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Comment by akira2501 | Hacker News Reader

> generally are not carrying a lot of weight

1000lbs is a lot of weight. Mail routes include package deliveries as well as mail and package pickups. Some business deliveries have large transactions every day.

> fairy local and lots of stop and starts.

Mail routes are not identical and there are plenty of rural USPS offices which deliver to the property.

> to at least get some hybrids in the mix.

Part of the point is to not have a mix to avoid all the attendant problems that creates.

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1000lbs is not a lot of weight. It's the weight of 5 average american men, which I would expect every sedan to handle just fine.

Not every Sedan: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/09/the-heavy-r...

"The Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, and Mazda6 midsized sedans, for example, all have a combined load capacity of 850 lbs. for passengers and cargo."

that article is 10 years old, carry weights have increased, but only by about 50 pounds or so.

A small sedan can hold 5 adults in a pinch, but if you always drove your average sedan with 1,000lbs inside, and stopped every house, it would wear out extremely quickly and would drive/perform awful. Moreover, most small cars aren't actually rated to hold the weight of 5 adults, despite having 5 seats.

I just picked up 900 lbs of tile and the place would refuse to put anymore in my Subaru Forester. It's a pretty substantial load with big safety ramifications if not stored well.

I don't think your expectations are correct.

Most sedans made today, the average max carry weight of a sedan is 900lb. And even at 900lb you fuel economy and performance is far less than "just fine."

Also cargo weight distribution is far different than people, with the lion share of packages being placed in the rear have of the vehicle and not evenly distributed amongst the front and rear axle.

1000lb of cargo is a lot to ask from any sedan and expect it to do it 8 hours a day, 6 days a week for 20+ years, isn't something I think you would find possible.

I live in a very rural area. We don't even have the 1980s era of mail trucks here, out delivery drivers have passenger SUVs and vans retrofitted for right hand drive.

I'd be really surprised to see these new vehicles in truly rural areas any time soon.

That's because the mail trucks are not considered suitable for longer and higher speed routes. I would expect them to roll out to rural areas quickly so the USPS can get rid of the mishmash fleet.

Rural carriers buy and maintain their own vehicles typically.

https://about.usps.com/publications/pub181/pub181_v03_revisi....

those may be contact carriers

I have an uncle who was an employee rural carrier for thirty years. He always owned and maintained his own vehicle.

But there is going to be a mix? Also 1000 lbs is not a lot of weight to account for here. Ignoring rural routes which are a different beast, these routes are local on mostly slower roads. That kind of weight needs to be accounted for but it’s negligible.

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