Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question about driver certification training.Perhaps the difficult economy allows for a more Darwinian approach. Warned not to hit a cone.You must pass several scenarios.
Enumerated in USPS manual.

Asked by Chris almost 12 years ago

Chris, the pleasure is mine to help out where I am able to. I am not sure what your comments mean regarding the Darwinian approach, except possibly that I was just stating the obvious to drive carefully. I am not familiar with what the USPS Manual says, but does that state several simulated scenarios to be passed? Good luck to you if you are trying to get hired as a letter carrier with the USPS.

897 Votes

A year ago, I had a rural mail carrier who used her own vehicle. It was a normal jeep; it had the steering wheel and gas pedal and brakes on the left side. She sat in the passenger seat and operated it with her left hand and leg. Was this acceptable?

Asked by Fred over 11 years ago

I believe that this was acceptable but am not familiar with the rural carrier vehicle regulations. The USPS would likely not let this carrier deliver the mail from that vehicle if it wasn't approved. They can see what vehicle is being used when she leaves the Post Office and returns from her route. The rural carriers in the office where I work also used to use their own vehicles but I don't remember whether or not they were right hand drive (modified for mail delivery) vehicles. In the past few years they have been given LLVs (USPS-owned vehicles) to deliver their routes and don't have the option of using their own vehicle to deliver the mail. Thanks for writing.

897 Votes

I was just wondering. If the mail carrier delivers a package to your door, is there a reason why he chooses to leave the rest of the mail in the mailbox? I have a long driveway atop a hill, so why not bring it all up?

Asked by CJB about 12 years ago

I am not sure why they would leave the mail in the mailbox at the bottom of the hill. One reason is that if there is nowhere to securely put the mail at the top of the hill outside of the elements the carrier wouldn't want to leave the mail outside.

896 Votes

I have just started as a CCA for Glen Head long island but I live in Brooklyn, the drive is too long for me. Can I transfer right away if I see an opening on usps website.

Asked by NA over 11 years ago

I wish you well in your career as a CCA, but I certainly understand that a drive from Brooklyn to Glen Head is pretty far. I don't know anything about the transfer process even when you just started your probationary period. I don't think it was possible when I was a PTF (part-time flexible) to put in for a transfer until a certain amount of time had passed since I was hired. I don't know if the process has changed. Thanks for writing.

895 Votes

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In your experience, when a CCA or a Letter Carrier gets into an accident while on the job and it is his or her fault, would they still be kept on the job or terminated?

Asked by Larry over 10 years ago

In my experience it isn't too common for anyone to get terminated for anything. I mean people are given a letter of removal but the union often will appeal that and the carrier is reinstated. If it isn't the first time something happened that was the carrier's fault it may be more difficult to appeal successfully. If you are a CCA it is probably easier to fire you if you get in an at-fault accident. I don't recall any letter carriers at my office ever being terminated for an at-fault MVA. I can't speak for any of the other thousands of offices nationwide. Drive carefully, defensively and don't be distracted.

895 Votes

I was keeping a piece of mail in the mailbox that had been delivered to my address for our old roommate to pick up. After about 2 days, the letter was gone but the roommate had not picked it up. Would USPS take the letter back and return to sender?

Asked by ST about 11 years ago

ST, I'm not sure what happened in your situation. Some USPS carriers may be trained or take it upon themselves to do things differently than others. If the letter carrier saw the one letter in your mailbox but the rest of the mail taken in (by you), they might think it's mail for a person no longer living there and return it to the sender "Attempted, Not Known" or "Unable to Forward" or something else. It seems likely that this is what happened and the letter wasn't stolen though I can't says for sure.

894 Votes

she lives in charleston south carolina btw

Asked by kyle about 11 years ago

Kyle, I think the normal amount of time for a First-class letter to get from Lancaster, PA to Charleston, SC, would be 2 days. From what you wrote it has already been 4 delivery days and the letter hasn't arrived. I don't know that it's rare, but it exceeds our service goal as far as I know. Are you sure you addressed the letter correctly and completely? Letters still get lost in the mail, missorted, misdelivered, destroyed by our automated sorting machines, etc. but that is all a very low percentage of the amt of mail processed.

894 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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Thank you for taking the time to answer my question about driver certification training.Perhaps the difficult economy allows for a more Darwinian approach. Warned not to hit a cone.You must pass several scenarios.
Enumerated in USPS manual.

A year ago, I had a rural mail carrier who used her own vehicle. It was a normal jeep; it had the steering wheel and gas pedal and brakes on the left side. She sat in the passenger seat and operated it with her left hand and leg. Was this acceptable?

I was just wondering. If the mail carrier delivers a package to your door, is there a reason why he chooses to leave the rest of the mail in the mailbox? I have a long driveway atop a hill, so why not bring it all up?

I have just started as a CCA for Glen Head long island but I live in Brooklyn, the drive is too long for me. Can I transfer right away if I see an opening on usps website.

Also on Jobstr...

In your experience, when a CCA or a Letter Carrier gets into an accident while on the job and it is his or her fault, would they still be kept on the job or terminated?

I was keeping a piece of mail in the mailbox that had been delivered to my address for our old roommate to pick up. After about 2 days, the letter was gone but the roommate had not picked it up. Would USPS take the letter back and return to sender?

she lives in charleston south carolina btw

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question about driver certification training.Perhaps the difficult economy allows for a more Darwinian approach. Warned not to hit a cone.You must pass several scenarios.Enumerated in USPS manual.

A year ago, I had a rural mail carrier who used her own vehicle. It was a normal jeep; it had the steering wheel and gas pedal and brakes on the left side. She sat in the passenger seat and operated it with her left hand and leg. Was this acceptable?

I was just wondering. If the mail carrier delivers a package to your door, is there a reason why he chooses to leave the rest of the mail in the mailbox? I have a long driveway atop a hill, so why not bring it all up?

I have just started as a CCA for Glen Head long island but I live in Brooklyn, the drive is too long for me. Can I transfer right away if I see an opening on usps website.

Also on Jobstr...

In your experience, when a CCA or a Letter Carrier gets into an accident while on the job and it is his or her fault, would they still be kept on the job or terminated?

I was keeping a piece of mail in the mailbox that had been delivered to my address for our old roommate to pick up. After about 2 days, the letter was gone but the roommate had not picked it up. Would USPS take the letter back and return to sender?

she lives in charleston south carolina btw

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Thank you for taking the time to answer my question about driver certification training.Perhaps the difficult economy allows for a more Darwinian approach. Warned not to hit a cone.You must pass several scenarios.
Enumerated in USPS manual.