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.
I don't have the answer because it differs from person to person. If the substitute carrier is conscientious and verifies the address on the mail the mailbox that he's leaving the mail in then it would probably be a low difference between the two. Some regular carriers make plenty of mistakes because they are in a hurry or maybe don't care. I am very conscientious but still make mistakes. When a substitute delivers my route, the results vary. Some days you think "great job" and other days it's "why don't they read the address and be more careful". Misdeliveries are a big pet peeve of mine. One reason is that you don't know if the errant recipient will put the mailpiece back for correct delivery or may just ignore or discard it. I don't feel enough education is put to our employees how important proper mail delivery is. I am fortunate now to have the same substitute carrier each week if I'm off and not asked to work overtime. He is very conscientious and reads all of the carrier alert cards I give him. Other substitute carriers have been good and bad.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=what%20iare%20the%20percentages%20of%20mail%20delivered%20to%20the%20wrong%20address%20by%20the%20regular%20mail%20person%20versus%20a%20substitute%20carrier%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17269)
If I were in motion, I'd safely pull over, put on my four-way flashers, and then get out to investigate. It's possible that my gas cap is hanging out the side of the LLV, the back gate isn't secure, or maybe I'm dragging something. It could also be something that I haven't thought of. If the motorist is still around I'd ask them what they are pointing out. If it seemed to be some type of phony diversion tactic, I'd try to get far away from the motorist pointing and then investigate safely.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=.%20While%20driving%20the%20vehicle%20to%20make%20a%20delivery%2C%20another%20motorist%20points%20towards%20the%20back%20of%20your%20vehicle%20as%20if%20something%20is%20wrong.%20What%20do%20you%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16014)
I wouldn't recommend it unless you put a stamp on the envelope. The reason I say this is because the mailbox is only supposed to be used for US Mail with proper postage. That being said, if you leave the envelope in the mailbox clearly marked for the recipient company or resident with no postage it's possible the letter carrier would notice it and just leave it in the mailbox. That is what I would do but I can't speak for another letter carrier who isn't paying attention and just takes an envelope that looks like it could be outgoing mail. If you put the payment envelope in the mailbox with the address and postage it could be taken as outgoing mail but you can rest assured it will get to the recipient within a couple of days as a regular piece of mail. If possible, could you find an alternate place to put the payment or pay electronically?
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20need%20to%20leave%20a%20payment%20for%20a%20company%20and%20she%20is%20not%20home.%20..can%20I%20leave%20the%20payment%20in%20an%20envelope%20in%20her%20mailbox&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15910)
If I were in motion, I'd safely pull over, put on my four-way flashers, and then get out to investigate. It's possible that my gas cap is hanging out the side of the LLV, the back gate isn't secure, or maybe I'm dragging something. It could also be something that I haven't thought of. If the motorist is still around I'd ask them what they are pointing out. If it seemed to be some type of phony diversion tactic, I'd try to get far away from the motorist pointing and then investigate safely.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=While%20driving%20the%20vehicle%20to%20make%20a%20delivery%2C%20another%20motorist%20points%20towards%20the%20back%20of%20your%20vehicle%20as%20if%20something%20is%20wrong.%20What%20do%20you%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16040)
iPhone & iPad Technician
What brand do you think has the poorest quality / workmanship?
McDonald's Manager
Were you proud or embarrassed to tell people you worked at McDonald's?
Private Detective
Has anyone ever caught you surveilling them, and what happened?
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.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Why%20is%20my%20mail%20all%20of%20the%20sudden%20being%20delivered%20to%20my%20home%20in%20Montpelier%20Vermont%20by%20a%20red%20mini%20van%20with%20Massachusetts%20license%20plates%20-%20BTW%20the%20plates%20are%20civilian%20style%20plane%20on%20mass%20plates&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15557)
I am not sure how to answer this correctly. If you can find the letter carrier who inadvertently RTS the package and positively ID that the package belongs to you, I don't see why not. I just don't have a lot of faith in some of my co-workers how helpful they would be if asked to find a package that they hadn't been in possession of. Actually it would be more of a supervisor issue to try and find the package. Either way I hope it worked out for you or whomever you wrote this for. We probably shouldn't have made the mistake in the first place unless the package was addressed improperly.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20a%20package%20was%20inadvertently%20RTS%20on%20a%20Saturday.%20Can%20it%20be%20picked%20up%20that%20same%20day%20once%20the%20mail%20carrier%20brings%20it%20back%20at%20the%20end%20of%20his%20shift%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15672)
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)
-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
