassis frame and powertrain components had required reverse-engineering as the original designs were out of production. The LLVs also suffer from several design deficiencies, including inadequate cabin climate controls (no air conditioning and a heater prone to breaking down). The wheels and suspension are not suited for the all-terrain and all-weather needs of delivering mail and require snow chains during inclement weather. Also, because
4650-593: The cities Milan , Turin , and Florence . In 1915, allied forces of World War I imposed LHT in areas of military operation, but this was revoked in 1918. Rome was reported by Goethe as LHT in the 1780s. Naples was also LHT although surrounding areas were often RHT. In cities, LHT was considered safer since pedestrians, accustomed to keeping right, could better see oncoming vehicular traffic. Finally, in 1923 Benito Mussolini decreed that all LHT areas would gradually transition to RHT. In spite of this, some Italian heavy commercial vehicles were right-hand drive until
4743-430: The conventionally-powered LLV on the same driving cycle returned fuel consumption of 0.22 L/km (11 mpg ‑US ) at −20 °C (−4 °F) and 0.16 L/km (15 mpg ‑US ) at 20 °C (68 °F). This was followed by a larger fleet test, consisting of 500 Electric Carrier Route Vehicles (ECRV) from 2000 to 2003. The ECRV was equipped with a body similar to the LLV, built by Grumman/Allied on
SECTION 50
#17327690776414836-517: The countries that were part of the French colonial empire adopted RHT. Historical switches of traffic handedness have often been motivated by factors such as changes in political administration, a desire for uniformity within a country or with neighboring states, or availability and affordability of vehicles. In LHT, traffic keeps left and cars usually have the steering wheel on the right (RHD: right-hand drive) and roundabouts circulate clockwise. RHT
4929-419: The country. In a study of the ancient traffic system of Pompeii , Eric Poehler was able to show that drivers of carts drove in the middle of the road whenever possible. This was the case even on roads wide enough for two lanes. The wear marks on the kerbstones, however, prove that when there were two lanes of traffic, and the volume of traffic made it necessary to divide the lanes, the drivers always drove on
5022-629: The end of World War I . Sudan, formerly part of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan , switched to RHT in 1973. Most of its neighbours were RHT countries, with the exception of Uganda and Kenya, but since the independence of South Sudan in 2011, all of its neighbours drive on the right (including South Sudan, despite its land borders with two LHT countries). Although Portugal switched to RHT in 1928, its colony of Mozambique remained LHT because it has land borders with former British colonies (with LHT). France introduced RHT in French West Africa and
5115-597: The end of 2000. At about the same time, Transport Canada commissioned Solectria Corporation in November 1998 to convert two LLVs to battery-electric; they were delivered to Canada Post in February 1999. The performance report, comparing the converted LLV to a conventional LLV, was published in February 2000. The Solectria/Grumman LLV was equipped with a 12-kilowatt-hour (43 MJ) lead-acid traction battery and 5-kilowatt (17,000 BTU/h) diesel-fired heater, giving it
5208-483: The end of their lifespan, the USPS has been preparing to replace the LLVs. In fiscal year 2009, the USPS spent $ 524 million to repair and retrofit its fleet of Grumman LLVs, and estimated that it would cost $ 4.2 billion to replace the entire fleet. By 2021, it was estimated that each LLV required maintenance costing more than $ 5,000 per year; the all-aluminum body had proven to be robust and corrosion-resistant, but
5301-506: The first territory in almost 30 years to change sides. The move was legislated in 2008 to allow Samoans to use cheaper vehicles imported from Australia, New Zealand, or Japan, and to harmonise with other South Pacific nations. A political party, The People's Party , was formed by the group People Against Switching Sides (PASS) to protest against the change, with PASS launching a legal challenge; in April 2008 an estimated 18,000 people attended demonstrations against switching. The motor industry
5394-570: The following were declared public holidays, to reduce traffic. The change included a three-day ban on alcohol sales, while police mounted dozens of checkpoints, warning drivers to drive slowly. Rwanda and Burundi , former Belgian colonies in Central Africa , are RHT but are considering switching to LHT like neighbouring members of the East African Community (EAC). A survey in 2009 found that 54% of Rwandans favoured
5487-577: The former Austrian Partition changed in the 1920s. Croatia-Slavonia switched on joining the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1918, although Istria and Dalmatia were already RHT. The switch in Czechoslovakia from LHT to RHT had been planned for 1939, but was accelerated by the start of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia that year. Similarly, Hungary switched in 1941. West Ukraine was LHT, but
