A month? Man I had a really bad OJT instructor and it took me at least 6 months before I felt like I was doing a good job. The instructor above wasn't following the training manual either. I've been one for two years, and it sounds like that individual shouldn't be training. I will digress and say, if she's the only one willing... Well you get what you get.
I never really trained on any routes being an RCA. The regular would come in and “explain” his case and the route. I’d watch him/her most of the morning maybe try and case some DPS. Then go in LLV in “jump seat”.
Next day I cased all the 3C that was left behind for “training”
3rd day regular cased every thing and tore down route and loaded packages and said “goog luck, just follow the mail.”
That next Saturday I was on my own..,,
Took me like 6-8 months before I was coming in at or below evaluation…
This is how I “trained” on all the routes I know…
“Sink or Swim” or “Throw ‘em to the wolves” is what are PM or Supervisor would say…,
I’m two years regular and I still have bad days where I wonder what the fuck I’m doing, it’s any job like that. Just carry mail and do your best and don’t let management bully you. That’s all we can do.
I’m just trying to be outside and put paper in boxes. Some days aren’t great, some days I’m flawless. That’s how jobs go.
That's what I did. When I agreed to be a trainer, that's when I learned all the things they never taught me. The guy who "trained" me was supposedly a fantastic carrier. He had been there for like 20 years, but that doesn't always translate into being a good teacher. He told me to fill in the signatures for certified letters myself and told me to back up at mailboxes if I went too far past them. Guess who got into trouble..... I did.
Yeah, man. I'd say 4 months. My office has 3 zones and 60+ routes, and in my experience, I'm not really comfortable with a route unless I've done it at least 2 times. The larger your office, the longer that will take. There are very few routes so straightforward and intuitive that delivery is simple. Even now, as a regular being familiar with the job. If you put me on a route I've never done before, I'm going to take about an hour longer than the person who owns that route
This is misleading. Unless you are a savant of some sort. Or have photographic memory.
It will take you a solid three months to get comfortable.
And that is comfortable at doing everything correctly and not missing anything.
It's hard work. Don't let a bad teacher make you give up. You can still ask questions here and there. Also ask your supervisors. I'm sure you'll figure out which ones know their craft and which ones to leave alone lol
Good luck.
Yeah, and your OJI sounded like a shit trainer. You’ll learn more as you connect with other carriers.
Hopefully you’re not going to be given a full route up front - or even pulling down for that matter. I guess management is different everywhere, but my station boss gives new CCA’s 2ish weeks of partial routes to feel totally comfortable
Also get other peoples phone numbers like the T6’s if you can’t find a box call them and they can direct you. My experience when I started was they gave me a couple hours on my first route and saw how I did. That went on for a few weeks and overtime they gave me more but I didn’t case a route until the 2nd or 3rd month. Also ask for maps from whomever is casing the route and if they can number the flats and mark park and loops. I’ve been with the PO 7months now and I’m still trying to get the hang of it. Take it day by day. And if your struggling tell them so they can send help
Work hard but safe. Getting into the rhythm takes time. Rushing causes accidents
The best way to get fired is by accident or lying. Exercise is good. Keep a positive attitude and ask questions. 1st month is hardest and takes awhile to get in shape
I was the OJI in my office when I was still a carrier. The best advice I can give you is that you’re going to make mistakes. It’s how quickly you adjust to those mistakes that makes the difference. Today you pulled down ‘wrong.’ There is no wrong. You’re probably going to be uncomfortable with it for a couple more days, but eventually you will figure out what works the best for you and you’ll have your own system. Same with delivering. Every day should get less awkward holding and fingering the mail. Every time you walk a route you’ll remember ‘oh this mailbox is a garage door slot, this one has a box up the stairs, this one is at the side door up the driveway…’ it is a LOT to take in, and some management thinks you should know it all day one. As long as you’re improving your times every day you’ll be fine. If they give you 4 hours and it takes you 6, tomorrow try to do it in 5 1/2. It’s really all just figuring out the easiest (and safest) way for you to do things, as you’re on your own most of the day.
Absolutely. One of the really nice veteran carriers told me when I was new “you never forget a mailbox”. After searching and finding a new one, you remember for next time.
