Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Do you liesten to the radio in your mail truck? If so what do you listen to?

Asked by Toooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmiiiiiiieeee almost 6 years ago

The particular vehicle that I have is not equipped with a radio. Most of the day I am out delivering on foot. I have an iPhone where I listen to podcasts via a Bluetooth earpiece but only make sure one ear is covered up. We are probably not even supposed to be able to do that. I think I would find the day really boring if I couldn’t listen to anything. The route I deliver is entirely residential so I don’t see that many people during the day. I don’t really listen to any music during the day but I do listen to podcasts sometimes. The subject matter is usually history or aviation. Thanks for writing.

277 Votes

Are you still a Mailman? By the way thanks for asking my previous question. :)

Asked by angiezhang7248 Gmail Girl over 5 years ago

Yes, I am. it’s my pleasure to be able to answer questions that relate to my profession. am very fortunate to still be employed during the Covid19 Pandemic. Our workload has slowed down significantly since earlier in March, 2020. On most days there isn’t enough work to fill up a full 8-hour shift so we sometimes have to pivot. That means we complete our own assigned route plus :30 on another delivery route all within an 8-hour workday. The important part is staying safe and not being infected with Covid19. It is a scary disease with so many people dying.

276 Votes

What do you think of mail in votes?

Asked by Mario Kart Wii underated about 5 years ago

I am copying and pasting my reply to another post of the same subject. Thanks for your inquiry.

I believe there has been a lot of doubt purposely introduced into the voting-by-mail process by President Trump. My opinion is that voting by mail is very safe and reliable. There are a few important points I’d like to make:

If you vote by mail, please follow the instructions given on the absentee/mail-in ballot regarding deadlines and signing your ballot. Also, voter fraud via mail or in person is quite rare. Several states have been doing almost full vote-by-mail for a number of years with minimal issues.

I plan to either vote by mail or vote early this year in NY State. If you are concerned about a mail-in ballot being received by your local election authority, I recommend dropping it off at a ballot collection box. I don’t believe there should be any issue as to how the USPS processes election mail. I think of it as just like having another couple of pieces of mail per address to deliver. We absolutely have the capacity to handle this in my opinion.

My bottom line—have confidence in the USPS in handling election mail for this coming 2020 General Election.

Thanks for your interest. This is a very important issue in the year of COVID-19 where mail voting will be utilized more than ever.

273 Votes

Do all the young dudes carry the news?

Asked by Darren almost 6 years ago

I thought this was the Beatles, but then I looked it up on the Internet and see if it was David Bowie.

272 Votes

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Do your trucks have radios, air ride seats, heating, air conditioning, fans, cup holders, etc?

Asked by Ellis about 6 years ago

I can only speak for the vehicle I drive which is called an LLV (Long Life Vehicle) built around 1992. When we get the LLV fleet replacement vehicles they will have much more modernized amenities. Our LLV has no radio, air ride seat, AC, cup holders. Of the items you asked about, we only have heating and fans. Some carriers drive a Dodge ProMaster for their routes. I believe they have all of the items you listed above except for the air ride seats. They also have rear view cameras which are helpful when backing up the vehicle.

272 Votes

What do the strobe lights on the top of some of the trucks mean

Asked by Fjfjfjjdkd almost 6 years ago

I think it’s just a general caution strobe that means this truck may make many starts and stops and it may be slow moving. I think it’s similar to hazard flashers.

272 Votes

Is there ever people who are unhappy with you and why? Anyone ever yell at you about the time you show up or anything really that is something you can’t control and/or something that is just plain stupid

Asked by Caleb over 5 years ago

On the postal route, not particularly. I’m pretty easy going. I don’t really care when people just talk to you because you aren’t just a body. I mean they aren’t conversant and just want to talk about their accomplishments around the house, etc. Truthfully, it’s a waste of my time so I can tolerate it in small doses. If they get too long winded, I walk away and don’t give an excuse. I realize that wasn’t your question Rarely do I ever get complaints about my delivery or the time I arrive. The latter is out of my control. Mail is quite unimportant these days so many people don’t care when, or even, if they get a delivery. I can’t think of any stupid complaints. Every now and then there is a complaint or comment about mail being wet due to sweat on my arm. I don’t find that an unreasonable complaint, so for that customer, I try to keep her mail dry.

271 Votes