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.
Deedee, I don't know the minimum requirements for taking the USPS carrier exam, but I do think you will need one to actually get hired. I would look on the USPS employment website to see if there is any information on it as to when you need to have a driver license. All city carriers where I work drive postal vehicles and therefore need a driver license. Good luck and thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Will%20I%20be%20disqualified%20for%20employment%20if%20I%20don%27t%20have%20a%20valid%20drivers%20license%20when%20I%20take%20the%20exam&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14125)
I don't believe you would be hired without a driver license to be a letter carrier. It is great that you like to walk a lot which is very healthy, but many communities have mail delivery which uses a motor vehicle to go from house to house or at least uses a vehicle to get the letter carrier to their route. That vehicle is usually driven by the letter carrier themselves. In some urban environments (like some of NYC), there are "walk-out" routes where the letter carrier leaves the PO on foot with a mail satchel and/or cart and doesn't need to drive. The mail for parts of their routes are left by another carrier in a vehicle in what is called a "relay box". I dont know that this relieves the carrier from not having a driver license because when one is hired they need to be flexible in their work assignments which may include a route that has driving involved. My short answer to your question is no, but would need further research.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=i%20would%20love%20to%20be%20a%20letter%20carrier%21%20im%20in%20great%20shape%20for%20the%20work%20as%20i%20already%20walk%2015%20miles%2F%205%20days%20a%20week.%20the%20only%20thing%20is%20that%20i%20dont%20know%20how%20to%20drive%E2%80%A6could%20someone%20like%20me%20be%20a%20letter%20carrier%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13168)
Linda, generally if a letter carrier sees a new name at an address he will deliver the mail without any notifcation from the new resident. This is especially true if the letter carrier knows that a previous owner or tenant has moved out. If you are moving in with someone, the letter carrier also should be delivering the mail anyway. Sometimes if I see a new name at an address and I'm not sure if it is correct I will put a question mark next to the name on the envelope and deliver the mail. If I don't get the mail returned with a message on it saying "person doesn't live here", then I will know that the new name at that address is valid. That being said, it wouldn't hurt to leave a notice by your mailbox or to tell the letter carrier that your name is valid at the new address. I don't think it is necessary, but I know I would never mind getting a personal confirmation of a new resident having moved in somewhere. Thanks so much for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20recently%20moved%20and%20started%20giving%20people%20my%20new%20address.%20Do%20I%20need%20to%20tell%20my%20mailman%20my%20name%20so%20he%20can%20deliver%20my%20mail%20or%20will%20he%20deliver%20it%20because%20it%20has%20the%20correct%20address&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12752)
I would guess about 2 weeks if you were to get it back at all. Theoretically if you sent it to the wrong address and it was delivered there, it is conceivable that the recipient may not return the letter to the mail carrier even though they should. If you sent the letter to an address that doesn't exist, the item should be returned with the endorsement "No Such Street" or "No Such Number". I am just not sure of the actual time frame it would take for it to get back to you. It may depend on the workload of the nixie (not deliverable mail) at the destination PO. Thanks for your inquiry.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20I%20sent%20a%20letter%20to%20the%20wrong%20address%2C%20or%20address%20that%20doesn%27t%20exist%2C%20how%20long%20would%20it%20take%2C%20approximately%2C%20for%20me%20to%20receive%20it%20back%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12473)
School Teacher
How do you feel about the idea of year-round schooling?
School Teacher
How do you see parents failing in their children's education?
Employment Lawyer
Can I be sued for asking a co-worker on a date?
I am not sure why a postman would be spraying/peppering dogs without actually feeling or being threatened by dogs. We are told to just skip any residence that has loose dogs and notify the supervisor upon return to the PO as to why you didn't deliver the mail. It isn't uncommon for a postman to leave a note for a patron to contain the dogs or "fix your mailbox", etc. We do have more official notices that we can use to ask residents to rectify a situation which is preventing mail delivery, but I'm not sure how frequently they are used. The management in our office isnt terribly communicative with us about this, but I can't tell you what it is like at other Post Offices.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20been%20having%20problems%20with%20my%20postman%20for%20a%20year.%20He%20has%20peppered%20my%20dogs%20and%20I%20have%20complained%20numerous%20times%20what%20do%20i%20do%20now%3F%20Also%20he%20has%20put%20a%20fake%20notice%20to%20%22tether%20my%20dogs.%22%20It%20has%20no%20official%20seal%20and%20the%20envelope%20is%20a%20blank%20oneisitreal%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12276)
Another good question on this message board that I dont know the answer to. We rarely ever look at or are directed to a USPS employee handbook. I am sure it exists but don't know where it is at my PO. I am pretty sure my supervisor would have it at their desk or know where to find it. As far as writing a personal note directly on a letter, I would suggest that it not be done, but I can't say that it is against the rules. In general I don't think we should be making any comments or judgments about the mail that somebody receives. I'm not saying we don't talk about it internally but I wouldn't comment (in person or in writing) to the mail recipient or anybody else in public. That would be completely inappropriate. Please notice I don't use the word "illegal" here as I am not versed in the legality or disciplinary actions that are in play here, if any. The only time I would write directly on the mail is if I'm not familiar with the name of the recipient on a piece of mail that differs from the current residents that I know live at a particular address. In this case, I put a "?" next to the addressees name and deliver the letter. By doing this, the current residents can accept the letter or realize I wasn't sure if it was delivered correctly and leave it out for me the next day to return to the sender as "Attempted, Not Known." Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20received%20a%20very%20important%20%26%20personal%20letter.%20Our%20mail%20carrier%2C%20whom%20we%20have%20not%20yet%20met%2C%20left%20a%20congratulatory%20note.%20That%20was%20kind%2C%20but%20she%20wrote%20it%20in%20red%20ink%20directly%20on%20the%20envelope%21%20I%20was%20surprised.%20Does%20the%20USPS%20employee%20handbook%20allow%20that%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12692)
It probably depends on where you live and if there is package delivery on Sunday. I think you are asking me what time the package deliveries start and finish on a Sunday. It has been many years since I've done any type of delivery on Sunday, but in the office where I work on Long Island (NY), 2-3 City Carrier Assistants (CCAs) work from apprx 9AM-3PM delivering packages that arrive from Amazon.com. Again, these are just estimates since I don't have experience with this. Thank you for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Around%20what%20time%20does%20the%20shipping%20start%20and%20when%20does%20the%20routing%20end%20in%20Sundays%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12542)
-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
