Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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.

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

Do your trucks have radios, air ride seats, heating, air conditioning, fans, cup holders, etc?

Asked by Ellis about 6 years ago

I can only speak for the vehicle I drive which is called an LLV (Long Life Vehicle) built around 1992. When we get the LLV fleet replacement vehicles they will have much more modernized amenities. Our LLV has no radio, air ride seat, AC, cup holders. Of the items you asked about, we only have heating and fans. Some carriers drive a Dodge ProMaster for their routes. I believe they have all of the items you listed above except for the air ride seats. They also have rear view cameras which are helpful when backing up the vehicle.

What do you do in the case of protesters throwing things at you, ripping things off, climbing on your vehicle, insulting you, spray painting, or even trying to hurt you

Asked by asdf over 5 years ago

Fortunately I’ve never had this happen to me and I do work in a generally peaceful and safe area. If it were to happen I would probably call the police, secure my vehicle, and maybe walk away if i could. I would never engage a violent or vandal-driven protestors. We have not been given any guidance on what to do. (May, 2020). I tend to be a de-escalator of situations whenever possible. Stay safe.

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

Asked by Dan about 6 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.

What do the strobe lights on the top of some of the trucks mean

Asked by Fjfjfjjdkd almost 6 years ago

I think it’s just a general caution strobe that means this truck may make many starts and stops and it may be slow moving. I think it’s similar to hazard flashers.

So I know this video has been out there for a while but what do you think? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOCyzG4BktQ

Asked by Ryan over 5 years ago

I have never seen that video before. Not knowing the background of the situation, I can’t make a judgment. I know that there are mentally ill and depraved people who work at USPS and in the public. Either this woman perceives she is being stalked by this letter carrier or she actually was being stalked and he is denying it.

What do you do if your doing your mail route and a Tornado warning is issued?

Asked by Yancey almost 6 years ago

I don’t live or work in an area with tornado warnings or sirens. I imagine if there was one or a severe thunderstorm, I’d seek shelter somewhere. The vehicle I use for work would be fine if there were a thunderstorm. If there were a tornado I do not believe the vehicle would be a safe place to be. Maybe I would go see if I could find a house and get down low but I’m not really sure of the right procedure because I’ve never been involved in an area subject to tornadoes. They are rare in the northeastern US where I work.

StephenHello sir what do you think about mail in voting

Asked by Stephen over 5 years ago

That is a very timely question. I have a lot of faith in the Postal Service able to handle the volume of absentee ballot applications as well as completed ballots. Due to the coronavirus pandemic I believe it is much safer for people who prefer to vote by mail be given an equal opportunity as those who want to physically go to a polling site. In June, 2020, the area where I work had 2 elections. One was a Democratic Party primary. The other was a school budget vote. Both seemed to go smoothly with respect to sending out and retrieving and processing election mail. Several states have been conducting VBM elections for years and I don’t believe there are any major issues that have arisen with respect to voter fraud or ballots being counted.