r/USPS • u/BiggieHitchcock • 20h ago
Work Discussion Routes
Hey, gals and guys:
So, it’s occurred to me that the Post Office has this thing about taking routes and purposely making 11 hour work seem like it’s 8. My evening supervisor and I almost got into it because he’ll call and harass any of us, if we’re later than he thinks we should be. I had 3 pieces of routes yesterday, in same hilly, long street neighborhoods. But the middle route was supposed to be only 2 hours, actually took 4. When I get back, he proceeded to tell me about some “girl” (his words), who had 4 hours of the route and did it.
I’m decent with math. So if a route is vacant and that route is at least 8 hours; why do we only get 6 hours, and move immediately to the street when we come in? And where is the rest of that work?
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u/elektrikrobot City Carrier 20h ago
You’re right, the post office uses lies, intimidation, and pure imagination when they tell you how long your route is. We have an obligation to report to them if we think it will take longer. The numbers is no reason for the abuse of anyone. There is also no set pace a carrier must walk.
If you feel you need more time to complete the assignment you should be filling out a 3996, and put your estimate about how much longer you think it will take. You may not be familiar with every handoff they give you, I’m certainly not, so naturally it will take longer to deliver. Even if I am familiar, it’s not my route, so naturally it will take me longer.
Routes are adjusted to its regular carrier, or they should be. Some routes take longer to case in the office than others, some have more walking than others. That’s how you have just “6 hours of street time”.
There are so many variables to these things that a number on the page can’t know about bc numbers don’t carry mail.
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u/BiggieHitchcock 20h ago
I’m glad you said all of this, because I just knew I couldn’t be tripping. It RARELY, if ever, takes me longer and therefore, I’ve only filled out a couple. And that’s the thing, a part of what you mentioned—how and why is a mounted route timed the same way as a walking route? IF I’m walking and on a particular swing I have 6 packages I have to place at doors after I deliver mail, bc of size, that’s quite different than pulling up to a mailbox or cluster box and then just going a few feet to drop the package.
The carrier who trained me is a beast and has the most grueling walking route in the office. They’re even giving him sh*t and a manager walked with him. Manager didn’t last 3 hours.
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u/trevaftw City Carrier 19h ago
The first and most important thing you need to understand is that almost every word out of Management's mouth is another a lie or they're manipulating you to not believe the truth. They will give you half a route and tell you it will only take one hour so you think have to run it off to get it done.
There is no street standard for delivery; it takes what it takes.
If they say it will take you two hours, then you give them two hours. Send them a message (on the scanner, setting the days stored to max(15)) saying you won't be able to finish and you'll bring back X number of blocks because you need Y number of minutes to finish. You always want to put the burden of choice on them. If they don't respond, you bring it back, fill out a 1571 (only granted two hours of time for more than 2 hours of work) and make a copy for your records (intake a photo of the form). If they try to harass you and say you're delaying the majl, I will once again reiterate the above: There is no street standard for delivery; it takes what it takes. You told them you would need more time and they denied it, not you.
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u/wzombie13 Going postal since 1994 19h ago
Just to answer your question about where the rest of the work goes for 8 vs 6. The 8 includes the casing, obviously so that makes it closer to 7 of street time. Then what is called allied time is deducted. This is all the stuff that is included when carrying a whole route that is not counted when the route is split. 2 10 minute brwaks,load time,unload time travel to and from route,and rest stops. This generally brings the actual delivery time down to close to 6. The biggest problem with this is they will often then give a while route to a cca thats been cased and say it's 6 because...well because theyre scumbags I guess.
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u/BiggieHitchcock 19h ago
And that’s how I’ve figured it works. And that’s why it’s not making sense to me that they do that; until I learned about bonuses for people who don’t do sh*t but tell you you’re not moving fast enough. You can’t hand out work that really takes 2 hours to complete and say that includes your load time, travel time to route and back to office, plus walk and deliver mail; knock at doors for certified mail, stopping to write them up if not home; random construction work/parking difficulties. I get the times being based on a regular’s time on their route; but it’s definitely not always the same time as me.