5580-551: The former French colony of New France . The province of British Columbia changed to RHT in stages from 1920 to 1923, New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , and Prince Edward Island in 1922, 1923, and 1924 respectively, and the British colony of Newfoundland (part of Canada since 1949) in 1947, in order to allow traffic (without side switch) to or from the United States. In the West Indies , colonies and territories drive on
5673-479: The historic photograph on the front page of the Warren Tribune Chronicle. The mail van used by the USPS for local deliveries since the late-1980s is the Grumman LLV (Long Life Vehicle). This is a custom-made mail van manufactured by Grumman Corporation, whose US$ 1.1 billion contract with the USPS was for 99,150 vehicles in 1986. They were originally intended to last for 24 years, three times
SECTION 60
#17327690776415766-400: The late 18th century, right-hand traffic started to be introduced in the United States of America based on teamsters ' use of large freight wagons pulled by several pairs of horses and without a driver's seat; the (typically right-handed) postilion held his whip in his right hand and thus sat on the left rear horse, and therefore preferred other wagons passing on the left so that he would have
5859-526: The left, and led from the left, with the reins in the right hand. So people walking horses might use RHT, to keep the animals separated. Also referenced is the need for pedestrians to keep their swords in the right hand and pass on the left as in LHT, for self-defence. It has been suggested that wagon-drivers whipped their horses with their right hand, and thus sat on the left-hand side of the wagon, as in RHT. Academic Chris McManus notes that writers have stated that in
5952-513: The lifetime of the mail vans that they replaced. Production of the LLV began in April 1987 in Grumman's plant in Montgomery, Pennsylvania . The vehicle is built on a General Motors chassis, is 175 inches (440 cm) long, weighs 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg), can carry up to 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of mail, and is driven by a 2.5-litre General Motors four-cylinder engine. In 1991, Grumman
6045-447: The nine-month period from March to December 2011, the five vehicles had taken an aggregated 9,181 trips and traveled a total distance of 3,965 miles (6,381 km), consuming an average of 0.645 kW⋅h/mi (52.3 mpg‑e) of AC power (from the wall). By March 2014, only one of the modified eLLVs (from ZAP) remained in service. Because the United States Postal Service owns more than 100,000 Grumman LLVs, of which most have reached
6138-474: The offender was not the owner of the vehicle, or one Irish pound (twenty shillings) if he/she was. The Grand Juries (Ireland) Act 1836 ( 6 & 7 Will. 4 c. 116) mandated LHT for the whole country, violators to be fined up to five shillings and imprisoned in default for up to one month. An oft-repeated story is that Napoleon changed the custom from LHT to RHT in France and the countries he conquered after
6231-573: The only two remaining LHT countries in South America . LHT was introduced by the U.K. in British India (now India , Pakistan , Myanmar , and Bangladesh ), British Malaya and British Borneo (now Malaysia , Brunei and Singapore), as well as British Hong Kong . These countries, except Myanmar, are still LHT, as well as neighbouring countries Bhutan and Nepal . Myanmar switched to RHT in 1970, although much of its infrastructure
6324-538: The original October 2023 target date. 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
6417-502: The other side". It was later legislated as the London Bridge Act 1756 ( 29 Geo. 2 c. 40), which required that "all carriages passing over the said bridge from London shall go on the east side thereof" – those going south to remain on the east, i.e. the left-hand side by direction of travel. This may represent the first statutory requirement for LHT. In the Kingdom of Ireland , a law of 1793 (33 Geo. 3. c. 56 (I)) provided
6510-418: The rear axle from the four-wheel-drive S-10 Blazer model). The front of the vehicle also has low ground clearance. While this has advantages, there are some trade offs. The vehicle was tested successfully in warmer climates, but when used in places with substantial snowfall, they became difficult to control and were poorly adapted to those conditions. The Grumman LLV's estimated average combined EPA fuel economy
6603-592: The rest of Ukraine, having been part of the Russian Empire, was RHT. In Italy, it had been decreed in 1901 that each province define its own traffic code , including the handedness of traffic, and the 1903 Baedeker guide reported that the rule of the road varied by region. For example, in Northern Italy , the provinces of Brescia , Como , Vicenza , and Ravenna were RHT while nearby provinces of Lecco , Verona , and Varese were LHT, as were