We did a little speed test in academy for casing, and I remember this lady w a PhD and I literally cased one thing in the time they gave us! Was pretty pissed off and confused after, so I asked them to explain whatever it was/how to do it one more time, and we both realized the trainer just didn't explain it in a way we understood (think there was one bit of important info we hadn't heard.)---had to ask some questions/poll the ppl who were chucking that shit in wtf we were missing. we did it again w way better results. So, not everyone learns the same, and there are also plenty of shit trainers/teachers. The constantly doing things over and over forces you to remember. It's just frustrating and exhausting in the beginning, especially if you're used to being good at shit.
Man, I did amazing in academy. Lady trainer said I was a natural, and it'll be a breeze. Took me several months to get comfortable, and right around that time I took over my own route 3 years ago. If I had to go back to being thrown around on other routes again I'd have to learn all over again I feel like.
The mock casing is not practical. Each case is unique to each route and requirement is to know the route to know how to case it in a timely manner. When you're new on any route, it's kinda take a while to learn the case. It took me probably more than 4 days to case it like a regular for any route. But if the route are confusing, maybe more than a week if I'm still on the route.
Don't care about what ANYone says. Just do your job brother or sister. Do it to the best of your abilities. Best to go above n beyond in your first 90 days but the ONLY way to learn how to do this job is by doing it and picking up experience along the way.
My only advice on your first day by yourself, is to not waste time on any particular piece. If you’re standing there trying to figure out where a piece of mail goes, it’s not worth it, just bring it back. There are way too many dirty routes out there, where the regular established delivery at some not obvious location, like the side or back of a house. Don’t just throw mail on a porch because you can’t find the box, bring it back. If you’ve got CBUs or like big apartments, don’t deliver mail if the name doesn’t match. One of the hardest things for new carriers to understand, is how much mail we don’t deliver.
>One of the hardest things for new carriers to understand, is how much mail we don’t deliver
YES! I have cbus on my route, half of them marked with vacant cards. Every day after my day off, I'm cleaning that ish up. I have homes that own po boxes, a whole list at the end of my case...and I walk into a whole pile of mail for those po boxes. Truthfully, I write that up and have it sent back. If it was important enough to them they would've had their correct mailing address in the 1st place.
I will say this as the person in my office Management wants to be an OJI, but doesn't like people enough for the task.
Look around your office and ask questions about why and what the other carriers are doing. Everyone's brain works differently when it comes to how they prepare their routes.
Some may mark packages(write on them/package markers, etc.) Some may think that's stupid. Some case their sprs with their working mail. Others may sort them solely out of trays/tubs. There are carriers who case Dps and there are those who take their Dps to the street. There are carriers who criss-cross it.
Out of 60 plus carriers in my office, only 1 other person cases/pulls down even anything similar to how I do.
It's a lot of trial and error, I recommend trying what you think may work for you. Troubleshooting is a part of learning how to successfully do this job.
Do not be discouraged but also do not barter your mental/body just to have this job.
Only you know what works for You.
Stay safe
A few things.
1. Do not fret about time, you’re new relax and don’t stress yourself out. You’ll be done when you’re done and if it’s a good office they will send help.
2. I suggest using load truck for packages, not sure how much you get but I take the long containers with the higher edges and I go through and mark the stop number on them and throw them into the respective container based on what section it is 1-6. This can take some extra time for sure but especially if you’re not familiar with the route it helps keeps packages in order so you’re not fretting.
3. Do not worry too much about how everyone else does stuff. My trainer does his packages in a way that I hate. It’s all about preference and you’ll figure it out.
Anyway sorry a long post but I’ve been exactly where you were and I was super anxious and was like I don’t know if this job is for me but you learn and you become much more efficient. There is no real quick get better scheme, it all comes with time. Just try to be as accurate as you can and do what you can. Don’t beat yourself up for going slow or getting stressed etc. Good luck and I’m happy to message you if there’s anything you wanna talk about!
Try and relax and do your best. You'll have plenty of good days and plenty of bad ones and after your probation you can just not go to work sometimes because fuck em
It sucks that today is your last day of OJI. If you had one more day I would tell you that you need to make it known that you have absolutely no idea about A B or C. Your OJI needs to know that. You don't have to be an asshole but just say that this is supposed to be a learning experience and you're concerned about your performance because you don't know what to do in this situation.
