Jeep is sometimes referred to as one of the most “patriotic” vehicle brands, and for good reason: Jeeps are often credited with helping the Allies to victory during World War II.
however, it is one of the jeep’s later works that perhaps cemented the jeep’s image of tenacity and courage.
we are talking about the “jeep dispatcher” and his role with the us. uu. postal service.
first, a bit of history of the postal vehicle before the jeep
before the jeep came along, the u.s. The Post Office (USPS) initially relied on horse-drawn carriages and later on a mix of steam, electric, and gasoline-powered vehicles. the post office had no vehicle standardization in the first half of the 20th century, and it caused a lot of frustration with mechanics in the auto parks.
In fact, as this article from the Smithsonian explains, the Post Office at one point owned 4,000 vehicles between 43 models and 23 different manufacturers.
During the 1930s, the USPS slowly began to simplify its trucking fleet to just a few manufacturers, but when World War II came around, the focus shifted to the war effort.
After the war, the post office finally had the budget to start buying new vehicles to update its motley fleet. The first vehicles the USPS chose were called “sit-or-stand” trucks, aptly named because the driver could sit or stand during transport.
then, post office officials discovered a sturdy design from a company called willys.
enter dispatcher
After the second world war, the willys-overland company secured the rights to produce the vehicle we all recognize as the “jeep“.
To the public, Willys first marketed its civilian jeep (CJ) as a tractor-like farming tool, but the company soon began exploring other opportunities.
Seeing the Jeep’s potential as a delivery vehicle, Willys streamlined the already spartan CJ by removing its four-wheel drive capability. he also added a column shift option and a variety of body styles, including a fully enclosed panel van setup. removed folding windshield, now unnecessary.
the result was the “dispatch jeep” or dj for short.
the dj series began as a variant of the cj-3a, simply called the dj-3a.
Like its predecessors on the battlefields a decade before, the dj quickly proved itself a tough and dependable asset on the nation’s dirt roads and snow-covered streets: the post office had finally discovered its workhorse.
As the Civilian Jeep line evolved, so did the DJ, eventually adding DJ-5 and DJ-6 models. (There was even a limited run of Scrambler models made for the Alaskan Post Office.) DJs destined for mail service were usually right-hand drive to facilitate access to residential mailboxes.
later dj series jeeps typically feature a unique grille that makes room for amc’s inline six engines. (Interestingly, the CJ models retained the old-style grille and instead had a slightly longer frame and front fenders to accommodate the AMC Sixes).
The DJs also got a large sliding door, plus an assortment of mirrors and lighting fixtures to help them with their mail delivery chore.
the general is born
It’s important to realize that, technically speaking, the dj was not always built by “jeep”. To understand how that came to be, let’s try to understand the lineage of the Jeep brand along the Willy-Kaiser-AMC family tree.
willys originally made the jeep, but kaiser bought the company early in 1953. the new corporation was first called kaiser-willys, then changed to kaiser-jeep.
amc then bought kaiser’s jeep division in 1970 and kaiser got out of the car business altogether.
To handle the fulfillment of Kaiser’s previous military truck contracts, AMC created a subsidiary called AM General in 1971.
then the production of jeep dj moved under the umbrella of am general.
Finally, when AMC was bought by French-owned Renault, U.S. government regulations said that foreign companies could not honor defense contracts.
Under those terms, AM General was sold separately to the US-based LTV Corporation. uu.
from dj to llv
When the dispatcher jeep entered the 1980s, the post office was already engaged in finding a versatile replacement.
Instead of choosing an off-the-shelf vehicle and tailoring it for mail delivery, the USPS asked for a unique truck fit exclusively for the task.
several companies submitted designs but, in the end, the post office chose the grumman llv, an acronym that stands for “long llife vehicle.”
The LLV is the truck most folks born after 1990 are familiar with. Rugged and versatile, Grumman (a company that also helped build the Apollo Lunar Module and F-14 Tomcat fighter jet) created the LLV with an expected service life over 20 years.
although it was a largely unique design, the llv’s chassis is based on an old chevy s-10 blazer. Most llv’s are powered by the venerable pontiac 2.5l “iron duke” engine connected to a light duty 180 turbo-hydramatic transmission.
the future of postal delivery
older grumman llv’s are reaching beyond their expected lifespan, and the post office has once again started looking for a new mail delivery vehicle.
update! Looks like the post office found its next mail truck!
While it’s unlikely you’ll see a new jeep wrangler delivering your mail in the future, carriers have used some standard vehicles (such as truck-like versions of minivans) in their fleets.
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the reality is that the post office is looking for a unique vehicle that will extend the legacy of jeep and llv. Early prototypes have mocked gasoline, hybrid and all-electric powertrains, all with the expectation of long service intervals and anvil-like reliability.
Jeep DJ Collectability
Like their cj counterparts, the dj series jeeps have a growing collector’s market. The fact that the DJ shares much of its chassis and undercarriage with other vehicles may make it easier to repair/restore than other niche cars. Better yet, one of the basic tenets of DJ Jeep was serviceability, which means dispatchers are relatively easy to manipulate, without breaking your budget.
the problem with jeep djs (like the cj) is rust. Gone are the days of getting a cheap junkyard dj and finding one in a farmer’s field who hasn’t returned to mother earth is next to impossible.
If you’re looking to restore a DJ, start with the best body/frame possible. Drivetrain, chassis, and suspension issues can usually be resolved with much greater ease than, say, a frame repair or the need to custom-fabricate body panels.