Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

My friend had a roommate that moved out, her mail is still being sent to her house so my friend puts on the envelope, (return to sender) the mailman knows the girl that moved out and has been giving her the mail personally, can he do that?

Asked by Samantha almost 10 years ago

I don't think that the letter carrier should be giving the mail to the woman who moved out just because he knows her personally. If the woman didn't put in a proper change of address request with the USPS, then it is appropriate for the mail to be returned to sender with an endorsement by the USPS saying "unable to forward" or "moved, left no address". I wouldn't get involved with anyone's mail based on my relationship of knowing them. Fortunately, it's rare that I'm ever asked to do anything that is questionable regarding the mail. As far as your question goes, I don't know that the mailman is allowed to do what he is doing, but it doesn't seem right.

535 Votes

Can mailmen refer mail for inspection because of a person's attire, religious garb, or what he subjectively perceives as being odd behavior? Can he collect data about the sender (identifying data, license #s, etc.) on the basis of such profiling?

Asked by Teddy almost 10 years ago

I don't know the answer to this question but I would generally think we can't do profiling based on what we see and then refer that to the USPSIS. There may be a branch of the USPS that does legally do such observation and data collecting but I know nothing about it nor have ever been approached about being involved in such activity. What you're asking about seems somewhat discriminatory so I would likely never want to be involved in any type of racial profiling.

531 Votes

While driving the vehicle to make a delivery, another motorist points towards the back of your vehicle as if something is wrong. What do you do?

Asked by jonathon about 10 years ago

I believe I have been asked this exact same question before with the same wording on this website. Anyhow, if this happened, I'd proceed with caution. When I felt it was safe to do so, I'd park the vehicle and walk around it to make sure everything looked okay. If I was in an unsafe area, I may think that it's some kind of setup to get my vehicle to stop and I'd just keep driving. Your scenario doesn't seem like it would happen very often and I don't usually pay attention to the actual other motorists gestures. I have driven a few times without the back tailgate being properly latched down which could make for a hazardous situation. I probably would be glad if someone had pointed that out to me.

530 Votes

er, i meant "under".

Asked by CanadaPostie2015 almost 10 years ago

Hello CP2015, I'm not sure what POCs are but I'll guess and say those are the amt of possible deliveries you have each day which sounds like a lot to me. It isn't easy to work outside in the summer when the sun is pounding down on you. While I prefer the heat vs the extreme cold, the summer can be taxing on your body. I'd recommend wearing a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off your eyes, face, and neck. I also recommend drinking as much water as you can even before you get thirsty. It sweats off of you pretty quickly so the more you stay hydrated the better you should feel. In terms of actually burning, I suppose you could apply sunscreen liberally with an SPF of 40+. Stay safe and thanks for writing.

529 Votes

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I share a large mailbox with a neighbor who never gets his mail. He is not at home often. I have been advised to throw out his junk mail. I don't think that is legal, nor my responsibility. What can I do without starting an incident. He's nice!

Asked by Meela about 10 years ago

I wouldn't get too involved with this if I were you. I mean you wouldn't get in trouble as far as I know but you are correct in saying it's not your responsibility. Who advised you to throw out his junk mail? I would never do that as a USPS employee. No mail is junk to me. A mailer is paying my employer to deliver a service (mail) and I deliver it all. There are certain classes of mail which are non-forwardable and get a better speed of service, but it's all mail. I think the way I'd handle it is one of two ways. The first suggestion is to do nothing as it's truly not your responsibility to get involved with someone else's mail. The second suggestion would be to periodically take all of his mail, rubber band it and leave it by his front door if you feel that is a safe and secure place to leave it. I don't now how your residences are situated. Thank you for this interesting question.

528 Votes

It is my understanding 1st Class mail is protected from search and seizure, however, what if a postman observes what he believes to be a suspicious letter? Is it routed to a special place for examining? Is the sender notified? Is the recipient?

Asked by Teddy almost 10 years ago

I have never come across this situation as far as I can recall. I'm pretty sure if there is a suspicious package or letter, I'd notify a supervisor who would then decide whether or not to call the USPS Potsal Inspection Service or local law enforcement. They also may want to segregate the item from other mail or people in case it is potentially hazardous material. I don't know how the notification process works with reference to the sender or recipient. This may be more common in a larger mail processing facility where the mail for many offices passes through to or from the local post offices. We aren't often taught about suspicious or potentially hazardous mail, though it is covered sometimes in service and safety talks.

526 Votes

Do you ever suspect that a customer receiving frequent deliveries of light weight priority boxes from legal medical marijuana states is using the dark net markets to order drugs? Are the majority of letter carriers aware about dark net markets now?

Asked by DNM about 10 years ago

You are the first person to ever say the term "dark net markets" to me. I don't most of my fellow letter carriers know anything about this unless they are involved in that dealing which I would hope they aren't. We are trained very little at work about drugs in the mail. I've never come across anything suspicious re: drugs or I am just oblivious.

525 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

My friend had a roommate that moved out, her mail is still being sent to her house so my friend puts on the envelope, (return to sender) the mailman knows the girl that moved out and has been giving her the mail personally, can he do that?

Can mailmen refer mail for inspection because of a person's attire, religious garb, or what he subjectively perceives as being odd behavior? Can he collect data about the sender (identifying data, license #s, etc.) on the basis of such profiling?

While driving the vehicle to make a delivery, another motorist points towards the back of your vehicle as if something is wrong. What do you do?

er, i meant "under".

Also on Jobstr...

I share a large mailbox with a neighbor who never gets his mail. He is not at home often. I have been advised to throw out his junk mail. I don't think that is legal, nor my responsibility. What can I do without starting an incident. He's nice!

It is my understanding 1st Class mail is protected from search and seizure, however, what if a postman observes what he believes to be a suspicious letter? Is it routed to a special place for examining? Is the sender notified? Is the recipient?

Do you ever suspect that a customer receiving frequent deliveries of light weight priority boxes from legal medical marijuana states is using the dark net markets to order drugs? Are the majority of letter carriers aware about dark net markets now?

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

My friend had a roommate that moved out, her mail is still being sent to her house so my friend puts on the envelope, (return to sender) the mailman knows the girl that moved out and has been giving her the mail personally, can he do that?

Can mailmen refer mail for inspection because of a person's attire, religious garb, or what he subjectively perceives as being odd behavior? Can he collect data about the sender (identifying data, license #s, etc.) on the basis of such profiling?

While driving the vehicle to make a delivery, another motorist points towards the back of your vehicle as if something is wrong. What do you do?

er, i meant "under".

Also on Jobstr...

I share a large mailbox with a neighbor who never gets his mail. He is not at home often. I have been advised to throw out his junk mail. I don't think that is legal, nor my responsibility. What can I do without starting an incident. He's nice!

It is my understanding 1st Class mail is protected from search and seizure, however, what if a postman observes what he believes to be a suspicious letter? Is it routed to a special place for examining? Is the sender notified? Is the recipient?

Do you ever suspect that a customer receiving frequent deliveries of light weight priority boxes from legal medical marijuana states is using the dark net markets to order drugs? Are the majority of letter carriers aware about dark net markets now?

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