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.
Great question and you are correct about having to use the bathroom during the course of the delivery day. We don't have a bathroom in the postal vehicle, though that would be a nice touch. When I need to use a bathroom, I usually drive to an office building, gas station, or library near the route where I deliver. I also deliver mail to a dentist's office so I can use their toilet when the office is open. The next method some will find gross, but I wouldn't necessarily agree. Some males carry around bottles with them and will discreetly urinate in them and then dump out the contents when they get a chance. It's pretty easy to do in the environment I work as there aren't many people around and one can go inside the back of the postal vehicle for privacy. It's also a good idea to carry hand sanitizer or handi-wipes for use after urinating. As far as what woman do, I'm pretty sure it's not that simple and they must usually find a facility to use.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20there%20a%20bathroom%20on%20your%20mail%20truck%3F%20I%20mean%20with%20a%20full%20day%20of%20work%20don%27t%20you%20have%20to%20go%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14901)
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)
I don't know the answer to this question. In the PO where I work, the supervisors manage when bulk mail is distributed for delivery and we will deliver it on that day unless there is some extenuating circumstance why we can't. I notice that most bulk mail that comes to our PO is usually delivered within 3-4 days, often earlier. 10 days seems like an awfully long time for bulk mail to be sitting around no matter the time sensitivity or not. When your mailing is given to a BMEU (Bulk Mail Entry Unit), do they have any straight answer either? I agree that this is poor service if you can't get any range of time or reason why it's taking so long to be delivered. I do acknowledge that bulk mailings do get put to the bottom of the list as far as priority of which class of mail to deliver, but there isn't a huge amount of First-Class Mail and Periodical mail to go through that a bulk mailing should take so long. I'm just speaking from the perspective of where I work and can't really comment on the operations of another post office.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20long%20does%20a%20postal%20carrier%20have%20to%20deliver%20bulk%20mail%3FWe%20mail%20a%20time%20sensitive%20local%20newspaper.%20It%20is%20taking%2010%20days%20before%20being%20delivered.there%20is%20no%20direct%20answer%20from%20local%20postmaster%20or%20carrier.%20How%20many%20days%20to%20deliver%20bulk%20mail%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13497)
Regarding your question Joseph, I don't known what the official rule is on this. If I were the letter carrier who was collecting the mail from the blue collection box and you approached me with appropriate ID and the letter was easy to find, I'd return it to you. I can imagine some other carriers not being as accommodating to your request either because they don't want to help you or because we may not technically be allowed to. It's also not always so easy to find the person collecting the mail unless you are watching the mailbox for awhile because letter carrier doesn't always come at the time printed on the collection box schedule label. The time printed on the label is the earliest time of the collection but it could be hours before the mail is actually collected.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20i%20was%20to%20put%20my%20mail%20in%20the%20collectors%20box%20and%20lets%20just%20say%20i%20needed%20it%20back%20cause%20whatever%20reason.%20And%20the%20envolope%20has%20my%20name%20on%20it%2C%20could%20i%20have%20it%20returned%20if%20i%20go%20to%20the%20mailmen%20when%20he%20is%20collecting%20the%20mail%20and%20show%20valid%20U.S.%20form%20of%20i.d&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14409)
Obstetrician Gynecologist
Has being an OBGYN affected your own beliefs about when "life" begins?
MBA Student
How many years of work experience do you REALLY need before applying?
Bar Mitzvah DJ
What's the craziest thing you've seen at a bar mitzvah?
Emily, I'm not sure what combination lock you are referring to. Is it one of those old fashioned ones on a PO Box? Whether it is that one or one on a mailbox at your residence won't change my answer. I was just curious. I haven't heard that it is technically illegal to hand someone mail but I'm not versed in the legalities of this subject. I can see that the USPS may be hesitant in handing mail to someone without confirming their identity or being personally known to the employee. If you have a physical disability which prevents you from getting your mail, it would make sense to have some alternate method provided but I don't know how far the USPS is required to go in accommodating you. If you are unsatisfied with the response from your local PO, I would recommend going up the chain at your PO such as talking to the Postmaster or their boss. I don't know what their response will be given the varied nature of our personnel.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20cannot%20physically%20open%20my%20combination%20lock.%20I%20have%20been%20hand%20given%20my%20mail%20for%202%20years.%20I%20was%20told%20that%20a%20new%20supervisor%20is%20coming%20and%20they%20will%20no%20longer%20be%20able%20to%20hand%20it%20because%20it%20is%20technically%20illegal.%20Is%20this%20true%2C%20can%20I%20get%20an%20exemption%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13411)
Sorry to say that we can't guarantee arrival of a birthday card on a specific date when mailed via regular class mail. We do, however, have a decent record of getting most letters delivered the next day when mailed from the same city, and 2-3 days when mailed from further away. To play it safe I'd mail the card 2 days in advance and, if you prefer, you can write "Do Not Open Until Your Birthday" on the outside of it. You are a thoughtful friend. Good Luck!
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hey%20is%20it%20the%20same%20as%20australian%20post%20office.%20i%20want%20to%20send%20my%20friend%20a%20bday%20card..%20She%20lives%20in%20the%20same%20state%20same%20city%20haha%20and%20i%20want%20to%20know%20how%20long%20it%20would%20take%20to%20deliver%20so%20that%20i%20can%20post%20it%20like%202%20days%20before%20and%20then%20arrives%20on%20her%20bday&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/10408)
Jasmine, it depends on a few factors such as: the history of the area with regards to packages being safely left unattended, whether the sender asked for a signature of the recipient, and if the the sender asked for the parcel to be delivered even if there is no response. For example, the town where I deliver mail is very safe with regards to theft so I'll leave almost every parcel whether or not there is someone home to receive it. In other towns/cities this may. It be the case and the letter carrier would then leave a PS Form 3849 advising the recipient that we attempted delivery of a package and nobody was there to receive it. The 3849 says that the recipient can either sign for re delivery or pickup the package at the Post Office. We deliver packages sent by Amazon.com and they want their packages delivered even when nobody is home (at least where I work in Long Island, NY.)
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20would%20a%20mailman%20do%20if%20the%20owner%20of%20the%20parcel%20isn%27t%20at%20home.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14040)
-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
