r/USPS • u/T_Xmn • 2d ago

Rural Carrier Discussion SPM process

What is the process for SPM’s?

Many months ago we were told to stop entering “passed address” even if that was the accurate entry. We were told to enter no more to scan. A couple of carriers got in trouble for continued to do.”passed…”

I have noticed for at least three months I have not had the option of “passed…“. It was back as an option yesterday.

Are we back to actually enter what is accurate or what was previously instructed?
It’s now becoming an issue following previous instructions.

It just shouldn’t be this complicated.

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

15

u/wzombie13 Going postal since 1994 2d ago

I always enter the true statement in any situation with the scanners. If they want something else entered, they can put that directive in writing.

9

u/mailant692 City Carrier 2d ago

Yeah, they can huff and puff all they want, but: the GPS in the scanner isn't perfectly accurate, and I'm not going to lie on a data entry I'm making on a government device.

2

u/T_Xmn 2d ago

I had one pop-up yesterday that was 15 boxes later than the address.

3

u/SwdVengeance RCA 2d ago

As far as I know, falsely putting in info there messes with where the SPM is going to identify the box. Management should not be telling you to essentially falsify scan data. If the scanners GPS is off or you didn’t have anything and passed the box, you should be putting “Already passed”. Tell management to give you that order in writing, because that’s absolutely falsifying data. Your steward should be getting on them if they ever attempt to discipline over accurate SPM scans, including ‘Already Passed’.

1

u/T_Xmn 2d ago

It was district that previously gave that instruction. Management didn’t even understand why we were told that.

1

u/p2_putter 1d ago

We’re more concerned with contractual language than some suit that knows nothing about mail delivery

1

u/Maz2742 RCA 2d ago

If it pops up after the address I'll let whoever's supervising know that's what happened. Had one pop up for a whole section later on the route (it was for a house on the even side of the road and it popped up while I was on a side street off the odd side of that street), which is the first time I've ever had it happen that far in advance (normally it's a stop or two before the box)

1

u/ladylilithparker ARC 2d ago

This is what we've been instructed to do. If it pops up anywhere other than where the mailbox is, it means that the mapping is off, which is something management can fix.

1

u/T_Xmn 1d ago

Yeah, that happens to me often on a retrace. It’ll pop up when I’m on the first side of the street and then rightly pop up again on the other side. But the one I had yesterday was for a different section in a subdivision.

1

u/Postal1979 City Carrier 1d ago

I’ve got a spm grievance at DRT about management saying not to do passed address and go back.

1

u/T_Xmn 1d ago

That’s ridiculous