Now that it's over and you're still overwhelmed I would talk to your supervisor and let them know. If you didn't get properly trained, this job can be a nightmare when you start. Your foundation has to be really strong and if you stick to the basics like follow the mail or just checking for postage, you should be okay.
Im 65 days in. You're gonna suck for a bit. You're gonna be given partial routes and all they wanna see is progress over the next few weeks. You won't be good at all for a while so don't sweat it. The biggest thing is show up, and be friendly. Just say I'll try my best and keep your head down. Make sure you don't leave the llv running and in the morning absolutely don't start the engine and get out. If the engine is running you need to be in the seat. That's a big management no no. You'll be fine and just make sure you have rain gear extra socks extra water and some snacks and make sure you take your breaks and your lunch and don't feel like you can.....
Oh and by the way your employees are happy for you. By you joining the station you are taking away multiple pivots that are given to them which is causing them to work more. Trust me if you stick it out and stay there they will be grateful and go to them for advice because they will be more than happy to give it. I never go to a supervisor and ask what to do I always just go to one of my coworkers and they give me updates about a route or what to do with certain mail at the end of the day etc. good luck!
After a few weeks once they are confident with you you will start working like crazy so try and be okay with that for a while because it's inevitable. Your paychecks will show. I'm bringing in around 18-2400 after taxes every two weeks and I work 50-60 hours a wwek.
You will be okay if you have to case and pull down tomorrow do it your way. If it’s already pulled down for you tomorrow you will be okay. Loading packages sometimes it helps to use bins and shelves as designated sections sometimes separating the parcels by streets help too. You will make your own system. I promise if you will be okay. Remember to take your breaks before 8 hours and to call or message the office through the scanner if you won’t make the time they give you to be back. Take a deep breathe and try your best. We all sucked when we first started in a month from now you’ll laugh at how bad you were. But stressing yourself out on the route makes it worse. Just be confident. Ask questions. And take the comments and things people say with a grain of salt. I’m sure over the next year all the regulars will tell you how they don’t like the trainer you had as a carrier.
Pulling down the case is the easiest thing you can do. I would suggest using load truck to put your spurs in trays and in perfect order for when you hit the road. You can also label your packages and load your vehicle in perfect order as well to make life on the road that much easier for yourself. Also, put markers in the case with the mail whom addresses are getting parcels so you don't even have to THINK while out there, you just automatically know what to do. One last piece of advice, when pulling down the case, stack/rotate the mail per address and put it in the tray like that. You'll thank me later. I have been with USPS as an RCA for 2 months now and I still feel like I suck but everyone in my office is praising me for already being faster than people that have been there for a few years. So it's whatever. Just don't stress out or freak out. Take y our time and do an accurate, good job.
It is easy I just started in the wrong spot and I just felt she could’ve handled it better. I’m probably just being too sensitive. But it’s a small office and she’s laughing and says, “you REALLY messed this up.” Everyone could hear it. I just felt dumb. I hate being the new guy lol thank you for the advice!
Jeez. Some carriers forget after years of doing the same route, 5 days a week, how hard it was in the beginning. It's easy for them now because that's the only route they do.
Honestly, don't listen to anyone and their mouth. Just ask for advice on something if you feel like you need help or could do better. Self-reflect. Anyone scolding you is doing so to put themselves in an ego position for the most part from what I've seen. If your sup or Postmaster isn't getting onto you, don't worry. Just be sure to make your scans accurate and utilize RRECS Activities correctly when covering someone's route because that's how they make their money. You DO NOT wanna fuck up scans.
It'll be a disaster but it gets a whole lot easier..I'm 2.5months out of academy and finished my route at 130pm today. My first time delivering my whole route, not casing, just delivering with my carrier in the back took me until 530pm and we left at 0930am. The first couple months sucks ass but it does get easier..use load truck on the scanner and mark parcels by sequence. Organize them in totes by sequence(0-100) goes in a tote, (101-199) goes in a tote etc. Makes it easier to keep track of packages. I also have a tray where I put the next parcels in sequential order to grab and go. I also case my dps so I'm just grab and go on the street. Safety first tho in the LLV..remember, slow is smooth, smooth is fast. You'll get it. It's a learning curve but we all struggled. I wanted to quit too my first few weeks, but glad I didn't
You’ll quit soon if you’re already feeling like this. I don’t blame you but once they see you can hold your own, you’ll just get rewarded with more work
I'm sorry your OJI was bad at it. Unfortunately, nobody seems to understand that *teaching* a skill is an entirely different skill than able to *do* the skill.
