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.
These are 2 good questions which, as always, don’t have definitive answers.
1) On the subject of backing into parking spaces it has been so many years since I was trained on driving a postal vehicle but I do think that is what I was taught. I do this almost always when driving a postal vehicle or personal vehicle. While it is definitely refrained on by management to back up the vehicle, it is recommended to park this way so when we leave the parking space, it’s much easier to see the situation. When we back in we often will know the current situation so can back in more safely to a space. Most of our vehicles don’t have backup cameras so there are some more difficult areas to see when the vehicle is in reverse. I think it’s a great idea to back in as often as possible as long as you aren’t delaying traffic behind you. I often use my hazard flashers when I want a car to pass me so I can put the vehicle in reverse.
2) in general, if you strike an object or get into an accident, you won’t lose your job. I’ve never seen a letter carrier fired for this reason unless they were in their first 90 days (the probationary period). Most of the time, you are prohibited from driving a USPS vehicle until you get some remedial training or watch some safety videos. I suppose if you had multiple motor vehicle accidents or were find to be willfully negligent with the operation of the vehicle, you could be terminated. We are represented by a union so most terminations would be challenged via grievance procedure. If one were found to be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while driving a postal vehicle, that may also lead to termination.
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I guess that happens sometimes on these kind of sites.
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I am pretty sure the Grumman LLV is allowed to drive on a highway. I think I may have accidentally driven one on a highway once. It’s a bit of a scary experience because the engines or transmission aren’t that strong to go 55 MPH or above. They definitely can go that fast but it doesn’t feel as comfortable as if you were in a regular car. I have rarely seen them on a highway, but I work in the suburbs and most post offices serve a nearby community which wouldn’t necessitate getting on a highway to get to a delivery route. Thanks for your question.
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It is a bit of a lengthy process to replace the massive fleet of delivery vehicles for the USPS. From what I’ve read the testing phase of approximately 5 competing proposals is almost complete and a decision will be made later this year (2019). From that point it would probably take a few years to fully replace our fleet of LLVs. I don’t know if the current financial difficulties of the USPS would impact the timeline for this process. As far as old jeeps being used, I don’t know if some places still use it. With the volume of packages we deliver nowadays, they’d seem entirely inefficient. I haven’t seen them used in years, but I can’t speak for the entire country. At this point, they’d be well over 25 years old.
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It is very unlikely someone would mail a bomb, but Im sure it has happened. Recently, a man sent quite a few inactive devices that looked like explosives ito famous people or politicians. I’m sure that there have been some explosives detonated at their destination or possibly before, but I don’t know the details. We are sometimes told to be on the lookout for suspicious packages, but, to be honest, it’s never really on my mind. Keep in mind I tend to look through rose-colored glasses and think that kind of thing doesn’t happen here.
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I have no idea but consider myself intelligent.
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Absolutely! I couldn’t think of doing any other job. It wasn’t always this way but I realized over the years it’s a great fit for my personality. By no means is this for everybody and many coworkers complain constantly. I have my conflicts with mgmt and the overall operation but that doesn’t take away from my love of the job. I am paid to exercise (walking about 7+ miles per day) listen to podcasts, and provide a service to our customers. I don’t have to deal a lot with office politics because I’m out of the building for about 3/4 of the work day. The pay is adequate for my lifestyle and there is a good amount of OT available to increase my income if so desired. Eventually, the USPS will be in severe financial stress so I don’t know how the changes will affect how I feel about the job, but I’m content as of now. Thanks for writing in with this question.
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