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

I can't say I've ever seen a gruman llv on the highway before. Do they ever take the highway

Asked by Steve over 6 years ago

I am pretty sure the Grumman LLV is allowed to drive on a highway. I think I may have accidentally driven one on a highway once. It’s a bit of a scary experience because the engines or transmission aren’t that strong to go 55 MPH or above. They definitely can go that fast but it doesn’t feel as comfortable as if you were in a regular car. I have rarely seen them on a highway, but I work in the suburbs and most post offices serve a nearby community which wouldn’t necessitate getting on a highway to get to a delivery route. Thanks for your question.

Do you like your job?

Asked by Sanw about 6 years ago

Absolutely! I couldn’t think of doing any other job. It wasn’t always this way but I realized over the years it’s a great fit for my personality. By no means is this for everybody and many coworkers complain constantly. I have my conflicts with mgmt and the overall operation but that doesn’t take away from my love of the job. I am paid to exercise (walking about 7+ miles per day) listen to podcasts, and provide a service to our customers. I don’t have to deal a lot with office politics because I’m out of the building for about 3/4 of the work day. The pay is adequate for my lifestyle and there is a good amount of OT available to increase my income if so desired. Eventually, the USPS will be in severe financial stress so I don’t know how the changes will affect how I feel about the job, but I’m content as of now. Thanks for writing in with this question.

I've been hearing that the US Postal Service was going to get new trucks but I've been hearing that for years when will that even happen. Also I heard some places still use the old jeeps is that true

Asked by Q7 over 6 years ago

It is a bit of a lengthy process to replace the massive fleet of delivery vehicles for the USPS. From what I’ve read the testing phase of approximately 5 competing proposals is almost complete and a decision will be made later this year (2019). From that point it would probably take a few years to fully replace our fleet of LLVs. I don’t know if the current financial difficulties of the USPS would impact the timeline for this process. As far as old jeeps being used, I don’t know if some places still use it. With the volume of packages we deliver nowadays, they’d seem entirely inefficient. I haven’t seen them used in years, but I can’t speak for the entire country. At this point, they’d be well over 25 years old.

Yo for real just a few days ago he was answering questions and then boom just says he’s off slaying dragons and shit

Asked by Jdjd over 5 years ago

I guess that happens sometimes on these kind of sites.

It’s not of USPS btw but the other delivery guy evidently does not anwser questions anymore

Asked by Good sir over 5 years ago

Thanks for the info and sharing videos in a previous question/posting.

Have you ever found a snake or something like that in a mail box?

Asked by 777 over 6 years ago

I’ve never found any odd animal inside a mailbox. In the area I deliver, I don’t think there are snakes in the wild. The main thing we’d need to be careful about are wasps or bees and I don’t see them around he mailboxes too often.

When delivering to a business do you bring the mail inside or put it in the mail box. My family has a business with a mail slot in the door and if the place is open they bring it inside usually

Asked by FH over 6 years ago

FH, thanks for your question. I’ll start by saying your mileage may vary. I don’t know if there is a correct procedure as to how to handle mail delivery to a business which is sometimes open and sometimes closed. I would usually go inside to deliver the mail and ask if there is any outgoing mail if a receptionist or other personnel are available. I mostly deliver to residences so I don’t have a lot of experience in this situation. It’s possible that the business owner has an exterior mailbox and prefers or doesn’t mind if the mail is left in the mailbox whether or not the business is open. I suppose a carrier who delivers to the same business daily knows what is preferred but there are often substitutes delivering the mail so if there are no instructions left for that substitute and no sign on the mailbox saying “please come inside if the office is open” then I’m not sure what that letter carrier would do. We are often told so little how to do certain procedures which is why i almost always put in the disclaimer of “your mileage may vary”.