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.
I have never noticed that. I know that a rural carrier who sometimes uses their own vehicle sometimes just has a placard or magnetic sticker on the car that says US Mail. The USPS didn’t exist before 1971 but our whole fleet in use now would be substantially newer than that. My vehicle says “United States Postal Service” and also “www.usps.com” on the side. Our logos used to be an eagle which said “US Mail” below it. My uniform now has a more modern eagle and says “United States Postal Service”. To me they are synonymous terms.
Fortunately, no. I’ve had some close calls where they’ve nipped at my heels or pants but I can’t say I’ve ever had a real bite where I made a report or needed any medical attention. I am no dog lover so I try and steer clear of them as much as possible. We are mandated to carry dog spray/repellent with us in case we think we are about to be bitten or if we are attacked. I’d say most dog owners in the areas where I deliver are quite responsible in containing and controlling their pets.
FH, thanks for your question. I’ll start by saying your mileage may vary. I don’t know if there is a correct procedure as to how to handle mail delivery to a business which is sometimes open and sometimes closed. I would usually go inside to deliver the mail and ask if there is any outgoing mail if a receptionist or other personnel are available. I mostly deliver to residences so I don’t have a lot of experience in this situation. It’s possible that the business owner has an exterior mailbox and prefers or doesn’t mind if the mail is left in the mailbox whether or not the business is open. I suppose a carrier who delivers to the same business daily knows what is preferred but there are often substitutes delivering the mail so if there are no instructions left for that substitute and no sign on the mailbox saying “please come inside if the office is open” then I’m not sure what that letter carrier would do. We are often told so little how to do certain procedures which is why i almost always put in the disclaimer of “your mileage may vary”.
I doubt the q is relevant to this website subject.
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I am not sure about this as I’ve never encountered this situation. I would think that you would just get out of the vehicle (making sure to shut the engine when you do so as per USPS procedures), walk around to the keypad and enter the code to open the gate, return to the driver side of the vehicle, start the engine, and drive through the gate. The issue you may be thinking about is if the gate remains open long enough for the postal vehicle to drive through. I don’t know the answer to this. I deliver to a couple of gated neighborhoods on occasion, but they are usually staffed by a person or could go up automatically without a code.
Yes, I am. it’s my pleasure to be able to answer questions that relate to my profession. am very fortunate to still be employed during the Covid19 Pandemic. Our workload has slowed down significantly since earlier in March, 2020. On most days there isn’t enough work to fill up a full 8-hour shift so we sometimes have to pivot. That means we complete our own assigned route plus :30 on another delivery route all within an 8-hour workday. The important part is staying safe and not being infected with Covid19. It is a scary disease with so many people dying.
It doesn’t sound like a good first impression, but it doesn’t sound like you did anything malicious on purpose. I don’t know that I would ever harshly scold anyone about most things but I have a high amount of patience which maybe your carrier, doesn’t have. I suppose the next time you see her you could explain (or apologize) that you didn’t mean anything by it. I also guess you could wait until the letter carrier is completely done sorting the mall before checking on your mail, but I don’t think that is always necessary either. I’m sorry to be so vague, but it almost seems like a short temper on behalf of the letter carrier. This is based on what you’ve described not truly knowing either of your personalities. I just hope your next interaction with your letter carrier is calm and cordial. Thanks for writing.
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