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.
Not often. I deliver the same route each day, so I pretty much know when residents move in or out. I deliver mail in an upper middle class community and there aren't many rentals and most houses are occupied. If mail begins to accumulate for awhile and I don't see any activity at the house and the grounds start to look more unkempt I may suspect a house is vacant. When most people move, they submit a change of address/forwarding order. This also gives me an indication that if I don't see a new residents name that the house could be vacant. At present, about 1% of the houses on my route are considered vacant and don't receive mail delivery. I'm sure in many other communities that aren't as well off economically there could be more vacant homes.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=do%20you%20always%20have%20the%20same%20route%3F%20are%20vacant%20houses%20common%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17162)
Congratulations on being hired as a CCA for the USPS. I can't say for sure that it's true that you won't get a day off. From what I've seen, the CCAs where I work often work 7 days a week but it seems after a couple of weeks they are given a day off. I don't know if there are any rules that you must be given a day off after working a certain amount of consecutive days. It may depend on the staffing level of your facility. I hope that you have chosen to join the NALC. Whether you have or not, a shop steward may have a better answer than I've given you on whether or not you are required to work unlimited days in a row. I'm also on a Facebook group for postal workers. One is NALC and the other is Postal Maniacs. If you join them, you could post this same question and get answers from actual CCAs. Good luck to you. Please work safely and deliver the mail accurately. Sunday delivery usually consists of Amazon.com package delivery, not regular mail.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20was%20just%20hired%20as%20a%20CCA.%20Are%20the%20horror%20stories%20about%20literally%20never%20getting%20a%20day%20off%20true%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16443)
John, I would say it breaks a code of confidentiality that we are expected to maintain as letter carriers. We are rarely reminded of this but I'm pretty sure we shouldn't give out that information. As to whether it's illegal or not I can't comment on that. In the past I have given out little bits of information about some neighbors to others but it's rare and I shouldn't have done that. I do realize that some neighbors are friends with each other and others aren't. It's always better to be on the safe side as a letter carrier not to give out information about anyone else. One can't get in trouble that way. On another note, I rarely would comment to a customer as to what I'm delivering them when I see them. For example,I wouldn't say "your phone bill is here or looks like your wife was ordering from Kohl's again". As much as those comments may seem benign I try to be mostly professional when speaking with customers.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=this%20morning%20I%20asked%20our%20letter%20carrier%20what%20was%20the%20last%20name%20of%20a%20neighbor.%20is%20that%20illegal%20to%20give%20out%20that%20info%20%3F%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18493)
As I'm writing this reply on April 12, I'm pretty sure that the mail has been delivered on stonesboro rd in ft Washington, MD by now for April 8. ???? This q and a isn't for USPS customer service or any real-time questions. I mostly answer questions about being a letter carrier and possibly make suggestions if someone has a customer service problem that doesn't need immediate attention. With regards to your question, I think that only your local PO would know when and if mail was delivered to your street.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Has%20the%20mail%20already%20been%20delivered%20on%20Stonesboro%20Rd%20Ft%20Washington%20Maryland%20today%204%2F8%2F2016&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16783)
Claims Adjuster
What happens when NEITHER driver is at fault?
CrossFit Coach
Are Crossfit gyms profitable right out of the gate?
Court Reporter
How do you transcribe when people in the courtroom are talking over and interrupting each other?
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.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi%2C%20I%20deliver%20a%20route%20and%20a%20half%20all%20walking%20consisting%20of%2015%20Loops.%20First%20time%20I%20was%20told%20it%20is%20a%204%20hours%20work%20load%20then%202%20weeks%20later%20it%20became%203%20and%20now%20it%20is%202%20hours%20work%20load%20all%20the%20same%20walking%20route.%20How%20many%20hours%20should%20it%20take%20me%20%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16561)
That certainly sounds fishy, especially with mail of a similar name to your Dad, and also nearby addresses. I suppose you could alert local law enforcement or USPS Postal Inspection Service but have no idea what their response would be. If mail arrives at your address with dad's name a little bit "off", he could open it and if it's anything like an unpaid bill he could either do nothing about or call the creditor and say that it's not him.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Thanks%20for%20the%20reply%21%20And%20as%20far%20as%20anything%20illegal%2CI%20have%20been%20getting%20there%20mail%20every%20now%20and%20then%2Cwith%20a%20name%20similar%20to%20my%20dad%27s%3F%3F%20This%20person%20was%20living%20in%20neighborhood%2C%20but%20background%20indicates%20another%20current%20address%2Calso%20very%20close%20by%3F%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16591)
It depends. Some CCAs have a very difficult time comprehending the whole delivery process and procedure and are too slow. Others pick it up rather easily and don't have much of a problem finishing close to on time. The probationary period allows for carrier to improve their efficiency in delivery. From my observation, the supervisors aren't too quick to terminate a probationary CCA if they show improvement, work safely, have a great attitude, plus aren't too slow. You can tell that some workers are just clueless about what they're doing. They don't last too long. It's not a super difficult concept to deliver mail properly, but you need to be able to follow a map and be organized. The more one does it, the easier it gets. There are some CCAs who I thought may not pass probation, but did and are doing a decent job or "good enough for government work".
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=In%20your%20opinion%2C%20%28as%20all%20your%20answers%20are%29%20do%20you%20think%20most%20CCA%27s%20have%20difficult%20finishing%20a%20route%20on%20time%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17395)
-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
