Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

If I am expecting an important letter in the mail and I know which post office it arrives at ,can I go the post office and request this letter instead of waiting for the postman to deliver it to my house two /three days later

Asked by Alphonsa over 7 years ago

It’s not likely that the PO it arrives at will be able or willing to help you. To my knowledge, any letters that would come to your house (if it’s important it would likely be first class or Priority Mail) only arrive at the delivery Post office the morning of the day it is delivered. Even if the letter arrived the same day it was to be delivered and you went to the PO they may not be able to find it or be willing to look for it. As a letter carrier it’s very often that the first time I see a letter or handle it is when I’m about to deliver it to an address. Most sorting is done by automation at a Processing and Distribution Center. You could always go to the PO and try to get the letter, but my guess is that there are very low odds you will be successful in doing so.

396 Votes

I still have a truck it's kind of like a pickup truck or a flatbed truck it had a bunch of metal boxes with doors and just had the USPS logo on it can you tell me what that trucks for

Asked by Henry almost 7 years ago

Henry, I can’t actually picture what that truck looks like and I don’t know what it is used for. If I had to guess it may have been some type of maintenance vehicle that the USPS used for building or vehicle maintenance. It doesn’t seem to be any type of delivery vehicle that I am familiar with. If you want to do some more research, there is a Smithsonian National Postal Museum and maybe their research or archivist staff would know more about it. They possibly charge a fee for doing research but I can’t be sure. Their website is postalmuseum.si.edu

394 Votes

Do your trucks have heat and/or AC?

Asked by Amber about 7 years ago

All of our vehicles have heat. I don’t think we could survive in the colder climates without it. The LLVs (Long-life vehicle), which has been the majority of our delivery fleet since the mid-1990s, don’t have AC. The newer vehicles, which are likely to be coming on line in the next 2-5 years will have air conditioning. In office where I work, some carriers use Dodge Promasters which have AC as well.These trucks are left hand drive (like most vehicles in the US) so can only be used on walking routes where delivery is made to businesses or the front door of residences.

393 Votes

What do you do with mail that is sent to an address that doesn't have a mailbox

Asked by Jerry almost 7 years ago

Some letter carriers may handle it differently than others. This is my comment in most situations as to “what would we be done if....”We can rubber band the mail and leave it on the ground or on a bench by a door. Technically, the mail should be endorsed “NMR” which means No Mail Receptacle and returned to the sender, if applicable. Certain classes of mail would just get discarded at the PO and maybe sent out for recycling.

393 Votes

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Why have I never seen a mailman take a break?

Asked by Leon74 over 7 years ago

That’s funny. Some people would say why don’t I ever see the mailman working. We definitely take breaks during our delivery day. Contractually we are entitled to 30 minute lunch (unpaid) and two paid 10-minute breaks. Some assignments are allowed a one-hr lunch but it is still unpaid. We are also allowed as many bathroom breaks as needed. To answer your question, I’m not sure why you don’t need see them on a break. I am on one right now answering your question. To maximize the time I have for a break/lunch, I generally just sit in my postal vehicle and eat or use the Internet. Some letter carriers meet for lunch and buy food. If your letter carrier is a rural carrier, you may not see them take a break because they can go home as soon as their deliveries are finished. City carriers (which is what I am) are “on the clock” so we generally take our authorized breaks.

390 Votes

Hi Dave, Thanks for this opportunity to address a contentious mail-related issue my wife and I have been struggling with for years. She works from home and relies on the mail to communicate with her customers. Timeliness of mail delivery is crucial to her business. Most of her mail comprises USPS envelopes with prepaid postage. She maintains that her mail will arrive at its continental US destination sooner if it is handed to a clerk at our Kettering OH post office (our servicing office) rather than simply placed in our residential mailbox which is serviced daily (save for Sundays and holidays of course). She continues to believe this despite my being told by said clerk that all mail is gathered from all USPS/residential/commercial boxes and taken to the post office where it is sent to Columbus OH for sorting and dispatch. Which method is faster? And, is mail placed in a residential mailbox guaranteed to be post marked on the same day it is picked up (excluding Sundays and holidays of course)? Thanks again.

Asked by Roger N. over 7 years ago

This is a very thorough question and i don’t know that I can give you an absolute answer, but I can try. I can assure you that any mail given to a clerk at PO or out in a collection box (blue box) or picked up by a letter carrier from your residence will go the same day to the mail processing plant in Columbus, OH. I guess an exception would be is if the letter carrier picked up the mail so late in the day due to our staffing shortages that the mail may not be dispatched from your local post office to the regional processing center. I haven’t seen this happen too often but I can’t speak for any office other than the one I work with. Another thing to point out is that there is possibly more than one truck per day that takes outgoing mail from your PO to the Columbus mail processing facility. I’m not sure about your office. I still don’t think for the most part it would make a difference if the mail was dropped off at the PO or picked up at your house. Thanks for your question, Roger.

389 Votes

Do you use the restrooms at businesses on your route if you have to go

Asked by Dave about 7 years ago

Yes. I’ve never had an issue using the restroom at any business that I deliver mail to if I have to use their facilities. I work near a gas station and public library so those are my “go to” spots. Furthermore, there are sometimes construction sites on the postal route and I may use their portable toilet if necessary. As inappropriate as it may sound, if I’m in a rural area and there are no restrooms nearby I may just urinate (discreetly) in a wooded area. It would be embarrassing if I ever was caught but so far it’s not been an issue.

389 Votes