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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1237 Questions

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

Can I ask a mail man to discard certain mail for a certain amount of days when he delivers it?

Asked by alex young almost 12 years ago

Alex, you can certainly ask the letter carrier to do whatever you want with your mail. If he/she is following proper protocol, they won't follow your request. We are instructed to deliver all mail to its address because someone has paid us to do so. We will not go through the mail for a certain recipient and then discard some of it. The recipient should be going through the mail themselves and discarding/recycling what they don't want. I do realize there is such a high percentage of mail delivered on a daily basis that a customer doesn't want, but as the letter carrier we shouldn't be getting involved in their mail.

Do I have to empty my mailbox everyday? Sometimes I am not in town overnight. Every time I do not get my mail for a day, the mailman takes the mail back to the main post office and leaves me a note saying "You must remove mail every day"....

Asked by Cindi over 12 years ago

I am not familiar with any rules that say you must empty your mailbox daily. I would let mail pile up in a mailbox until it may become full so no future mail can fit in a mailbox. It is not a common occurrrence where I deliver mail, but I am sure it does happen some places. If a mailbox came completely full, I may return any additional mail to the sender with a note saying "mailbox full."

If my tracking number shows up when I use your website, does it mean you are delivering the package when it arrives to the US?

Asked by MrPlaneDick almost 13 years ago

I think when the tracking number shows up on the USPS website, i think that means the item has arrived in the US. I don't know how long it takes to actually get delivered. It's also possible items are delayed in US Customs, but i dont know how common that is. 

Is it legal for management to require the letter carrier to return your mail to the PO because s/he did not finish the route in time to return to the PO by 7pm?

Asked by squareruth over 12 years ago

I don't know the answer to this question. I do know that there are times we are required to finish delivery and return to the PO by a certain time and to call if we aren't going to make it back by a certain time. That is usually due to inclmement weather or high volume of mail delivery. I am not sure if 7PM is the actualy curfew for this.

Where can i get a third arm for delivering flats?

Asked by Johnny chambers over 12 years ago

I am not sure what you mean by this. I carry some of the flats on my arm for a walking route and then some in my satchel since my office deals with FSS meaning there are 2 separate bundles of flats. The key is to try to be as organized as possible when loading up your flats and letters for delivery.

My co-workers and I have different opinions, I think the majority of routes in suburban areas are curbside(where the mailman drives to each mailbox and drops the mail) would you say this is true?

Asked by Mark over 12 years ago

In my opinion, the majority of suburban mailboxes are curbside so the letter carrier can deliver the mail without having to get out of his/her truck. Where I work Is fairly mixed between curbside delivery and door delivery but I would suggest that all new construction would have either curbside (mounted) delivery or a centralized cluster box unit method of delivery. This answer is mainly my opinion and not based on scientific research.

Does the USPS do random drug testing?

Asked by Molly over 12 years ago

Yes, before one is hired they are often given a drug test. I have not been tested since but imagine it is is possible that  I could be given one at anytime.