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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1237 Questions

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

how do i figure out my mail mans name??

Asked by liga about 12 years ago

You could call the post office and see if they will give you his name. They should at least give you their first name. If you happen to see him or her you could also ask them.

Are there any specific USPS regulations for installing a mailbox at my home on Long Island?

Asked by chertz about 12 years ago

They are likely the same nationwide.

I am having problems with the Zip + 4 digits. I have noticed that with just the first 5 my package gets delivered. but with the plus 4 it gets undelivered (auto due to apt no. ebay) is it possible some mailmen are not familiar with it still?

Asked by Bert almost 12 years ago

I don't know why it would make a difference whether or not your package had the 5-digit ZIP or the Zip + 4 digits. I don't know anybody who I work with who pays attention to it or needs to pay attention to it. If the parcel has the correct address including the apt. #, I would think that would be sufficient to get it delivered. The only suggestion I'd have is to contact the PO to mention this to them. Leaving a note in the mailbox won't help because it seems like you probably have several different letter carriers.

Hey Dave, I was just hired at a PO in Long Island as a CCA. Zip code starting 118. My office is a fairly large office. What are the pros/cons on being at a large office? Also if I am asked to deliver with my own vehicle, can I refuse?

Asked by Rob almost 12 years ago

Rob, congratulations on being hired as a CCA. I am guessing it is either Hcksville or Plainview. The PROs may be that you will have many people to meet, many opportunities for filling vacancies, and large neighborhoods to get to know. A con may be that if they are short-staffed, the mgmt can ask you to fill in and do parts of several routes in one day which may be exhausting. The positive part to that is that you are paid for all of your time work including Overtime pay. I believe you can refuse to use your own vehicle to deliver mail, however, they may not then be obligated to give you a govt vehicle to deliver the mail. If that is the case, you may have a reduced opportunity to earn a paycheck. Try to be as polite as possible when given assignments and if it turns out to be too much, speak up and advise the supervisor how much extra time you may need. Always make sure to work safely as well. Try not to get too involved with any office gossip or politics. Good luck and continue asking if you have more qs.

Today I mailed a 1st class package from Texas destined for Australia. Just checked the tracking, and it says "available for pickup" ---any idea what's goin on? Thanks

Asked by Sandy almost 12 years ago

I have no idea why it would say "available for pickup" when you check the status of the package that you just mailed today to Australia. I can only speculate that somehow the package was mis-scanned by a USPS employee that caused that status to appear at usps.com tracking. 

do the mailman usually run on saturdays and what time do they start and stop running?

Asked by Mark over 11 years ago

I'm not sure what you mean by running. Saturday is a regular delivery day for the USPS. As far as I know, nobody delivers any faster or slower on a Saturday. For those carriers that have routes with businesses that are closed Saturday, they may get done with their routes sooner. In this case they are sometimes given other duties to make up for the "undertime". In my office, those carriers usually do a collection run or deliver Express Mail or help out on another route that is overburdened that day. Deliveries where I work are usually made between 9:30 and 4:30. Thanks for the question. 

I put a letter in the mail yesterday around 11 am, when do you think the letter will be in the person's hands?

Asked by jay over 11 years ago

It depends how far the letter as to travel to get to its destination. I think 1-4 days is the normal amt of time for a letter to reach its destination.