Big Joe
Bronx, NY
Male, 31
I work in NYC for the USPS. I drive a 2 ton box truck and deliver packages that are too large for the regular letter carrier to take. I've been on my assignment for 5 years and a postal worker for almost 10. I spend most of my day running up and down stairs with heavy packages. I have to be on constant alert for dogs. Especially in apartment buildings with narrow hallways. I have lots of great customers and I love my job. All of my opinions are my own and I DO NOT speak for my employer.
Yes. Most times the parcels are identified as "suspicious" when the addresses look strange or incomplete. Other times they could have grease stains on them, or be leaking something. Either way, they are isolated and the supervisor is notified. I remember one time when I was in my truck and heard a package "ticking". I immediately jumped out and called the manager, but it just turned out to be a wall clock that was shipped with batteries in it. But safety is top priority.
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Thankfully, I've never been bitten. However, there have been many close calls that I can think of. I was walking out of a building one day with a fairly large box in my arms because the people weren't home. As I was passing a group of people, a huge brown dog lunged at me and snapped it's jaws about a foot from my face. The owner had it on a leash and pulled back at just the right moment to stop it. The area that I work in is mostly made up of apartment buildings and the tenants have a habit of leaving their doors propped open for ventilation. This is the most dangerous scenario. Dogs hear my keys jingle and they come running. The best thing you can do is to put something between you and them (a large parcel you just happen to be holding works good) and try to get the owner's attention. Most dogs are friendly and I usually don't have a problem. I love animals and I belive they can sense it. However, I won't be making any overtime if I'm sitting at home with stitches in my leg, so I try to stay aware. As for carrying treats, I personally don't. I've heard stories about guys doing so, but I think that smelling like beef jerky will only further my chances of becoming a chew toy ;)
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Good question. I get this all the time. Once I'm out and delivering stuff, It's like going to the gym. I've gotten into the habit of taking steps 2-3 at a time. I also try not to eat heavily during the day because it slows me down drastically. Occasionally, I'll get a 200 pound exercise bike to deliver, but it's mostly standard size packages. I've always been a big dude and when I had the choice between walking and delivering letters, or driving and delivering parcels...I took this. I still work out whenever possible at home and I'm on a vitamin regimen to stay healthy. I drink tons of water and avoid sugar whenever possible. Some days are better than others though. I definitely think that it keeps me fit and strong. It's gotten to the point now that when I work out, the machine gets stronger ;)
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I did see it. I was shocked at first, but then I thought about reasons why he might have done it. 1) He was either in a rush to finish, or he was covering someone's assignment. I'm not really sure how FedEx handles their day to day operations, he might have been thinking that if he returns to dispatch/station with an empty truck, they'll think he's a great worker and should be given more work. You see, many of the FedEx drivers I have met over the years are "contractors", they don't officially have a route. They get picked up by the company to deliver items, but don't work when the parcel volume is low. I think it works on a seniority basis. I'm not 100% on any of that, it's just what I've heard. 2) The box he threw was a laptop/monitor box. But that doesn't mean that's what was inside. People reuse boxes everyday and for all we know, there could have been balls of yarn or some other fabric in it. Maybe he felt the weight and knew from experience what it was, and that it wouldn't be damaged by tossing it over a fence. Whatever it was, it totally looked bad. I hope he didn't get fired over it. I won't even leave parcels in front of customer's doors. If I don't have access or if you're not home...you get a notice and can schedule a re-delivery or pick up your package at the post office if you wish. Thanks for your question.
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First and foremost, the postal service does NOT automatically re-deliver items. Our daily workload is too heavy to have parcels from the previous day in our trucks. If you receive a pink notice slip, you can go to the post office the following day from the notice date (upper center on face of slip) or you can call the 800 number on the back of it to schedule re-delivery. You can also schedule re-delivery online @ USPS.com/redelivery. Unless the carrier sees a place where he can safely leave a parcel, they usually will leave a notice. Reason being that about 95% of the packages we deliver have barcodes on them that we have to scan. Here is an example of what I mean. If I left your parcel somewhere on your property, I would scan it as being delivered. But if it goes missing and the customer complains that they never received it, management looks at me because it was linked to me by way of barcode and I had it last. I belive this to be the basic logic behind most of the people who preform jobs such as mine. I hope I answered your question buddy.
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Well, i'm not entirely sure. I've always been told that doing it is a federal offense. I know there are people who work for the organization whose job it is to investigate these kinds of things. I also have have heard stories of carriers being fired for stealing, some customers too I'm sure. Bottom line is that its better safe then sorry. If you find mail that doesn't belong to you, it's best to just give it to a carrier.
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GOOD QUESTION! A few years ago, I slipped on some ice as I was walking out of a Dunkin Donuts store. I didn't hit the ground, but I twisted the muscle along my ribs. It hurt pretty bad and I was out of work for 45 days which is standard protocol for an on the job injury. After that, I wore a back brace that a co-worker gave me when I made my return to work. That was the only time I can think of. The postal service gives us a uniform allowance every year to buy the things we need to do our job. As far as insurance goes, there isn't any that I'm aware of.
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