Hmm. Safety difference between cars have more to do with design than minor differences in size. Unless you buy a really big, heavy vehicle, and one from the last few years, any safety advantage will be very modest. Modern cars are far better in side impacts than even larger older cars. In a higher speed accident I’d rather be in something bigger, but a slow moving postal carrier is more likely to be hit in the back or side. The biggest difference is going to be in your expenses. Anyone driving a bunch of miles of stop and start driving will spend plenty on gas. The Prius is not only super efficient, it is also extremely reliable. The cost per mile for driving one are among the lowest by any measure
The cab companies here were required to start using hybrids some years ago. At first they griped, but reportedly they very quickly found they were saving a lot of money, especially on brakes and transmissions. Toyota talks about the Prius having a CVT, and the effect is much like one, but what it has is a very straightforward set of planetary gearsets without much to wear out The regenerative braking means the conventional brakes don’t have much to do.
I know this post is old but Bill Russel (and a few others) don’t understand what they’re talking about. Almost any bench seat car or truck can be driven from the passengers side. I am a RCA, I drive a 1993 Oldsmobile 88 with no modifications. As long as your wife can comfortably sit in the passengers seat with seatbelt on and reach the pedals with her left foot and steering wheel with left hand, the car will work. (I have to move the passengers seat forward) Sliding side to side on the seat isn’t possible because your driver’s seat will be full of mail. We don’t get pulled over by police because we are not driving recklessly or unlawfully. We use turn signals, strobe light, flashers, headlights, flags, and magnetic signs on our vehicles. When there are accidents, it’s not usually the postal carriers fault.
Don’t bother with modifying any vehicle, it will cost more then she’ll make. Find an older car (easy to repair yourself) low miles, good transmission, and front bench seat, your good to go. I have been a RCA for 4 yrs now, my car started out in excellent shape, low miles and had one owner. I am now on my second tranny rebuild. I’ve bought the car three times over in 4 yrs.
Well I said all I was going to say last year and I’ll stick by what I said. Incidentally, the other day I saw a vehicle that I thought was unusual for a mail carrier and thought of this thread. For the life of me though I can’t remember what it was that was unusual. It might have been a beat up old car or something. Like everything else, there are usually limited funds and unlimited wants and ideas.
I have installed right hand drive kits on cars for rural mail carriers. The units were somewhat universal and transferable from one vehicle to another. The RFD carriers who used them were very happy with the set ups.
Well now I’m curious about the right hand drive kits. Seems to me when I was looking this up they were pulley things with a chain or belt between the two steering wheels.
I’m about to order the universal pedal assembly from A&J Mobility, $615 plus 35 shipping. I’m starting an RCA position in a couple weeks and super excited to get going. I drive a GMC Terrain and the pedals will be the only issue due to the console. My son is a mechanic so he’ll be installing it for me… the installation instructions seem easy enough and the pedals can be disassembled within minutes to move from vehicle to vehicle. I don’t plan on using this car forever. It’s just what I already own, so I’m on the watch for a different one as soon as possible. Good luck to your wife, I hope she’s successful in her career!!
Does the age of the thread make a difference in the help that I’m looking for to start in the same field??? I just googled “best cars for mail delivery” and this forum came up, so I read it and posted a comment. I don’t have a lot of money to start out with so buying another vehicle right now isn’t logical, but I’m still looking around. I’m flattered that you think I’m spam. Just a new govt employee thats looking for advice. Have a great day!!
Hence “best cars for mail delivery”… that’s the help I was looking for…I saw this forum, read it AND the comments and decided to add my own. I’m pretty sure that’s what is happening in here.
You need to understand it from our perspective. We cannot see your Google searches. We do not know what brought you here. All we know is that a brand new user who’s never said anything here before is telling us about a specific product, including price, unsolicited.
That happens to be exactly what spammers do. If you act like a spammer, we’re going to assume you’re a spammer until given evidence to the contrary.
And all you had to do was ask. But yet we’ve wasted all this talk on nonsense when you could’ve been giving advice instead. Good day. I have more searching to do and questions to ask elsewhere. No need to reply because I’m never coming back on this one again. Thanks for that.
Well we lost another customer folks. Boy do people get angry in a hurry these days. People need to chill out a little bit. I’m afraid to even hold the door open for someone, and I’m in Minnesota.
Well gee, whether you classify it as spam or not, I’d like to see the site for the kits that Rod installed. The only ones I ever found were the sprocket deals. It’s called information sharing I think more than spam.
