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.
It depends on what other job/career options you may have and how they compare with the USPS. I have somewhat of a bias because I enjoy working here and it has been a great career. I do realize, however, that being a CCA isn't easy and it's a non-career position and only pays moderately to begin (currently $16.06/hr). Regarding the USPS financial situation, I don't think that should impact your choice. The USPS isn't going away anytime soon. While I'm sure it's losing plenty of $$ often there is still as much work as I can remember. There will likely be changes that happen years from now but I don't know what they'd look like. I've never seen a layoff or RIF since I've been employed by the USPS. Good luck to you Hobbz whichever job/career path you choose.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Do%20you%20think%20it%27s%20a%20wise%20career%20choice%2F%20change%20to%20become%20a%20cca%20and%20tough%20it%20out%20to%20become%20a%20regular%20with%20the%20current%20usps%20financial%20situation%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17597)
It's odd for someone to say "it's on the truck" when the tracking seems very non-specific and sounds like it hasn't been updated. 8 days is too long for a certified letter to reach you unless the item was missorted en route and was either misdelivered or is sitting at a PO and nothing is being done with it. I don't know what to tell you to do except to wait a few more days. After that, you could contact the sender and say you never received the letter though they would have the same information as the online tracking.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=A%20certified%20letter%20was%20sent%20out%20to%20me%20on%20Jan%2013%20and%20it%27s%20the%2021st.%20Still%20have%20not%20received%20it%20and%20when%20I%20try%20to%20track%20it%20all%20it%20says%20it%27s%20in%20transit.%20Desnt%20say%20where%20it%20is.%20I%20called%20local%20post%20office%20and%20all%20they%20say%20is%20its%20on%20the%20truck.%20%20What%20do%20I%20d&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16328)
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)
In the LLV, which is the most common vehicle for delivery that is used, there is no second seat. The exception to that is that at our post office we up have 1 Long Life Vehicle with a seat in the cargo area which is behind the mail tray that is in the front left of the vehicle. We use that vehicle as a spare in case one breaks down or is needed by auxiliary help. The other reason it is used is when a supervisor comes with you for the day to inspect your route delivery. Sometimes they will follow you in their own car, but they often will just sit in the second seat. The cargo area opens up to the drivers area with a sliding door which I leave open all of the times.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20there%20a%20second%20seat%20in%20the%20mail%20truck%3F%3F%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15316)
Hairstylist and Makeup Artist
How much am I supposed to tip my hairstylist?
Employment Lawyer
Can a man sue if he's denied a job at Hooters?
Stand-Up Comedian
What types of crowds are the worst for you to to perform for?
I was looking at the USPS website about Priority Mail Express and it says that there is a guaranteed delivery date but it's not available in all areas to be exactly the next day. We used to deliver Express Mail on Sunday but that may be only available in certain places. If you sent the item out on Friday it was possibly past the deadline for Saturday delivery and the destination PO may not offer Sunday Priority Mail express delivery. In this case the item you mailed will be delivered Monday. There is a decent amount of information about Priority Mail Express on USPS.com. Be sure to read the disclaimers as it pertains to service being available 365 days per year.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hello%20I%20have%20a%20question%20for%20you%2C%20if%20I%20played%20for%20the%20flat%20rate%20overnight%20shipping%20with%20usps%2C%20why%20does%20the%20tracking%20number%20tell%20me%20that%20I%20won%27t%20get%20it%20for%20two%20days%3F%20I%20sent%20it%20out%20on%20Friday%20they%20said%20it%20won%27t%20get%20there%20until%20Monday.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15668)
Congratulations on being hired as a CCA. I wear black shoes that have the SR/USA tag required by the USPS. These can be purchased using your uniform allowance which you may not receive for several months after being hired and passing probation. The brands I use are New Balance and Rocky. I've never had a problem with their comfort, just that I usually have to replace them every 6 months or so due to the amount of walking I do daily. If you don't have a uniform allowance I'd say to wear whatever is comfortable to you like an athletic shoe. Don't wear anything fancy because it will inevitably get dirty in no time.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=i%20just%20got%20a%20job%20as%20a%20cca%20in%20the%20ny%20triboro%20area%20and%20want%20to%20know%20what%20the%20most%20comfortable%20sneaker%20is%20to%20wear&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16010)
I must first start with my disclaimer that we are poorly trained in what the regulations or SOP are when it comes to certain situations that come up. I can't say what is legal or not regarding your question. I do think it is inappropriate for the postal worker to ask you anything about returning mail.
You don't need to explain to any USPS employee why you are returning the mail. It is none of our business. As long as it is an unopened, first-class letter, you should be able to just write "refused" on it and have it returned. Personally I would just discard any unwanted mail. I've received debt collection letters in the past and have just ignored them and not returned them. There are certain classes of mail where we won't return to the sender because the sender has paid a pre-sorted standard rate (which is lower than the first-class rate). In that case, we just recycle any unwanted mail.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20return%20harrassing%20mail%20and%20postal%20worker%20sends%20it%20back%20to%20me%20asking.%20%20Is%20this%20legal%3F%20%20My%20mail%20is%20mine%20and%20can%20return%20any%20mail%20i%20believe%20is%20hsrrasment%20from%20some%20esp%20if%20i%20hae%20already%20dealt%20withnthat%20company.%20%20Do%20o%20have%20to%20explain%20this%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15255)
-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
