Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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.

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

What did you think of Trump giving the prizes to the mail carriers?

Asked by Mikey about 5 years ago

I don’t what you mean by that, but I don’t trust President Trump at all. He lies more in one day than I have in a lifetime. He seems like he’d like the USPS to fail or be privatized. You didn’t ask for this commentary, but he has failed this nation miserably in his handling of the Covid19 Pandemic. His defeat in the November, 2020 election is what I’m hoping for.

My mailman retired in July of 2020. I now have a new mailman who everyday brings mud to my steps and refuses to wipe his feet on the mat I provide. I have filed complaints with the post office but they do nothing. Is there anyone I can speak to?

Asked by Michael over 4 years ago

I understand your frustration that the letter carrier does not wipe his feet before going to your door and there is mud on your steps. It is quite inconsiderate for them not to wipe their feet especially as you have provided a mat for that purpose. You could put up a sign near the mailbox saying “please wipe your feet on the mat provided” or if you see the new letter carrier you could mention it to them directly. I don’t know why they wouldn’t oblige to a simple request. Is there anywhere to move your mailbox so that they don’t have to walk up your steps and get the area all muddy. I rarely pay attention to what I’m walking through and tracking to a customers door. I’m pretty sure if they said something to me, I’d be more considerate. I don’t work in a particularly muddy area so I don’t know that this would pertain to me. You could take your complaint to the district level which oversees individual post offices. I don’t know that your complaint will get anywhere. My confidence level in satisfactory resolution of USPS customer complaints is a mixed bag. Thanks for writing.

Who is the second person sometimes riding in the truck?

Asked by Cayla about 5 years ago

Usually, the second person in the truck would be a supervisor doing a route delivery observation. This happens about one time per year. In our office, the supervisor often follows along with their own vehicle and may walk near you while you make your deliveries. Other times it may be a trainee who is “shadowing” a seasoned employee to learn how the job is done. In the larger delivery vehicles there is sometimes a package helper to make parcel deliveries easier and possibly more efficient. In my office, I rarely see 2 employees in one vehicle so I can’t comment much further.

Hello, so I ordered live caterpillars for a kids science project and they arrived in my mailbox sooner than expected in 105 degree weather. I check the mail but they were dead. How can I ask that live perishables be delivered to my door in this heat

Asked by Nicole almost 5 years ago

NIcole, I don’t know for sure about how to guarantee that next time any live perishables are delivered to your door. I do have a suggestion which could work if your letter carrier is conscientious. When you place the order for the caterpillars (or any other live animals), place a visible note (maybe on an index card) and clearly write your request. You could even note that last time the caterpillars were dead likely due to the extreme heat. If I saw that note, I’d pay attention to it and oblige. Unfortunately, i don’t have the same faith in many coworkers. I hope this helps. Thank you for your question.

Have you ever asked someone a question on here? If so do you mind saying what it was?

Asked by QUESTION TO ALL about 5 years ago

I don’t really understand this question. Do you want to know if I asked someone in the “mailman-city etter carrier” forum a question or another profession on jobstr? The answer to both is no. It’s difficult to have a back and forth conversation here. It’s mostly someone asks me a question and I answer it. It’s not easy to have follow up here.

Do your trucks have radios??!

Asked by Jimmy almost 5 years ago

I drive an LLV (Long Life Vehicle). There is no radio. Some of our newer vehicles do have radios. The ProMaster has a radio and I believe the stopgap fleet replacement vehicle made by Mercedes Benz also has a radio. I believe when we get the new massive fleet replacement vehicle it may have a radio. It’s not a big deal to me. I can listen to podcasts or music on my personal electronic device or bring a portable radio. I am not in my vehicle too much anyway as most of my delivery route is walking from house to house or getting in and out of the postal vehicle every few hours (known as dismount or scouting delivery).

What do you do when you need someone to sign something but they are not home? Or not answering their door?

Asked by Samual over 5 years ago

If an item needs a signature (usually it’s a certified letter or registered mail), I knock on the door to obtain the signature of the resident if they want to accept the item. If they aren’t home or don’t want to come to the door, I leave a PS Form 3849 (Notice Of Attempted Delivery) which advises the customer that we had an item that may have needed a signature and the form gives them options to either pick up the item at a specific PO or they can request a redelivery. During the Covid19 pandemic, the procedure has changed slightly. As long as the customer is home and acknowledges that they want to “sign” for the item, we can print their name on the electronic scanner that they usually sign. This eliminates them from having to get too close to you or to touch the scanner. It seems to have worked well so far. Stay safe and thank you for your question.