Can You Buy an Old UPS Truck?
It may not be a weekend track star or have standard air conditioning, but the UPS delivery truck is a brown icon. And, if you want to buy one, you are out of luck. It turns out that UPS goes to great lengths to ensure its Package Cars do not make their way into the hands of the public. That means if you are interested in converting one for camping or even living out of it, you will need to look elsewhere.
Why can’t you buy a UPS truck?
UPS is extremely protective of its brand, and it does not want average citizens driving around in a truck with its livery on it. UPS trucks are thrashed and used in urban environments and on gravel roads. And once they’ve reached the end of their life, UPS is quick to scrap them.
But, the brand doesn’t stop there. If it is determined a truck is no longer worthy of making deliveries, it is nearly immediately painted white and becomes known as an albino UPS truck. Occasionally, these rare trucks are sited by the public. But, generally speaking, the remain used by UPS for certain situations. After that, UPS oversees the scrapping of the vehicle.
What happens when UPS does not need a truck?
Even if UPS has a truck that it doesn’t actually need, it is also scrapped for parts. Because of this, it is nearly impossible to buy a UPS truck. Other organizations are not quite as protective as their brand. For instance, buying a Grumman LLV mail truck is possible if you can find one for sale.
Rival brand FedEx has also sold some of its old trucks. Recently, someone converted one into a weekend warrior. And the results were pretty cool. So, it is possible to buy an old delivery truck, just not one from UPS. No matter how much money you may have.
There is a rumor about the trucks
According to Jalopnik, there is a rumor that at some point, a bank robber used a UPS Package Car to commit their crimes. This is often the story that folks point to when it comes to why UPS will not sell its old delivery trucks.
It turns out that the story is not true. But it would be pretty cool if it was. The answer to why UPS does not sell its trucks is much simpler. By scrapping old trucks, the brand can recover parts for use for repairs and fix up trucks that are not functioning properly.
Should you buy an old delivery truck?
If you are interested in purchasing an old delivery truck, it is possible. Folks have been able to buy USPS mail trucks and vehicles from other delivery companies. Some of these people just want to have something to take to cars and coffee, while others are interested in full-on conversions.
Either way, keep in mind that things like UPS Package Cars are purpose-built. They are designed to deliver packages and nothing more. Because of this, they are usually bare-bones and stripped of amenities that you might find in other vehicles.
