The United States Post Office first tested three-wheeled motorized vehicles known as mailsters in Miami, Florida, in 1950. A few more years of testing followed before mailsters were put into regular use in 1957, beginning with a cluster of cities in Georgia and Florida. By 1961 some 8,400 mailsters were in use across the country. Unfortunately, the mailsters were prone to a wide variety of problems, both mechanical and practical, and by the end of the 1960's they were being replaced by the now-familiar "box Jeeps."

The Mailster allowed this mailman to drive right up to this home's front door, deliver the mail, and then turn around in the driveway.

WEB SOURCE
National Postal Museum http://postalmuseumblog.si.edu/2015/04/mail-on-three-wheels.html

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SKC Films Library >> Economics >> Transportation and Communications >> Postal Service

This page was last updated on March 13, 2017.