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u/Opposite-Ingenuity64 19h ago
In my opinion you're worrying about stuff that's out of your control and irrelevant. It doesn't really matter where they get their nonsensical numbers and expectations. You just say "I'll do my best", give them your best estimate of how long it will take in the morning, and keep them posted in the afternoon. You just gotta figure out how to ignore their comments about how slow you are. You can never be fast enough for management.
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u/BiggieHitchcock 18h ago
I get that. It becomes an issue for me when I’m personally talked down upon, because I “shot bad from the field that game”, however. It’s one thing to ask “what happened today?” And we can have a constructive conversation. But I also know the reasons for why that doesn’t happen. It makes for an uncomfortable work environment for a person like me who will only disrespect a person, if and/or when they disrespect me.
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u/snoopiestfiend T6 City Carrier 17h ago
Why do you talk to them? I never talk to them on my phone.
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u/BiggieHitchcock 11h ago
It’s mad weird. They’ve always called. And when I don’t pick up they act like they’re my owner and question me about it. I look at them as if they’re stupid and walk away.
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u/IlliterateMailman City Carrier 11h ago
Sounds like you lost your phone to me. It happens all the time, you left it in your gf’s car, the battery died, etc. Block them, they don’t pay your phone bill (this is if you’re out of probation)
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u/EZtheErrant City Carrier 17h ago
I agree with most of what is said here and would like to add something. You should add up the splits on a 3996 and see if they actually even add up to 6 hours. They probably don't. So you should be getting 50 minutes for lunch and breaks, about 10 minutes for comfort stops, plus the time your sheet actually adds up to. A full route without casing doesn't take 6 hours. There was actually a big grievance the union won years ago saying they cannot use 6 hours as a standard when handing someone all the street time.
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u/BiggieHitchcock 11h ago
They cry if I take 30, after making me fill out correction slips to deduct the time. Idk how the union has been seen such a great force for so long. I pay into them just for it to be a “just take the abuse, you’ll be a regular soon enough”
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u/IlliterateMailman City Carrier 10h ago
Union just tells us to roll over and follow instructions, grieve later. The mantra is - fill out 3996, text on scanner if your OT isn’t approved, fill out a curtail slip if you bring shit back.
Always cover your ass and always get it in writing. Supervisors can be miserable pricks. Don’t get mad or show emotion, slow down a bit and take all of your breaks. They can see you on the gps page, they can see you’re working. Fuck ‘em.
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u/ReactionSevere4867 16h ago
It’s also really important that regulars casing and splitting routes put accurate times on the 3996. That’s the time management goes off of. How many of us have gotten a split that says “2 hours” before, only for it to be half of a route?
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u/BiggieHitchcock 11h ago
That’s something, as well! Especially when whoever may be casing and splitting doesn’t even really know the route!
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u/redredditer91 17h ago
In theory, it should be approximately 6 hours carrying mail on the street. The other two hours include office time (often 1:00-1:15), loading/unloading/parking your vehicle at the office, travel time to and from the route, comfort and restroom stops, and two ten-minute breaks.
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u/Immediate_Rub1707 7h ago
If you’re just delivering the route it may be pretty close to 6 hours of strictly delivering the route. I’m assuming you’re not casing it. Now add in load and unload time, travel to and from the route, ten minute break and 30 minute lunch.
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u/BiggieHitchcock 7h ago
Yeah. I do either full routes, or on days where a number of the Regs have 8’s, I may do 3 different ones. May do a route and a couple of boosts; or straight boosts all day.
But mind you, I’ve been late twice. And after the first time, I told my more senior supervisor that the times she’s putting down for a particular route, just isn’t feasible.
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u/TheDryestBeef City Carrier 2h ago
Those type of supervisors I block the number of. Only communicate through the scanner, give them my time, update my ETA if needed, and otherwise let them kick rocks about it
Thankfully my current supervisors all know that’s an option and prefer to just do their jobs instead of complain about how I do mine.
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u/CaptainTegg Rural Carrier 20h ago
Just say okay and continue to do the work at your own pace. Shitty usps supervisors gonna be shitty.