Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

What would happen if a mailman got caught drinking and driving the mail truck?!

Asked by John almost 6 years ago

I don’t know for sure but they would likely put on emergency placement leave which means no more USPS vehicle driving privileges until the issue is resolved. I don’t personally know of it happening to anyone but I’m sure it has. If a court of law found them guilty of driving under the influence or intoxicated, I wouldn’t mind seeing the offender losing their job. I have no sympathy for somebody doing that on the job. I don’t know that they would lose their job and our union (the NALC) would likely file a grievance to have them keep their job. I do know if 2 situations where coworkers had DUI outside of work and temporarily lost their state driver license. They were not able to drive a postal vehicle so the USPS gave them alternate duties or had another coworker drive them on their route. Both workers eventually got their licenses restored and were back to full duty but I know it costs them a huge sum of money in fees, courses, increased insurance premium plus the possible loss of their vehicle.

297 Votes

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.

296 Votes

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).

290 Votes

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 about 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.

290 Votes

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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.

289 Votes

Also why do people use a mail truck while others sue their personal vehicle with a mail sticker on it and a amber light?

Asked by Cayla almost 6 years ago

I’m not sure why some people use a personal vehicle. Usually those are rural letter carriers who are compensated for using their own vehicle and have an amber light to warn you that it’s a slow moving vehicle and will make frequent stops. When I was first hired we sometimes have to use our own vehicle and could get some type of reimbursement for it. There was one regular carrier who would use his own vehicle each day because he preferred to. I don’t have a choice I have to use an LLV which is fine as I would prefer not to use my own vehicle and I do not have the capacity either to handle the parcel load. On some city routes, a carrier may use their own vehicle to get themselves from the office to their route. A parcel post carrier brings their relays of mail to boxes along the route. This would happen in offices where there are not a sufficient quantity of vehicles for each carrier. Our office has one vehicle available per route and a couple of spares.

289 Votes

What is the hardest part of your job?

Asked by Ryan almost 6 years ago

I’m not sure what the hardest part of the job js. Most challenges are surmountable. I like most aspects of being a letter carrier. I would say working in the snow or dark is the most difficult part to do. If one has the proper cold weather gear and lighting for working in the dark, these challenges are much more manageable. Most of the time I’m able to work during daylight hours but in the fall/winter the sun may set at 1700 which could easily result in us working in the dark. Our vehicles perform quite poorly in the snow so it is sometimes hard to safely drive them. Dealing with a difficult supervisor or manager is sometimes hard as well. They are known to be unreasonable at times in their requests for being on time. That ebbs and flows. Sometimes there are weeks of “civility” followed by several days of nastiness and what feels like disparate treatment. Most of the time I let in roll of my back and don’t escalate a situation. In general, I am very organized so delivering mail is quite an easy job and goes somewhat smoothly on a daily basis.

288 Votes