The U.S. Post Office’s motto famously states that “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Conspicuously absent is the word “traffic,” and now the USPS is investigating after one of its drivers was filmed off-roading a Grumman LLV mail truck in an apparent bid to escape a jammed road in Florida. Where else?
A surprised witness captured smartphone video of the mailman’s dash for freedom in southwest Miami-Dade County late last week and posted it to the Only in Dade Facebook page, where it shot to viral fame. The clip shows the iconic Grumman LLC bouncing around as it hustles down a dirt two-track running between SW 177th Ave and a palm tree farm, hazard lights flashing and dust billowing behind. Any notion of it being a wrong turn gone wronger is dispelled by the wicked slalom the driver pulls around an oncoming power pole near the end.
It might not look like much, but the ancient, underpowered Grumman is really giving all its got here. Its 2.5-liter “Iron Duke” four-cylinder engine put out less than 100 horsepower back in the Eighties, and its three-speed transmission delivers 0-60 mph times somewhere in the half-minute range. These things are slow—so with that context, this bit of light off-roading must have taken a serious commitment to momentum. Its S-10 Blazer-based frame should be up to the task, even if its tin can body might rattle apart. Hopefully no fragile packages were on board, either.
For reasons relating to safety, government job security, and plain ol’ physics, it’s rare to see a postal worker hooning a Grumman LLV. We like to imagine this particular mail carrier laughing maniacally as he or she had the time of their working life that day. The USPS unsurprisingly doesn’t see it that way, as WPTV News later reported that the agency called it “clearly unacceptable behavior” and is investigating the driver.
Innocent fun is also only innocent if the proper precautions are taken. A quick check on Google Street View reveals the little path is sometimes used by bicyclists, who probably wouldn’t be expecting to run into an old mail truck bombing along. Someone get this mailman into amateur rallycross—that would be a win for everyone.
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