Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

What do you do if a dog is about to bite you?

Asked by Savvy over 8 years ago

The USPS is always warning us to steer clear of dogs and don't pet them even if the owner says "my dog doesn't bite". There are some dogs on the route I deliver which I trust to come up to me. I don't pet them but sometimes they will come up to my leg. For the most part i don't get involved with dogs. If we think a dog will bite us we are taught to use our satchel (if we are using one) as a shield between us and the dog. Another item we carry is "Back Off" Dog Repellent which we can spray at the face of a dog if we are bitten or about to be bit by a dog. The dog will usually back off and get disoriented. I have never been bit except for a nip on my legs which I didn't report to my supervisor. There are many dogs on the route which I deliver but most owners are very responible in not letting them out off-leash.

382 Votes

Can the mailman return my mail because I don't pick it up everyday as he says?

Asked by Nat almost 9 years ago

Your mail shouldn't be returned because you don't pick it up daily. I've never heard of any obligation one has to pick up their mail at any specific interval. If the mailbox fills up, I know mail can be returned but I'm not sure if that means the overflow mail or the mail in the box already. In my experience it's very common for mail to be left in the mailbox for days. It doesn't bother me one bit and it's rare that the mailbox gets so full that action must be taken. Without knowing any further details, it sounds like your letter carrier is being a jerk and looking for conflict rather than providing quality service.

380 Votes

Does your mail still get delivered if the carrier is on vacation?

Asked by Cliff over 8 years ago

Cliff, mail gets delivered if a letter carrier is on vacation. There is usually a replacement letter carrier who will cover the route of the regular letter carrier who is on vacation. If there isn't enough staffing available, the route which the regular carrier is on vacation from my be split between other letter carriers. For this reason your mail should still be delivered but possibly at a very different time than the regular letter carrier does.

380 Votes

CAN I PUT A LETTER/note for my mail carrier on the outside of my mail box

Asked by Kali over 8 years ago

Sure you can. I don't see any reason why you couldn't do this. It's important to clearly write the letter carrier's name or "mailman" or something that makes it known it is for them. Postage shouldn't be necessary. I sometimes get notes asking me to hold the mail for them if they are on vacation and going away. This is a free service which is offered.

379 Votes

Also on Jobstr...

EMT

Does your crew ever fake an emergency to slice through traffic?

Geek Squad Agent/Supervisor

What's the biggest scene a customer's ever made in the store?

Hotel Front Desk Agent

Have you ever had a suicide occur in one of your rooms?

I want to have a package sent through the mail but my mail carrier walks would he still deliver it or do I have to pick it up at the post office

Asked by Nick about 9 years ago

It should be delivered by a letter carrier. It may not be your letter carrier. If he doesn't drive a postal vehicle to his route and then walk it's not likely he will be the one delivering it. Some offices have parcel post drivers that deliver larger parcels via a delivery vehicle. If nobody is home to accept the package, there is a possibility you'd have to pick it up at the PO or request a redelivery.

379 Votes

my route is over a mile long to get to and iam 60 yrs old.my boss said i have to walk and i cant ,rather take bus to route and he said no .what do i do

Asked by Rob almost 9 years ago

I don't know anything about the particulars in how you get to your route and any rules associated with that. I guess you have a walkout route which means there is no vehicle for you to use and you get your mail from relay boxes around the city. How is it possible that you can't walk to your route but you are unable to walk to deliver your route? I assume it is because of your age. I agree that one mile is a bit of a long way just to get to your delivery route. For the average person it takes about 18-20 minutes to walk one mile. Since I don't know any rules that discuss the method of transportation to get to your route, I'd refer you to a shop steward or the NALC regional office that covers your area. They may know more but don't count on it. There are just some scenarios not covered in our joint USPS/NALC handbooks or manuals. I don't know if there is some request for accommodation that could be made based on your physical condition.

379 Votes

Hi, I deliver a route and a half all walking consisting of 15 Loops. First time I was told it is a 4 hours work load then 2 weeks later it became 3 and now it is 2 hours work load all the same walking route. How many hours should it take me ?

Asked by Hot for Mail about 9 years ago

I don't know how long 15 loops should take you. It depends on the amount of houses per loop, the terrain, the spacing of the residences, and the volume of mail. Each letter carrier also works at a different pace. In the office where I work, in one hour we can usually get 4 loops done in one hour if they average 17-22 stops per loop. This is by no means standard and just what I've experienced. I can see it being different where you work. Continue to work safely and accurately. It seems odd that the same amt of loops started out as 4 hrs and decreased to 2 hours. If you feel the time allowed is unreasonable, please speak up if questioned why it took so long. In the example/pace I gave you, 15 loops would take approximately 3.75 hrs. Your mileage may vary.

379 Votes

Showing 925 - 931

Show All

296 More Answers by Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Last 7

130 131 132 133 134 135

...

Next 7 Answers

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

What do you do if a dog is about to bite you?

Can the mailman return my mail because I don't pick it up everyday as he says?

Does your mail still get delivered if the carrier is on vacation?

CAN I PUT A LETTER/note for my mail carrier on the outside of my mail box

Also on Jobstr...

I want to have a package sent through the mail but my mail carrier walks would he still deliver it or do I have to pick it up at the post office

my route is over a mile long to get to and iam 60 yrs old.my boss said i have to walk and i cant ,rather take bus to route and he said no .what do i do

Hi, I deliver a route and a half all walking consisting of 15 Loops. First time I was told it is a 4 hours work load then 2 weeks later it became 3 and now it is 2 hours work load all the same walking route. How many hours should it take me ?

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

What do you do if a dog is about to bite you?

Can the mailman return my mail because I don't pick it up everyday as he says?

Does your mail still get delivered if the carrier is on vacation?

CAN I PUT A LETTER/note for my mail carrier on the outside of my mail box

Also on Jobstr...

I want to have a package sent through the mail but my mail carrier walks would he still deliver it or do I have to pick it up at the post office

my route is over a mile long to get to and iam 60 yrs old.my boss said i have to walk and i cant ,rather take bus to route and he said no .what do i do

Hi, I deliver a route and a half all walking consisting of 15 Loops. First time I was told it is a 4 hours work load then 2 weeks later it became 3 and now it is 2 hours work load all the same walking route. How many hours should it take me ?

Login

Forgot Your Password?

Register