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.
Dee, that just happened to me today. I was given part of another route to deliver, but along with the mail on the other route which I was suposed to deliver was additional mail that wasn't part of my extra assignment. Not knowing if I was approved to deliver that additional mail, I called the delivery supervisor at the Post Office and asked for further guidance. She said to go ahead and deliver it and that wouldn't be an issue with me taking longer than I was supposed to. Basically, just call the post office and ask for the delivery supervisor. When they send you out to deliver mail, your supervisor should give you the office phone number to call if there are any questions. It's pretty common for me to call the PO and vice versa if we have questions. I would hope your supervisors are just as receptive as it is part of their job to assist you with anything you may not be sure of. I also have the cell #'s of some of my co-workers who I'll call/text if I have a question they might know the answer to.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20should%20I%20do%20if%20I%20am%20out%20on%20a%20route%20and%20have%20a%20question%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17405)
In theory each postal route (which is usually made up of one letter carrier) should be the amount of work (sorting and delivering the mail/parcels) for 8 hrs of work per day. In reality this amt varies depending on the time of year (December being the heaviest package season so it usually takes longer to complete a route, summer not so much). There aren't adjustments made too frequently to the size of a postal route but it could happen if a route was way out of whack to being able to be finished in 8 hours. There is a route adjustment procedure that takes place where the volume of mail is counted plus the amount of time it takes to deliver a route. To answer your question though, I don't know of an actually limit in the amt of mail to be given each day to a letter carrier.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi%2C%20I%20was%20wondering%20how%20do%20the%20post%20office%20decide%20the%20amount%20of%20mails%20that%20the%20postman%20should%20deliver%20in%20a%20day.%20I%20know%20that%20it%20depends%20on%20the%20route%2C%20but%20is%20there%20a%20limit%20to%20how%20many%20or%20how%20heavy%20the%20mails%2Fparcels%20are%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17842)
My pleasure to answer yours and others questions, Dee! It's easy to respond quickly as I don't get an overwhelming number of questions. I also don't like to have a backlog of emails either. Anyhow, to answer your question the correct thing to do is to not deliver the mail and have it returned to the sender with the endorsement "No Mail Receptacle". I don't come across this situation very often. I sometimes fill in on another route and there is one house with no mailbox. I just rubber band the mail and leave it on their bench by a front door. I think if it was on my postal route I'd request the customer install a mailbox to have mail delivery service.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Thank%20you%20so%20much%20for%20a%20speedy%20answer.%20Thank%20you%20for%20answering%20all%20these%20questions%21%20One%20other%20question%20I%20would%20have%20is%2C%20what%20do%20you%20do%20when%20a%20house%20does%20not%20have%20a%20mailbox%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17363)
It depends on where your letter is being mailed to. I think nationwide most letters reach their destination in 2-3 days, but probably no sooner than that. The mailbox you deposited the letter into said collection is m-f at 5PM. That means that as long as the letter was deposited prior to box posted time, your letter will be dispatched that day for processing and transport. It's possible that the letter was collected before 5PM on Monday but that would be a decision made locally by the post office. If it was collected early someone would still have to go to empty the collection box at or after the posted time.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20I%20was%20to%20put%20mail%20in%20the%20outside%20mailbox%20at%20post%20office%20on%20a%20Sunday%20buy%20the%20box%20said%20mon-fri%205%20does%20that%20mean%20it%20won%27t%20be%20picked%20up%20until%20Monday%20at%205%3F%20When%20can%20I%20expect%20it%20to%20be%20delivered&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16695)
Audiologist
How come people with hearing aids still can't seem to hear?
Professional Reseller
What was your most valuable find in a thrift store?
Antiques Dealer
How easy is it to forge a rare piece, and are fakes a big problem in the antiquing world?
Congratulations on sticking with the job as the CCAs really get the brunt of a lot of the work and have unpredictable schedules at times. With regard to making your shoes last longer, I don't know if I have a good answer. My shoes get wet in the rain as well and I didn't realize that the water sometimes accelerates the breakdown of the shoe, but I do notice it as of late. My main suggestion for making the shoes last with regard to not getting them wet is to wear rubber overshoes which can be purchased with the uniform allowance. Tingley is a well known brand for these products. They keep your shoes dry but when it's not wet out you wouldn't want to wear them as the rubber may wear out easier walking on dry ground. When wearing these be careful to get them on with a tight fit with regards to your toes and heel because you may trip easier with loose fitting rubber overshoes.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20well%20surpassed%20my%201%20year%20mark%20as%20a%20CCA%20back%20in%20September%21%20Because%20of%20all%20the%20walking%20I%20do%20my%20shoes%20only%20last%20me%20maybe%20a%20few%20months%20at%20best.%20If%20they%20are%20water%20proof%20it%20doesn%27t%20last%20long.%20How%20do%20you%20keep%20the%20water%20out%20and%20make%20the%20shoe%20last%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16213)
As far as I know you are allowed to. I know some carriers who have portable radios or just use their PED to play music. As far as a cell phone goes, I'm pretty sure you can use it as long as it is hands free. I have a route where I walk most of the day and I listen to podcasts on my iPhone. I have one earphone in and leave the other ear free. I think it's inappropriate and a bit unsafe to have both ears covered while delivering on foot or driving. The outside noise is important to hear if a car is coming or a customer that may need your attention. From time to time, there may be a safety talk or notice at work about the use of personal electronic devices but it doesn't seem too strict or maybe just not enforced. I don't like seeing my colleagues have both ears covered while delivering mail, but I'm not a supervisor so I don't address this issue.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Are%20you%20allowed%20to%20listen%20to%20music%20in%20your%20truck%3F%20Say%20for%20a%20cell%20phone&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15017)
Will, I am not a rural carrier so I'm not sure how much my tips would help because as city carriers, we are paid for whatever time we work. There is almost an incentive not to work as quickly, but I think most city carrier's give a fair shake and not try to make their day longer. At least I don't do that because I enjoy my free time. My main tip would try to be very organized both in the office and on the route. Work efficiently, but safely, especially when driving. I load my parcels in the order of delivery or close to it. Being more organized does initially take more time, but you should come back with a pretty empty truck not having forgotten anything to deliver. Do you case your DPS letter size mail? If not, you can take it to the street and go through it as you deliver and not waste time in the PO casing it. City Letter carriers generally don't see the DPS letter mail until we finger through it at the delivery point. Along the route and in the office, try not to waste time talking to too many people.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20am%20an%20RCA%20.%20I%20have%20been%20carrying%207%20months.%20I%20work%20a%20different%20route%20every%20day.%20I%20can%20typically%20get%20done%20right%20at%20my%20evaluated%20time%20but%20I%20can%27t%20seem%20to%20get%20done%20before.%20On%20real%20heavy%20days%2C%20forget%20it.%20I%27m%20out%20there%20until%206.%20Any%20tips%20to%20speed%20up%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15555)
-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
