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 am not sure why a postman would be spraying/peppering dogs without actually feeling or being threatened by dogs. We are told to just skip any residence that has loose dogs and notify the supervisor upon return to the PO as to why you didn't deliver the mail. It isn't uncommon for a postman to leave a note for a patron to contain the dogs or "fix your mailbox", etc. We do have more official notices that we can use to ask residents to rectify a situation which is preventing mail delivery, but I'm not sure how frequently they are used. The management in our office isnt terribly communicative with us about this, but I can't tell you what it is like at other Post Offices.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20been%20having%20problems%20with%20my%20postman%20for%20a%20year.%20He%20has%20peppered%20my%20dogs%20and%20I%20have%20complained%20numerous%20times%20what%20do%20i%20do%20now%3F%20Also%20he%20has%20put%20a%20fake%20notice%20to%20%22tether%20my%20dogs.%22%20It%20has%20no%20official%20seal%20and%20the%20envelope%20is%20a%20blank%20oneisitreal%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12276)
Funny, I had never noticed that to be the case! Just kidding. There is a very important reason the steering wheel is on the right hand side (as one is facing forward). I drive one of these vehicles. They are commonly known as LLV (long life vehicles), Jeeps, or other names. The reason for this configuration is because many mail routes have mailboxes at the street end of a driveway where a mail vehicle can drive right up to it and the letter carrier can put the mail in the box without having to leave his seat. They can just stick their right arm out of the window. On the left side of the letter carrier (where a regular vehicle would have the steering wheel) is a large metal tray where the letter carrier organizes the mail for delivery. This method of delivery is found more commonly in suburban or rural environments. I drive an LLV, and even though the route I deliver has no mailboxes at the end of a driveway (they are mostly by a front door or garage), it is safer for me to exit the vehicle on the right side instead of what is possibly moving traffic. It only took a short time to get used to driving this configuration and it seems none of my co-workers have much of a problem either. You just have to be careful of blind spots and when backing up, not unlike any conventional vehicle. You asked a great question and I may have given you more than you asked for but I hoped it helped Jeff.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Why%20is%20the%20steering%20wheel%20for%20the%20mail%20truck%20on%20the%20other%20side%20aka%20the%20passenger%20side%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12575)
The forwarding of the mail in your ex's name is understandable. As far as putting a hold on the mail, you may go to the Post Office or contact them by telephone and ask them to remove the hold on your mail and resume delivery of mail to your address in your name. I would think that they would honor that request.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20ex%20put%20a%20hold%20on%20my%20mail%2C%20is%20there%20anything%20I%20can%20do%3F%20%20%28he%20no%20longer%20lives%20at%20home%20and%20had%20his%20mail%20forwarded%20to%20his%20new%20address&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/11046)
Kathy, I can only guess that Ken was being followed by a supervisor in another USPS vehicle doing a route inspection. They are usually done about once per year on city carrier routes to see how long it takes a carrier to do their route and if they are doing it properly and safely. Sometimes they will ride in the same vehicle as the carrier and sometimes behind in another vehicle. If the mail volume has increased significantly then the carrier may be allowed more time to complete their route or may have some territory taken off the route to allow the assignment to stay within the normal window of an 8-hour work shift. There may have been another reason for Ken being followed though I'm not sure what it could be. (Possibly a mechanical issue where Ken asked someone to come out and rescue him if the truck broke down, though that call is usually made after the fact).
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Recently%20I%20came%20home%20during%20the%20time%20my%20mail%20was%20being%20delivered%20%28I%20am%20usually%20at%20work%29%2C%20and%20the%20mailman%20%28Ken%2C%20great%20guy%20for%20years%2C%20I%20order%20a%20lot%29%20jeep-type%20vehicle%20was%20being%20followed%20by%20a%20USPS%20small%20SUV%20with%20flashing%20lights.%20%20What%20does%20this%20mean%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13405)
Antiques Dealer
What do real antiques dealers think of the Antiques Roadshow reality show?
Day Care Provider
Do the kids ever reveal embarrassing things about their parents?
Nurse Practitioner
Could a nurse practitioner do the job of a primary care physician?
I am not sure that they will do this. It probably depends on how helpful the person who answers the phone wants to be. Unfortunately, that is my answer with many questions that requires interaction from personnel at the PO. To give a more practical answer, it is sometimes hard to give a time of expected delivery if there are staffing shortages at an office and a route is broken up into several "pieces" and not delivered as a whole route by 1 person. If one person is delivering an entire route then they usually follow a prescribed delivery order so it would be approximately the same time each day (usually within a 1 hour time frame.) For example, if I were to deliver my entire route, the deliveries are usually made between 1000 and 1545. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi%2C%20if%20I%20call%20the%20post%20office%20can%20they%20tell%20me%20what%20time%20the%20mail%20is%20delivers%20in%20my%20area&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12760)
Bre, there is an excellent chance you will receive the package before the new year. Our operations are pretty much 24/7 when it comes to moving the mail through our delivery network. This time of year with heavy mail volume I think that most packages will arrive within 1-5 days from where they are shipped. Our service is quite reliable in my opinion. Happy New Year!
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Do%20u%20guys%20run%20next%20week%20at%20all%20cause%20I%20have%20a%20package%20being%20sent%20out%20tomorrow%20and%20I%20was%20wondering%20if%20I%27m%20going%20to%20get%20it%20before%20the%20new%20year&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14162)
I don't believe you would be hired without a driver license to be a letter carrier. It is great that you like to walk a lot which is very healthy, but many communities have mail delivery which uses a motor vehicle to go from house to house or at least uses a vehicle to get the letter carrier to their route. That vehicle is usually driven by the letter carrier themselves. In some urban environments (like some of NYC), there are "walk-out" routes where the letter carrier leaves the PO on foot with a mail satchel and/or cart and doesn't need to drive. The mail for parts of their routes are left by another carrier in a vehicle in what is called a "relay box". I dont know that this relieves the carrier from not having a driver license because when one is hired they need to be flexible in their work assignments which may include a route that has driving involved. My short answer to your question is no, but would need further research.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=i%20would%20love%20to%20be%20a%20letter%20carrier%21%20im%20in%20great%20shape%20for%20the%20work%20as%20i%20already%20walk%2015%20miles%2F%205%20days%20a%20week.%20the%20only%20thing%20is%20that%20i%20dont%20know%20how%20to%20drive%E2%80%A6could%20someone%20like%20me%20be%20a%20letter%20carrier%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13168)
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
