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.
The main reasons for a mail route to change for a city carrier is because a route/assignment has come up for bid (Another carrier has retired/transferred/bid to another route) and one carrier decides to bid for the available route so they'd leave their current route. That is the most common reason. It's possible you could have the same carrier for many years or a route may be so large or undesirable that it's like a revolving door as to who delivers your mail. One other reason for a new carrier is if the office restructures the routes and different streets go to different letter carriers. Where I work I've only seen this a couple of times in 15 years. This would be more common if there was a lot of new construction in a town. Assignments or routes are awarded to the carrier with the highest seniority who desire it. That is how the bidding system works. Thanks for submitting your question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20notice%20I%20have%20a%20different%20mail%20carrier..%20How%20often%20does%20a%20route%20change%20for%20city%20mail%20carriers%3F%20Why%20would%20it%20change%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15198)
If you want to apply to be a letter carrier, the process begins at www.usps.com and look for an employment or careers tab. It has been many years since I applied so I don't know the process now. There is an exam, interview, and medical (including a drug test). I don't believe the process is that difficult based on the quality of employees that I've seen get hired lately. If you are hired as a City Carrier Assistant (CCA), you can expect to start out just filling in where needed when routes are overburdened with mail or carriers are out for some reason (injury, vacation, jury duty, military service). It means being very flexible with your schedule and sometimes working as much as 7 days/week. We have regular mail delivery Mon-Sat and then some offices deliver Amazon.com parcels on Sunday. You can apply anytime for the position so I wouldn't necessarily drop college right away. Earning a degree can make you more marketable in other feels. Working as a letter carrier doesn't require any higher education as far as I know. When you start out the pay is approximately $16/hr and there are virtually zero benefits except a small amount of paid time off. There is hardly any guarantee of hours to work and it could take awhile before you become a full-time regular employee which can be worthwhile. I do really like the job, but I did get a bachelors degree many years earlier. I didn't know what career I wanted to have and ultimately wound up at the USPS when I was 27 years old with a lot of encouragement from my father and friends. Working safely and accurately are two important attributes to the job. Good luck to you and please post any more questions you may have!
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hey%21%20There%27s%20a%20high%20chance%20that%20I%27ll%20drop%20college%20and%20become%20a%20mailman.%20Which%20is%20a%20dream%20of%20mine%21%20Could%20you%20be%20tell%20me%20how%20to%20apply%20and%20expect%3F%20I%27m%20currently%20the%20age%20of%2019%2C%20legal%2C%20and%20no%20driving%20issues.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15473)
I'll tell you what I do in this situation (which is common) but I can't say what each carrier will do and I'm sure it also varies by location. We deliver many parcels that won't fit into a mailbox. I bring the item to the front door of the house and leave it on the side of the door. I rarely ring a door bell since I don't need to see anybody to give the mail to. I also work in a neighborhood where mail/package theft is close to non-existent. If you live an apartment building or an area where mail can't just be left near a front door then the letter carrier might leave a PS 3849 Delivery Notice/Reminder/Receipt to notify the recipient that we have mail for you to retrieve from the PO or allow you to authorize delivery and leave mail at a specified location.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20do%20you%20do%20if%20the%20mail%20does%20not%20fit%20in%20the%20mailbox%20%0AExample%3A%20there%20is%20a%20box%20to%20go%20into%20the%20mailbox%20but%20it%20doesn%27t%20fit%20for%20whatever%20reason%2C%20what%20do%20you%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15999)
I am going to have to pass on answering this question with any authority because I don't know the union contract when it comes to this subject. It's also possible that a local agreement governs what is done. It makes sense to me that an unassigned regular can hold down a vacant route until it is put up for bid. They also shouldn't be bumped off that route unless it's the non-scheduled day for that route. In that situation the comp person would usually do the route on the day they are supposed to. If there is no available routes to do on a comp persons group of 5 routes there is usually another route for them to cover. The above is just based on what I've seen done at the PO where I work. I can't even say that my info is accurate. We usually treat hold downs to mean that the carrier holding it down has many of the rights as the regular carrier on the route, but not necessarily all. This is where it gets confusing to me about bumping rights.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Can%20a%20unassigned%20regular%20with%20a%20hold%20down%20bump%20a%20comp%20person%20off%20his%20tour%20on%20a%20route%20that%20is%20vacant%20until%20it%20goes%20up%20for%20bid..%20Not%20fair%20and%20where%20does%20the%20comp%20person%20go%20if%20no%20open%20route%20on%20comp%20tour&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16006)
Waitress
Are you instructed to "push" certain menu items that are at risk of going bad?
Help Desk Technician
Are you required to report it if you find something suspicious or illegal on a client computer?
Private Detective
What do you think is the most corrupt industry, city, and State in the country?
I generally don't wear winter boots but I wear rubber overshoes if there is snow on the ground. These are the same thing I'd wear if it were raining outside. The brand I use is Tingley and they come in at least 3 dfferent height overshoes. They aren't really warm so I wear thermal socks in the winter so my feet and toes don't freeze.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20brand%20of%20winter%20boots%20do%20you%20wear%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17599)
I can't say for sure why the drastic difference in the time your mail is delivered. If it's the same letter carrier who is coming at different times I can see a couple of hours difference but your description is up to 5.5 hrs difference. Normally the mail is sorted before we start delivering. Any mail which we pick up during the day as outgoing mail doesn't need to be separated. We just bring it back and give it to a dispatch clerk. At times we are shorthanded at the USPS so that results in us doing additional assignments possibly before delivering our own routes. This could be up to a couple of hours but that doesn't seem to be the norm where I work. Please remember that I can't speak for what happens at other postal facilities. One further comment is that we are supposed to deliver the mail in a specific route order. If your letter carrier doesn't do that it could result in different delivery times. The holiday season for cards isn't as busy as it used to be. We now deliver a significant quantity of parcels which could also take up time.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20mail%20lady%20never%20comes%20at%20the%20same%20time.%20It%20ranges%20from%201%20pm%20to%20like%206%3A30pm%20last%20night.%20%20I%20know%20it%20is%20the%20Holiday%20season%20but%20why%20is%20she%20so%20late.%20Is%20she%20required%20to%20separate%20her%20own%20mail%20on%20her%20truck%3F%20%20My%20husband%20and%20I%20are%20just%20trying%20to%20figure%20out&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16075)
I sign customer's names on accountable mail or packages that need a signature if I know them and they'd likely want that done. I frequently do this but technically it's not allowed unless the recipient has given previous written authorization to do this. So far, it's never been a problem in my career that I've signed for an item, but I don't expect others to do the same. As far as if this can screw over a customer, I don't know. I suppose if you signed for a package for a customer and then never delivered it to them it could be a problem. I think in that case the letter carrier would be questioned because the intended recipient never received the item and will say it's not their signature on the PS 3849 or electronic signature record.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Have%20you%20ever%20had%20to%20sign%20someone%27s%20name%20for%20them%20on%20a%20package%20because%20they%20weren%27t%20home%3F%20and%20also%20is%20there%20any%20way%20that%20doing%20this%20can%20screw%20over%20the%20customer%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15435)
-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
