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 would say congratulations if you've been hired as a CCA with the USPS. It may seem a bit thankless at times as a CCA given that you are paid less than the regular career carriers and the benefits are also lighter. My tips would be to try to have a great work attitude, be on time for work, be flexible since your hours may be quite variable, work safely, and be respectful of your co-workers. This doesn't mean let yourself be stopped on taken advantage of by management or your co-workers. You will likely be filling in for carriers who are out temporarily or doing "pieces" on a route when the mail volume is too high. If you think you are being given too much work in too short of a time window, do your best but then call the supervisors if you won't be able to make it. They may not be happy about it, but as long as you are safe and not making many delivery mistakes, it should be okay. I also recommending to join the NALC who will advocate for your rights as a city letter carrier. Please write more if you have additional questions or you need me to be more specific. Good luck to you!
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Do%20you%20have%20any%20tips%20for%20a%20new%20CCA%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13358)
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)
If this is actually taking place, I believe that it is wrong to do. Are you getting the information online by using a tracking number and the status says "attempted delivery"? I have heard of what you are claiming but don't know of anybody who personally has done that. If it happens repeatedly I would make a complaint with the USPS, either locally or through their 800 number. Is it possible that you just didn't hear the knock on the door or the doorbell. By no means am I disputing what you are saying, but I hope that this is not a common occurrence or widespread since it is misrepresenting what is actually happening with that package.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20seen%20postal%20service%20workers%20leave%20notes%20saying%20that%20they%20attempted%20to%20deliver%20a%20package%20and%20no%20one%20was%20home.%20But%20i%20was%20home%20and%20they%20did%20not%20attempt%20it.%20Why%20are%20they%20doing%20this%3F%20they%20didn%27t%20have%20any%20other%20mail%20on%20them.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12132)
Kris, that is a very good question that I don't have the answer to. I follow a general rule that somebody has paid to have mail sent and delivered so there isn't any way for us to pick and choose what type of mail to deliver. It all gets delivered and I rarely if ever have anyone refuse the ads or other unwanted mail. I would just ask that you recycle the unwanted mail. I am very glad that none of the patrons I deliver to refuse some mail, as our job is to provide a paid service to the mailers. I do agree that much of what is delivered often is of no interest to the recipient (including mail that I receive), but I just recycle it. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20there%20a%20note%20or%20symbol%20I%20can%20leave%20on%20my%20mail%20box%20in%20order%20to%20not%20receive%20advertisements%20and%20other%20unwanted%20mail%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12965)
Hotel Employee
Can you give guests room upgrades at your sole discretion?
Farmer
Do friends with office jobs look down on what you do?
Programmer
Is Mark Zuckerberg really a genius programmer? Or was he just lucky?
Mcmjuly, much thanks for your positive feedback. This is how I try to be in life as well. I want to be accurate, and not sensationalize any part of my job. I also try to answer promptly because I prefer not to have too much pending email. Maybe touches of OCD.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=This%20is%20just%20a%20comment%2C%20not%20a%20question.%20Thank%20you%20so%20much%20for%20taking%20the%20time%20to%20answer%20our%20questions%20so%20promptly%2C%20accurately%20and%20friendly.%20I%2C%20for%20one%2C%20really%20do%20appreciate%20your%20effort%21%20Cheers%21&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14262)
Job transfers are definitely allowed once you are employed in a certain location. I don't know the amount of time you have to have been in one location before transfering to another location. You probably also have to NOT be on probation or have any current disciplinary issues. Good luck to you.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Also%2C%20if%20you%20can%27t%20apply%20in%20another%20state%20without%20being%20there%2C%20would%20it%20be%20easier%20to%20move%20and%20try%20to%20get%20the%20job%20there%2C%20or%20get%20a%20job%20in%20Kansas%20and%20then%20relocate%3F%20So%20I%20guess%20I%27m%20asking%20if%20job%20transfers%20can%20be%20performed%20and%20you%20choose%20the%20location%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/11313)
Thanks for participating in the q and forum at jobstr. When I first started answering the questions, I had no idea it would be this popular. Some q's I receive are about doing the job and others are customer service issues that I can't specifically solve. I enjoy doing this but will admit if the quantity of questions got to be really high, I probably couldn't keep up with it. The amount of q's I receive now, I can easily handle. I try not to stay up late at all answering questions, but I like to give a thorough answer to each one and like to have minimal backlog. As far as my wife goes, I don't have one so its a non-issue. I have a girlfriend and she is very understanding and supportive and what I do. For her profession she is my own jobstr answer woman. Believe me that I ask her about her job all of the time to the point where she says "let's talk about something else", and I oblige.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20late%20do%20you%20stay%20up%20at%20night%20answering%20our%20questions%3F%20Lol.%20Wow%2C%20when%20I%20posted%20mine%2C%20I%20had%20no%20idea%20I%20would%20ever%20get%20an%20answer%2C%20much%20less%20within%20minutes%21%20What%20does%20you%20wife%20think%20about%20all%20those%21%20%20Lol.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13410)
-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
