Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

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

Asked by Jerry over 6 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.

338 Votes

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

Asked by Dave over 6 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.

338 Votes

Do your trucks have heat and/or AC?

Asked by Amber almost 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.

337 Votes

Can you get in trouble for giving the wrong mail to the wrong house?

Asked by 56 over 6 years ago

I have yet to see that happen, though I wish the quality of service was focused on. If a customer were to complain about chronic misdeliveries, a supervisor will likely mention it to the letter carrier and ask them to be more careful. If the problem persisted, the supervisor may ask to verify the mail each day for the customer who complained about misdeliveries

334 Votes

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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. about 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.

334 Votes

As a mail carrier if you pick up a small package at one of those blue boxes can you deliver it to a local business with out taking it back to the postal hub.

Asked by Jeffery Fowler about 7 years ago

Jeffrey, I don’t know the official answer to this question. In the post office where I work, the carriers who collect mail front the blue collection boxes generally aren’t delivering mail on any specific postal route. They probably aren’t even looking at the destination address when they collect the mail. I’m pretty sure most mail that is collected from the blue mailboxes gets sent to the a processing and distribution center. Very little, if any, local mail is intercepted and delivered without it ever leaving our local PO. I hope this answers your question. Thanks for participating in the Q and A ?

331 Votes

Was wondering if it's possible to mail a standard Priority package using a Priority Express envelope, and only pay the standard postage? And can you mark out with sharpie the "Express" logo so the carrier will know what your intentions are?
Thanks-

Asked by DAVIDB over 7 years ago

I’d recommend against doing this because Priority Mail Express Envelopes are specifically to be used for that purpose only. I don’t know the the ru!es for sure. Some postal employees, myself included, are sometimes sticklers for the correct postage being applied to go along with the type of packaging used. The supplies are provided free of charge with the condition that a certain class of mail is required to use the free packaging. While I can’t say your proposal to put a sharpie marker through the “express” markings wouldn’t serve your intended purpose, I’d recommend playing it safe and not doing that. Thank you for your question.

330 Votes