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.
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.
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/16011)
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)
That sounds somehwat accurate. I am no expert when it comes to administering the ODL. It also seems to change from office to office as to what counts and what doesn't count for OT. In our office if you are next up to be asked in for your NS day and you are unavailable or refuse then you'd be "marked" for an 8-hour opportunity. As for where you'd be on the list the following week, it depends how many of the other carriers in your group came in on Tuesday. If all of the other three car came in (or refused) on their NS day it's possible you'd still be first for next week. In our office the total amt of OT hrs you worked for the quarter (which would include pieces on other routes) also affects where you are placed each week on the list for the NS day. Those with the lowest amt of OT hrs in a quarter are usually asked first for their NS day. I hope this helps a little bit but your office may operate differently.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Tuesday%20is%20my%20ns%20day.%20I%20am%20on%20the%20ot%20list.%20I%20was%20%232%20last%20week%20so%20%23%201%20this%20week.%20I%20filled%20out%20slip%20not%20available%20so%20for%20next%20week%20l%20get%20penalized%20to%20%23%204%20which%20is%20how%20many%20carriers%20on%20the%20list%20in%20my%20group%20is%20that%20accurate%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17006)
In theory each postal route (which is usually made up of one letter carrier) should be the amount of work (sorting and delivering the mail/parcels) for 8 hrs of work per day. In reality this amt varies depending on the time of year (December being the heaviest package season so it usually takes longer to complete a route, summer not so much). There aren't adjustments made too frequently to the size of a postal route but it could happen if a route was way out of whack to being able to be finished in 8 hours. There is a route adjustment procedure that takes place where the volume of mail is counted plus the amount of time it takes to deliver a route. To answer your question though, I don't know of an actually limit in the amt of mail to be given each day to a letter carrier.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi%2C%20I%20was%20wondering%20how%20do%20the%20post%20office%20decide%20the%20amount%20of%20mails%20that%20the%20postman%20should%20deliver%20in%20a%20day.%20I%20know%20that%20it%20depends%20on%20the%20route%2C%20but%20is%20there%20a%20limit%20to%20how%20many%20or%20how%20heavy%20the%20mails%2Fparcels%20are%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17842)
Bar Mitzvah DJ
Why are DJ's so unwilling to accommodate song requests?
Investment Banker
Did you experience the notorious 100-hour work weeks?
HR Executive
How do you feel about employees working remotely?
If it was a blank envelope with cash in it, I have no idea how it can be retrieved. I know this doesn't help you, but I'd have just left the item in the box if I saw no postage and no address on it. The letter carrier probably put it in the outgoing mail which is usually sent to a processing facility. There'd be no way to trace it back to your mother's address. To answer your question, I'd surmise that the envelope containing the cash is gone forever.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20left%20cash%20in%20an%20envelope%20in%20my%20mom%27s%20mailbox.%20Unfortunately%20the%20mail%20carrier%20made%20it%20there%20before%20she%20did%2C%20and%20picked%20up%20the%20envelope%20%28assuming%20it%20was%20outgoing.%29%20The%20envelope%20was%20blank.%20Is%20there%20any%20way%20we%20can%20retrieve%20it%20--%20or%20is%20it%20gone%20forever%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16358)
I don't think so. The request has never been made of me but generally once mail has been delivered it would seem to be in the possession of the recipient even if they haven't actually retrieved the item from their mailbox. I've also never heard of anybody else having this requested so my advice for the future is be careful what you mail because it is almost definitely a one-way trip.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=can%20a%20postman%20retrieve%20mail%20i%20sent%20if%20it%27s%20still%20in%20the%20recievers%20mailbox%20if%20i%20request%20it%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16177)
If a neighborhood has cluster boxes, it's usually a group of 6-30 addresses per cluster box. I actually made up that number. Where I deliver to cluster boxes, they range from 4-16 addresses per cluster box. As the letter carrier, I have a key which opens up the cluster box fully and then i can sort all of the mail for those addresses at one time. The boxes are usually well labeled inside (with the cluster panel open) to know where to put the mail. It's important for the letter carrier to know whether to put the mail either above or below the address if the slots are stacked vertically. I have seen my fellow letter carriers, and I'm sure myself make errors in deliveries to cluster boxes. I also live in an apartment building where mail is delivered into cluster boxes near the elevators. It can get more tedious than walking from door to door delivering mail but it is more efficient to deliver mail to cluster box units.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=On%20mail%20box%20cluster%20Iw%20do%20know%20which%20solt%20each%20person%27s%20mail%20goes%20in&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16971)
-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
