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 do you think of mail in voting? This is a complicated issue. I figure someone who deals with the post office would know mail in voting and sorting through mail instead of Democraps and Repulsicans

Asked by I’m so sick of hearing it over 5 years ago

At least you were an equal opportunity basher of both major political parties. I believe there has been a lot of doubt purposely introduced into the voting-by-mail process by President Trump. My opinion is that voting by mail is very safe and reliable. There are a few important points I’d like to make. If you vote by mail, please follow the instructions given on the absentee/mail-in ballot regarding deadlines and signing your ballot. Also, voter fraud via mail or in person is quite rare. Several states have been doing almost full vote-by-mail for a number of years with minimal issues.

I plan to either vote by mail or vote early this year in NY State. If you are concerned about a mail-in ballot being received by your local election authority, I recommend dropping it off at a ballot collection box. I don’t believe there should be any issue as to how the USPS processes election mail. I think of it as just like having another couple of pieces of mail per address to deliver. We absolutely have the capacity to handle this in my opinion.

My bottom line—have confidence in the USPS in handling election mail for this coming 2020 General Election.

Thanks for your interest. This is a very important issue in the year of COVID-19 where mail voting will be utilized more than ever.

What would you do if you had to deliver mail to Trump?

Asked by Kurt almost 6 years ago

I would deliver his mail as I would anybody else. Being the President, I’m sure the White House has their own procedure for receiving mail as it must get thousands of pieces of mail daily and has its own ZIP code.

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 5 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.

Do your trucks have radios??!

Asked by Jimmy over 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 if someone is parked in front of the mailboxes?

Asked by Sally almost 6 years ago

I will get out of my vehicle (known as a dismount) and walk to the mailbox and deliver the mail. I don’t know that we are required to do so and if it’s a chronic issue, I’m sure that it is annoying. Fortunately, the route I deliver doesn’t have any curbside deliveries so I only come across this scenario when filling in on other routes I just don’t like bringing back mail to the PO that should be delivered. Among my coworkers, I think it’s a mixed bag. Some will deliver to each house, no matter if the box is blocked or not. Others will skip the house and try again the next day or maybe even suspend delivery to make a point. One thing to keep in mind is that the owner of the car which is blocking a mailbox may not have anything to do with the address whose mailbox is blocked. If it’s a public street, anybody has a right to park anywhere barring any local restrictions.

Who is the second person sometimes riding in the truck?

Asked by Cayla almost 6 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.

If you where not a Mailman (city letter carrier) what job could you see yourself doing?

Asked by Question to all almost 6 years ago

I’m not really sure but that it a good question. My career goal before I wound up at USPS was to be an air traffic controller. I love aviation and thought it would be a great career. It turned out not to be the right fit for me. While I was greatly disappointed at the time I am quite satisfied now with where I landed. I also like working with the public and I have a love for NY City so maybe i could work at one of their cultural institutions or be a guide. For the skill level I have and the stress levels I can handle (not good with stress and responsibility), being a letter carrier is probably the best choice i could have made. A lot of it was by luck and a father who was always pro-civil service or Government jobs.