Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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.

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

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If I was to put mail in the outside mailbox at post office on a Sunday buy the box said mon-fri 5 does that mean it won't be picked up until Monday at 5? When can I expect it to be delivered

Asked by lynnie over 10 years ago

It depends on where your letter is being mailed to. I think nationwide most letters reach their destination in 2-3 days, but probably no sooner than that. The mailbox you deposited the letter into said collection is m-f at 5PM. That means that as long as the letter was deposited prior to box posted time, your letter will be dispatched that day for processing and transport. It's possible that the letter was collected before 5PM on Monday but that would be a decision made locally by the post office. If it was collected early someone would still have to go to empty the collection box at or after the posted time.

Hi i'm buying these postcards https://indexprints.net/products/details/225/MCA-EDDM-65X9-Postcards#.Vo0r1rYrJnI

and i'm also buying labels to but on them since i'm not using every door direct mail. Would i still need to buy postage stamps for them?

Asked by Andrew over 10 years ago

Yes, stamps are required. I believe what is printed in the upper right hand corner of the postcard is known as an indicia. That is to indicate to the USPS has been paid for the postage but only after being brought to. Business Mail Entry Unit (a BMEU). In that case no additional postage is required. To answer your question you aren't using EDDM so after you affix the address label, you would need to put a .49 Forever stamp on each card since I believe the card exceeds the dimensions for a .35 postcard. I believe I'm correct about all of this but it wouldn't hurt to physically go into a Post Office and see if any of the retail clerks or supervisors can give you a more definitive answer. Good luck with the mailing and your business.

I live in GA. I am expecting a pkg from TX soon and when I last tracked it online it was in GA. A few hours later I track it again and its now in OH. What happened?

Asked by Jay over 10 years ago

Jay, I don't know what happened to your package. It would be odd for a package from TX bound for GA to wind up in OH once already being in GA. My guess is that it was somehow missorted and put on a truck or plane to OH. As long as it was addressed properly there is a very good chance it will soon make it back to GA and be delivered to you. While I can't guarantee this, it would take multiple sorting and delivery errors for you not to receive your package. There will be a delay of at least a day or two until you finally receive the package (assuming that you do receive it).

Why is my mail all of the sudden being delivered to my home in Montpelier Vermont by a red mini van with Massachusetts license plates - BTW the plates are civilian style plane on mass plates

Asked by Craig almost 11 years ago

I don't know that it matters where the plates are from if someone is delivering your mail, but I'm by no means criticizing your question. Do you know if you live on a Rural Delivery route? If so, those carriers sometimes use a POV (privately owned vehicle) to deliver the mail. In the office where I work, the rural carriers used to use POVs but now they use the USPS-owned Long-Life vehicles, aka LLVs. The USPS sometimes leases vehicles if there is a shortage of company vehicles available. If you live on a rural route, it may be delivered by a Rural Carrier Associate (RCA) who may have their own vehicle for delivery. There are several variables as to why your mail is being delivered by a MA-plated Red Minivan but I can't say for sure.

We have an issue with our mail being incorrectly forwarded. We know why (previous people had the same last name & it is a family forward) & that it is happening before the mail gets to our carrier. Can you tell me the system in place for forwards?

Asked by TooCommonName almost 11 years ago

Do you possibly know me? I've recently had a similar situation on the route that I deliver and it is the first time that I encountered this. The previous owner only put in an individual forward, but the PARS (which is an automated forwarding system that intercepts forwardable mail before it reaches the letter carrier) was forwarding the new resident's mail as well because they had the same last name. I asked my forwarding clerk how to resolve this. She said that the family that left should just put in individual forwards for each family member. The mail also should be excluded from PARS so your letter carrier can look at each piece of mail before forwarding it (if appropriate). This seems to have worked okay as the new resident has been quite patient and I've heard nothing beyond the original, and valid I might add, complaint. I'd recommend speaking to someone at your PO explaining the situation, give them a list of all the valid names at your address and ask that the mail be excluded from PARS so the carrier can look at the mail and decide whether it should be forwarded or not. PARS stands for Postal Automated Redirection System. I hope this works out for you as you shouldn't be inconvenienced just because you moved into a residence where the previous people had the same last name.

Why would a "government official" (or someone driving a gov't use only vehicle) be following my mailman on his route?

Asked by JP almost 11 years ago

Supervisors or Postal Inspectors sometimes monitor carrier activities while they are delivering mail. Approximately 1x per year, a supervisor will spend much of the day going around your route with you and filling out a P Form 3999 (which describes the time and activities a route takes to complete). Sometimes they will be in a Gov't use vehicle or sometimes they can ride along in the delivery vehicle. Postal Inspectors have a law enforcement function so they may watch a carrier activities if they suspect something illegal. I have seen postal inspectors at the PO where I work just a couple of times in my many years of employment. When we are followed during the day by a supervisor, it's just a bit of annoyance and know it's part of their job. As long as the letter carrier is doing their job properly there is nothing to worry about.

I just transferred stations via eReassign. How long to I have to stay in my current assignment before bidding on job closer to my home?

Asked by Susie D about 10 years ago

Susie, I won't be able to answer this question as I don't know anything about eReassign. There may be minimum times where you have to stay at a certain work location before being approved to another work location more of your preference. As for who to ask, I could say your union representative or HRSSC, but they may not know either. My guess, and all this is would be a guess, would be one year at a current location before being able to be reassigned.