Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Do you have radios in your truck? I am talking about both two ways and AM/FM

Asked by Funky Kong over 5 years ago

In the vehicle I drive, which is called an LLV (Long life vehicle), there is no radio or any kind installed. No AM/FM and no 2-way radio with the base post office or any dispatch. We use cell phones to either call or text our supervisors if necessary. Our hand held scanning devices also have the ability to text message the supervisors but I don’t think those messages are checked too frequently by the management. The phone is our best means of communication IMO.

194 Votes

Has a dog ever bit you!

Asked by Eeeeeeeeeek about 5 years ago

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.

194 Votes

Is there any condition besides a hurricane or wild fire or floods that they would say “okay don’t go out today”?

Asked by Micah over 5 years ago

There aren’t too many that I can think of where we wouldn’t go out on our routes. I believe if there was extreme cold and wind chill conditions or a snowfall that made the roads impasssable, the mgmt may decide to suspend delivery of mail for the day. I don’t keep track, but, in my career, mail delivery has only been canceled on a few occasions. The LLV that many of us use for delivery don’t handle well when snow has accumulated more than a few inches on a road. It is even worse on an incline or decline.

193 Votes

But it’s important

Asked by RED ALERT over 5 years ago

How is it important to the Letter Carrier blog?

191 Votes

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What’s your IQ

Asked by Big Jim over 5 years ago

I have no idea but consider myself intelligent.

190 Votes

What do you think of this?
https://youtu.be/dplvOCL2N54

Asked by Dan over 5 years ago

Dan, I watched the video and it was pretty well done.i don’t know if it’s your video or you are just referencing it. It keeps referring to the postal inspecting service but it is the postal inspection service. They are somewhat thinly staffed so I don’t know how much they will investigate this particular case but I know what you talk about and it is definitely an issue. The same thing sometimes happens in my office where if some Amazon parcels happen to not get delivered there is a scan that is put on such as “no access” or business closed” that will “stop the clock”. It definitely is a false event scan if we just happened to forget the package at our office or forget to deliver it and it would be too far to go back and deliver it. I have no idea what the financial agreement is between the United States Postal Service and Amazon but we try to make sure each package that we get every day from Amazon is delivered that same day. The quality and quantity of the employees at each office varies greatly. I take a lot of pride in my work so I try to make sure each package is delivered each day for my postal route. There is definitely a falsification of scans where it says delivery has been “attempted” and it really hasn’t. I don’t know the solution to it except more public outcry and exposure. I will not be a whistleblower, however, because I would be concerned any retaliation for this. I don’t believe I’ve ever falsified and Amazon delivery scan.

190 Votes

Do you liesten to the radio in your mail truck? If so what do you listen to?

Asked by Toooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmiiiiiiieeee about 5 years ago

The particular vehicle that I have is not equipped with a radio. Most of the day I am out delivering on foot. I have an iPhone where I listen to podcasts via a Bluetooth earpiece but only make sure one ear is covered up. We are probably not even supposed to be able to do that. I think I would find the day really boring if I couldn’t listen to anything. The route I deliver is entirely residential so I don’t see that many people during the day. I don’t really listen to any music during the day but I do listen to podcasts sometimes. The subject matter is usually history or aviation. Thanks for writing.

188 Votes