MailmanDave
17 Years Experience
Long Island, NY
Male, 43
I am a City Letter Carrier for the US Postal Service in NY. I've been a city letter carrier for over 17 years and it is the best job I've ever had. I mostly work 5 days per week (sometimes includes a Saturday) and often have the opportunity for overtime, which is usually voluntary. The route I deliver has about 350 homes and I walk to each of their doors to deliver the mail. Please keep in mind that I don't have authority to speak for the USPS, so all opinions are solely mine, not my employer.
As far as I know, the break rules for city carriers are similar nationwide. We are allowed 30 minutes for lunch, up to 2 10-minute breaks plus unlimited comfort breaks (to use a bathroom). It really wouldn't be odd if the carrier was home 2-3 times a day but only one time should be more than 10 minutes (lunch time). Some carriers may have a lot of downtime on their routes if they move quickly or the mail volume is light, but my experience is that it's not a huge amt of extra time. I'm sure others will disagree with me. To answer your second question, a child shouldn't be riding along in a USPS vehicle. If the carrier is using their own vehicle that may or may not be against the rules. Either way, nobody but authorized USPS employees should be touching the mail and putting it into a community box. I'm not sure how much would get done or how much this bothers you, but you could always call the Post Office and speak with a delivery supervisor, manager or Postmaster.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=We%20have%20a%20mailman%20that%20lives%20in%20our%20area%20that%20is%20home%20multiple%20times%20a%20day.%20What%20are%20the%20rules%20for%20breaks%3F%20The%20same%20mailman%20also%20delivers%20to%20our%20boxes%20and%20lets%20his%20kid%20ride%20in%20his%20truck%20and%20put%20mail%20in%20our%20community%20box.%20Is%20this%20against%20rules%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15517)
If it is truly a registered letter, a letter carrier will usually not sign for it even if you have given them written authorization because registered mail can sometimes be very valuable and individual custody is tracked along the way. If you mean a certified letter (which is often confused with registered mail) many letter carriers will deliver it and sign for you if you've given them authorization. I know that I would in this situation. Does your PO have Saturday retail hours? If so, you can pick up the item then unless that is also when you aren't home. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hello%20I%20live%20in%20a%20townhouse%20and%20%20I%27m%20receiving%20Registered%20Mail%20soon.%20where%20we%20live%20we%20have%20a%20common%20area%20where%20there%20are%20a%20bunch%20of%20postal%20boxes%20and%20I%20was%20wondering%20if%20I%20leave%20a%20note%20to%20authorize%20mailman%20to%20sign%20will%20they%3F%20I%27m%20never%20home%20what%20do%20I%20do&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14004)
If someone writes the wrong address but a letter carrier recognizes the name as to where the letter should go, it may be delivered correctly. If we can't figure out where the letter should go and there is a valid return address on the letter, we may send the letter back endorsed "Attempted, not Known" referring to the incorrect address that was written on the envelope.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20if%20someone%20send%20u%20mail%20but%20right%20the%20wrong%20address&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14301)
Usually a point of delivery that has been establish (whether it be a group of cluster boxes in a trailer park or individual mailboxes at each trailer) doesn't get changed easily. I wouldn't accept a request like that to be made as that makes us less efficient and if it's done for one customer, others could claim they want it delivered to the house as well.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20can%27t%20seem%20to%20catch%20the%20mail%20lady%20delivering%20the%20mail%20at%20our%20trailer%20park%20in%20the%20mailbox%20can%20I%20get%20her%20to%20deliver%20the%20mail%20to%20my%20house%20instead%20of%20putting%20it%20in%20the%20box&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16096)
School Teacher
Are teachers underpaid?
Parcel Delivery Mailman
Does labeling a package "fragile" actually lead to you handling it with more care?
Birthday Party Clown
OK seriously, how DOES the clown car thing work?
It doesnt sound too common to me though it doesn't surprise me at all when I hear this story. If a carrier has an item that needs a signature or needs to be handed to someone personally then they should make an attempt to ring the bell or knock on the door. If you live in an area where snow or ice would prevent them from getting to your door then it is appropriate to leave the PS Form 3849 in your mailbox. Sometimes the carriers are too lazy or under a lot of time pressure to get done so they may cut corners when it's time consuming to go to one's door. This is not a legitimate excuse, but I'm not surprised by what happens. In my office we are pretty short staffed as of late and I see quite a bit of mail not getting delivered correctly or in a timely fashion. It's pretty pathetic if you ask me. The rough winter in the Northeastern US with a lot of snow, etc. doesn't help matters. On a side note, I'm not a fan of your user name as it denotes profanity which is not very classy. Just my opinion, of course.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=So%20I%20was%20home%20all%20day%20and%20received%20from%203849%20as%20far%20as%20I%20can%20tell%20guy%20never%20left%20his%20truck.%20%20When%20is%20a%20carrier%20supposed%20to%20fill%20out%20the%20form%20an%20why%20did%20my%20working%20doorbell%20not%20ring%3F%20Is%20this%20common%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14593)
If you are referring to the forever stamps which are bought in a SSK (sales and service kiosk) which come in sheets of 10 for 4.90 and then are printed out on what looks like stickers there is no information on that scan that I'm aware of. I realize it has a code that looks like it is scannable. If you purchase postage to mail a package the label that is printed out to put on the package does have a scannable USPS tracking # which can be used with the Track function on the iphone USPS app. Thanks for the question and I do buy stamps from the SSK myself. It is so easy to use.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20was%20wondering%20about%20the%20scan%20app%20on%20the%20new%20standard%20postage%20stamp%20you%20buy%20at%20the%20machines%20inside%20the%20post%20office%2Cwhich%20are%20different%20from%20normal%20stamps.%20And%20what%20info%20comes%20up%20when%20you%20scan%20them%20with%20your%20Iphone%3F%20So%20far%20it%20hasn%27t%20yet%20worked%20for%20me&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14085)
I don't know this answer since I don't work in the hiring area and don't know what the conversations are like. My guess from what I've seen is that it's not likely that a 4-day schedule will be allowed and then 2 days at school. The CCAs in our office have to sometimes work on Sunday delivering Amazon.com packages. I think that CCAs are supposed to be available on a very dynamic schedule so I don't know if you could get an agreement from the USPS to guarantee no work on the days you'd like to go to school. It doesn't hurt to ask and just because I haven't seen it done doesn't mean it's not possible. Good luck.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20an%20interview%20Thursday%20to%20be%20a%20city%20carrier%2C%20is%20it%20possible%20for%20me%20to%20carrier%20four%20days%20and%20go%20to%20school%20the%20other%20two%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15505)
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