6696-774: The rest of the Netherlands was RHT. In May 1917 the police in Rotterdam ended traffic chaos by enforcing right hand traffic. In Russia, in 1709, the Danish envoy under Tsar Peter the Great noted the widespread custom for traffic in Russia to pass on the right, but it was only in 1752 that Empress Elizabeth officially issued an edict for traffic to keep to the right. After the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke up,
6789-596: The resulting countries gradually changed to RHT. In Austria , Vorarlberg switched in 1921, North Tyrol in 1930, Carinthia and East Tyrol in 1935, and the rest of the country in 1938. In Romania , Transylvania , the Banat and Bukovina were LHT until 1919, while Wallachia and Moldavia were already RHT. Partitions of Poland belonging to the German Empire and the Russian Empire were RHT, while
6882-407: The right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow , and are sometimes called the rule of the road . The terms right- and left-hand drive refer to the position of the driver and the steering wheel in the vehicle and are, in automobiles, the reverse of the terms right- and left-hand traffic . The rule also includes where on the road a vehicle is to be driven, if there
6975-582: The right-hand side. These considerations can also be demonstrated in the archaeological findings of other cities in the Roman Empire . One of the first references in England to requiring traffic direction was an order by the London Court of Aldermen in 1669, requiring a man to be posted on London Bridge to ensure that "all cartes going to keep on the one side and all cartes coming to keep on
7068-577: The same side as their parent countries, except for the United States Virgin Islands . Many of the island nations are former British colonies and drive on the left, including Jamaica , Antigua and Barbuda , Barbados , Dominica , Grenada , Saint Kitts and Nevis , Saint Lucia , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , Trinidad and Tobago , and The Bahamas . However, most vehicles in The Bahamas, Cayman Islands , Turks and Caicos Islands and both
7161-462: The seat. Other notable features are an exceptionally tight turning radius and a low-geared, three-speed transmission for hauling heavy cargo. The LLV has a 1,000-pound (450 kg) cargo capacity, double what the Jeep DJ-5 could hold. The body and final assembly is by Grumman, and the chassis is made by General Motors , based on the 1982 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer , powered by GM engines including
7254-513: The serial number represents the last digit of the year in which it was made, ranging from 7 (1987) to 4 (1994). The USPS does not permit reselling LLVs, so when they are retired, they are scrapped for parts; however, at least one was sold by the State of Georgia at auction in 2013. Grumman also planned to market a commercial variant of the LLV with right-hand drive as the CLLV through Chevrolet. The CLLV
7347-464: The switch. Reasons cited were the perceived lower costs of RHD vehicles, easier maintenance and the political benefit of harmonising traffic regulations with other EAC countries. The survey indicated that RHD cars were 16% to 49% cheaper than their LHD counterparts. In 2014, an internal report by consultants to the Ministry of Infrastructure recommended a switch to LHT. In 2015, the ban on RHD vehicles
7440-769: The traffic code was changed in 1959. Portugal switched to RHT in 1928. Finland , formerly part of LHT Sweden, switched to RHT in 1858 as the Grand Duchy of Finland by Russian decree. Spain switched to RHT in 1918, but not in the entire country. In Madrid people continued to drive on the left until 1924 when a national law forced drivers in Madrid switch to RHT. Madrid Metro still uses LHT. Sweden switched to RHT in 1967, having been LHT from about 1734 despite having land borders with RHT countries Norway and Finland, and approximately 90% of cars being left-hand drive (LHD). A referendum in 1955 overwhelmingly rejected
7533-462: The typical left-hand-drive (LHD) position of vehicles in North America. It also features a large metal tray, which is able to hold three trays of letter mail, mounted where a passenger seat would normally be. This arrangement positions the driver on the side of the vehicle closest to the curb , enabling the carrier to easily grab sorted mail and place it into mailboxes without having to leave
7626-417: The windshield washer fluid line is routed above the fusebox, LLVs are prone to catching fire; between 2015 and 2019, over 120 fires occurred. According to documents obtained in 2020 via a Freedom of Information Act request as part of a Vice Media investigation, 407 LLVs have been damaged or destroyed since May 2014. In some areas, LLVs have been supplemented or replaced with vans and minivans , including
7719-580: The year 1300, Pope Boniface VIII directed pilgrims to keep left; however, others suggest that he directed them to keep to the right, and there is no documented evidence to back either claim. The UK introduced LHT in the East Africa Protectorate (present-day Kenya ), the Protectorate of Uganda , Tanganyika (formerly part of German East Africa ; present-day Tanzania ), Rhodesia (present-day Zambia / Zimbabwe ), Eswatini and
