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.
Letter carriers sometimes have a choice to move to other neighborhoods/assignments based on a seniority-based bidding process. As other carriers retire or move on to other assignments this creates vacancies to be filled, often by lesser-seniority personnel. Sometimes there are newer employees who may be on the same route for awhile just filling in for someone who may be on Long-term leave for illness or injury or military leave. I have been on the same route for 15 years and can stay on it indefinitely unless there is an office reorganization. I can also bid to another route (if I prefer to) if a vacancy is available to be filled and my seniority is enough to move to that route.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20noticed%20that%20I%20had%20a%20new%20mailman%20today%2C%20and%20I%20was%20wondering%20if%20they%20change%20route%2C%20how%20often%20and%20why%3F%20I%20was%20getting%20used%20to%20him%20after%20moving%20to%20my%20new%20neighborhood.%20Just%20curious...&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19354)
I don't know the minimum distance that one must have a car from a curbside (mounted) delivery mailbox. Normally as long as the postal delivery vehicle can access the mailbox without the letter carrier needing to leave the vehicle to make the delivery that should be sufficient. We are supposed to minimize the amount of times that we put our vehicle in reverse so the letter carrier may also need clearance in front of the mailbox so he may safely drive to the next delivery point. It also may depend on the personality of the letter carrier. They are allowed to refuse delivering of the mail to any address where they need to exit the vehicle but for many letter carriers it may be easier to just leave the vehicle and walk a few feet to the mailbox rather than having to "flag the house", bring the mail back to the PO, and reattempt delivery on the next delivery day. I suppose if it's a chronic problem or they would need to get out for each stop due to vehicle blockage it would be time consuming and the management may even tell the carrier not to do that. I don't have any curbside deliveries on the route I deliver. If I'm helping out on another route which does have curbside deliveries I tend to get out where necessary and deliver the mail. I don't like to bring back any mail to the PO that should've been delivered. Again, all of this is my opinion and I don't know the actual rules which govern your question except, as stated above, the carrier should be able to approach and leave your mailbox without having to get out of their delivery vehicle.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20many%20feet%20from%20the%20mailbox%20does%20a%20car%20need%20to%20be%20parked%20for%20the%20mail%20carrier%20to%20deliver%20mail%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18794)
I think that is probably the case that the carrier put your name on the blue tape inside of the mailbox. I believe this is very common in apt buildings or cluster box units. The reason for this is probably so the carrier knows what name to deliver to your mailbox even though one could argue that all names should be delivered unless a known forwarding request is on file. In general I think it’s a good idea to have the current residents name(s) inside a mailbox to provide more accurate service though I know some people will disagree with me. On the postal route I deliver, there are no names inside of the mailboxes. I deliver to all single family houses.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Recently%20found%20blue%20tape%20with%20name%20printed%20on%20in%20inside%20my%20mailbox.%20%20%20Would%20this%20have%20been%20left%20by%20mail%20carrier%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19554)
There are two reasons I can think of that there would be a rider in the middle seat. The first reason would be that a supervisor was riding along for part of the day which they may do once a year or so. Sometimes they just follow along in their own vehicle. The other reason would be if a new hire (CCA) was learning on the job from a carrier trainer and going out to deliver for the day with the trainer. Those are the two reasons I can think of. I guess another reason is if there were many packages to be delivered a helper could ride along but I’ve yet to ever see that in my office with a regular LLV (long life vehicle). That is usually done with a larger delivery vehicle or our new Dodge Promasters. Thank you for writing in with a question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Why%20would%20my%20mailman%20have%20a%20rider%20with%20him%20today.%20Sitting%20in%20a%20short%20seat%20right%20in%20the%20middle%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19078)
Chef
Is it true that the "specials" are usually the stuff that's been sitting around awhile?
Border Patrol Agent
When you catch an illegal alien crossing the border, is he deported immediately?
Audiologist
Can just one loud concert do serious damage to your ears?
Definitely not, KDS4444. Restricted Delivery service is very specific that the signator be the addressee and nobody else. We may not release the letter unless we have positively identified that the named addressee is the person signing for the letter. This is the service that the mailer has specifically requested. In my entire career, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve had a restricted delivery item to attempt. I don’t know if it’s more common for you. I recommend not fabricating anything when attempting to deliver a Restricted Delivery item. I’d leave a PS3849 if the named addressee isn’t available to sign for the item. Thank you for your question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20you%20have%20a%20letter%20to%20delver%20marked%20Restricted%20Delivery%2C%20and%20on%20your%20first%20attempt%20didn%27t%20find%20anyone%20at%20home%2C%20and%20on%20your%20second%20attempt%20did%20but%20it%20wasnt%20the%20addressee%2C%20would%20you%20consider%20marking%20the%20mail%20piece%20as%20%27delivered%27%20and%20%27no%20signature%27%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19518)
I use an LLV built by the Grumman corporation in the mid 1990s. Our office mostly has LLVs but more recently some carriers use a Dodge ProMaster which has a lot more capacity but isn't appropriate for curbside (mounted) delivery or dismount deliveries because it's a left hand drive vehicle (what most vehicles in the US are). We also have 2-ton USPS vehicles which are used by our mail collectors and parcel post drivers. I am only trained to drive an LLV of the 3 vehicles I mentioned. I feel most comfortable because it's also the smallest and most maneuverable. The main drawback is that in snowy or icy conditions it's very hard to control the vehicle safely.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Do%20u%20have%20an%20LLV%20or%20something%20else&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18758)
We deliver mail to retail stores all of the time. For the most part, the USPS delivers mail to every address in the country. I understand your question is about having it sent to an individual at the store. The letter would be delivered with all of the other mail for the day for that business. It’d be up to the business itself to get the letter to the intended recipient and that may be difficult especially in a large store
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20it%20possible%20to%20deliver%20a%20letter%20to%20a%20retail%20store%2Clike%20Wal-mart%2C%20to%20an%20individual%20working%20there.%20I%20realize%20you%20would%20have%20to%20drop%20it%20off%20at%20customer%20service%20desk%2C%20if%20that%20is%20even%20possible%3F%20Or%20are%20there%20other%20options%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19701)
-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
