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

Is it common for mail carriers to deliver all day and into the night? For example, my mother who works for usps recently worked from 6am until after 10pm. It is holiday season but still...that is a horribly long day!

Asked by Lili almost 12 years ago

I agree Lili that 0600-2200 is a terribly long day. A normal shift for a regular postal worker is 8 hrs plus :30 lunch. There is often OT available but for most "regular" employees it shouldn't be mandatory. n my office it seems that some of the CCAs (city carrier assistant) have worked as long as 12 hours, but in don't think that is too common. This holiday season seems to have been very heavy with the parcel deliveries which would extend our delivery day. It's possible your mother's office is shorthanded which is why she is working so many hours. During the 4 wks around Christmas, the work/pay rules are suspended which require double time to be paid after 10 hrs of work (8 hours if you are working on your scheduled day off). For this reason, the mgmt isn't as pressured to limit the hours worked, and the truth is that the mail needs to get delivered somehow.

I bought some things on eBay Then later, I noticed that I made a small mistake on my shipping address. The zip codes, state, and city are all correct, but i misspelled my street address by a letter off. Will my deliveries still be able to reach me?

Asked by Luan almost 12 years ago

In most cases, if the error is that minor and the misspelled street doesnt match another street in the same ZIP , the delivery should still reach you. Misspellings occur all the time with mailed items and letters. 

Is there a danger aspect to your job?

Asked by Cmac about 11 years ago

There is probably danger to any job. I don't feel any danger on my job for personal safety if you are referring to criminal activity. I work in a very safe area in suburban Nassau County, NY. The answer may be different if you delivered mail in an area with a higher crime rate. As far as danger when it comes to being injured, I am a very cautious driver and wouldn't want to have any type of motor vehicle accident. You have to be careful crossing streets and lawns, as well as icy surfaces in the winter. Also, dogs are a concern but if you must skip delivery to a house that has a dog loose you just do it and tell a supevisor when you return to the Post Office. Fortunately, I've not been injured or in a motor vehicle accident during my career. I hope it stays that way.

got offered the city carrier assistant position but just found out my license is suspended... will they work with me until i get it? what can i do, been unemployed for over a year and i REALLY need this job!!!

Asked by mary almost 12 years ago

I am not sure what will happen re :your license being suspended and being offered a CCA Position. How long do you think it will be before you get your license back? I don't believe it is legal to have you driving a USPS vehicle with a suspended driver license.

hi, I recently put something in the mailbox today going to Sharon hill pa from east falls 19129. Wondering if it will get today or tomorrow?

Asked by ashley over 11 years ago

I looked on Google Maps how far apart those 2 areas were and it said about 17 miles. In most cases, that piece of mail would be delivered the next day as long as it was put in a mailbox before the daily collection.

I bought something on ebay and I have A P.O. BOX BUT ALL I PUT DOWN IS MY ADDRESS NOT MY P.O. BOX NUMBER WHAT WILL HAPPED?

Asked by Vincent almost 12 years ago

If the PO or letter carrier can figure out what the address corresponds to and there is a secure place to leave the item, the carrier may just leave it at the corresponding address. I don't think the item would go the PO Box # if it weren't stated!but I can't be sure what will actually happen to the item.  I have rarely encountered this situation so i don't have any great insight.

Are there any special USPS requirements for installing a residential mailbox?

Asked by ch almost 12 years ago

It depends if it is a curbside mailbox or a mailbox at the door to your house. If it is a curbside mailbox that the letter carrier must access from their postal vehicle then there are specific height rqmts and distance from the curb that the box must be. I don't have these specs here, but I imagine it can be found online by doing a search of "curbside residential mailbox requirements"