7812-399: The year Japan's first railway was introduced, built with technical aid from the British – that this unwritten rule received official acknowledgment. Gradually, a massive network of railways and tram tracks was built, with all railway vehicles driven on the left-hand side. However, it took another half-century, until 1924, until left-hand traffic was legally mandated. Post- World War II Okinawa
7905-523: Was also opposed, as 14,000 of Samoa's 18,000 vehicles were designed for RHT and the government refused to meet the cost of conversion. After months of preparation, the switch from right to left happened in an atmosphere of national celebration. There were no reported incidents. At 05:50 local time, Monday 7 September, a radio announcement halted traffic, and an announcement at 6:00 ordered traffic to switch to LHT. The change coincided with more restrictive enforcement of speeding and seat-belt laws. That day and
7998-401: Was awarded a further US$ 555 million contract for a further 43,500 vehicles. It is sometimes thought that a United States Postal Service mail truck has right of way over emergency vehicles; this is not true. Left- and right-hand traffic Left-hand traffic ( LHT ) and right-hand traffic ( RHT ) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic , of keeping to the left side and to
8091-409: Was completed in April 1986. At peak production, 95 LLVs were completed each day, at a rate of approximately one every five minutes. Grumman invested $ 28 million into the factory, doubling its size to 213,000 sq ft (19,800 m) and increasing the workforce from 250 to 600. The USPS purchased more than 100,000 of these vehicles, the last one in 1994. As its name suggests, the Grumman LLV
8184-496: Was essentially the same as the LLV, with the same chassis, built by GM at Moraine Assembly using S-10 components, driven by the 2.5L Iron Duke through a 3-speed automatic transmission and a 7- 5 ⁄ 8 " positraction rear differential with 3.42:1 final drive ratio. The CLLV was rated to carry a payload of 1,400 lb (640 kg), including the driver, and could accommodate up to 121 cu ft (3,400 L) of cargo. Ten LLVs were converted in 1995, 1997, and 1999 for
8277-579: Was formalized, RHD vehicles such as public buses were still imported into the Philippines until a law passed banning the importation of RHD vehicles except in special cases. These RHD vehicles are required to be converted to LHD. Japan was never part of the British Empire, but its traffic also drives on the left. Although this practice goes back to the Edo period (1603–1868), it was not until 1872 –
8370-584: Was lifted; RHD trucks from neighbouring countries cost $ 1,000 less than LHD models imported from Europe. Although many LHT jurisdictions are on islands, there are cases where vehicles may be driven from LHT across a border into a RHT area. Such borders are mostly located in Africa and southern Asia. The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic regulates the use of foreign registered vehicles in the 78 countries that have ratified it. LHT Thailand has three RHT neighbours: Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Most of its borders use
8463-661: Was mostly LHT during its Spanish and American colonial periods, as well as during the Commonwealth era . During the Japanese occupation , the Philippines remained LHT, as was required by the Japanese; but during the Battle of Manila , the liberating American forces drove their tanks to the right for easier facilitation of movement. RHT was formalized in 1945 through a decree by president Sergio Osmeña . Even though RHT
8556-949: Was ruled by the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands until 1972, and was RHT until 6 a.m. the morning of 30 July 1978, when it switched back to LHT . The conversion operation was known as 730 ( Nana-San-Maru , which refers to the date of the changeover). Okinawa is one of only a few places to have changed from RHT to LHT in the late 20th century. While Japan drives on the left and most Japanese vehicles are RHD, imported vehicles (e.g. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche) are generally bought as LHD since LHD cars are considered to be status symbols. Vietnam became RHT as part of French Indochina , as did Laos and Cambodia . In Cambodia, RHD cars, many of which were smuggled from Thailand, were banned in 2001, even though they accounted for 80% of vehicles in
8649-596: Was the first vehicle specifically designed for the United States Postal Service (USPS); the USPS provided a specification and three teams created prototypes that were tested in Laredo, Texas , in 1985: Grumman in partnership with General Motors , Poveco (a joint venture of Fruehauf and General Automotive Corporation ), and American Motors Corporation . The main design points of the vehicle in contract competition were serviceability, handling in confined areas, and overall economical operation. Prototypes were each subjected to
#640359