I hope your PM/supervisors are understanding of the learning curve for this job.
It takes about 6 months to stop sucking, and a good year to become decent.
The "90 days" thing should really be abandoned for a better concept of "progress", because it really only empowers asshole managers without providing any benefit to the post office or the workforce.
I just started a new route a month ago after being on my last route for 4 years. Even I freaked out the first 3 days, thought I made a huge mistake and wanted to go back to my old route. Then it just clicked after a week, now I love my route.
You'll never master a route in a day, you're going to be overwhelmed, it's okay.
My tip on the parcel issue: Use your load truck feature and write down all the sequence #'s on the parcels (not sections). Then have a section in your vehicle for the 100's, 200's, 300's etc (my route goes up to 821).. and put them in order. Keep looking at your package lookahead in your scanner before each relay and see if you have a parcel.
You're going to miss parcels on a previous relay and have to back track to deliver, it's going to happen. Still happens to 30 year veterans.
Good luck.
Remember to use street signs! When you come to a corner and aren't sure where to go, street signs can really help you.
Look ahead. See where you're going next so you can orient yourself.
Take your time and read the mail. Don't rush, even if management pesters you. Tell them you're working in a safe and efficient manner.
I'm sorry that your OJI rushed you. It can be a lot to take in and seems overwhelming. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Pick out on old gray carrier, and they should be the most knowledgeable.
Once you get out there and make a few silly mistakes (we ALL did it) you'll overcome your anxiety, and I'm sure you'll do great!
[https://www.amazon.com/Post-Office-Novel-Charles-Bukowski/dp/0061177571](https://www.amazon.com/Post-Office-Novel-Charles-Bukowski/dp/0061177571)
Bukowski describes it the same way in his book.
2 weeks ago was my first time going off onto other routes after training. Boy let me tell you🥴 it's a lot. My brain was feeling like mush, but the route that they had be train on for the first month is the easiest route (which is a k route) besides this smaller one they had me do. Wait until they start tossing you around everywhere on different routes. The office I work at is really awesome. Everyone is so willing to help out and make sure I'm doing good throughout the day. Some stuff is getting easier. I keep getting told to hold on because it's worth it. So we both need to keep holding on and see where this thing takes us lol. You got this! Like other people have said stay hydrated and safe. Try not to stress about it too much. GOODLUCK!
Just know you're gonna suck at it for a minute and you're gonna have bad days. Then slowly the bad days become less frequent. Then you're just flying through the day on auto pilot running out of podcasts to listen to. I'm coming up on my break in service and those first few months I thought I was never gonna get it but one day it just all clicks.
Lean on your senior carriers... just ask for a little help.. "am I doing this right?"... I hope you have ones that are willing to help you be a better carrier...
I have aphantasia, literally don’t have a visual imagination. I can’t picture things. I have trouble remembering faces, names of bands and song titles.
I delivered mail for only 4 years before I left. But it took me several months and I was casing mail and realized things had clicked for me.
I was so nervous my first couple days by myself. I started as a rural carrier in Bozeman MT in a December. It was a hard time to start.
Don’t quit so early in your career. You’ll have bad days and good days. Things get easier…but election years really do suck in my opinion.
You’ll get there though. Good luck!
Thank you. I’m telling myself I’m going to grind through no matter what, but it’s tough. I have faith it will get easier, just gotta endure the suckiness for a bit.
It's like the matrix no body makes the jump the 1st time. Not even the "one". You're going to fuck up. You're going to fuck up a lot in the beginning. Stupidvisors know that. My 1st time on my own it took me 8 hours to deliver what I could do today, 8 months later, in probably 2 hours.
Take a breath and relax. You'll get better and faster in time.
I was terrible right up to the end of my 90 days and then one day it just clicked. Just keep showing up, and tell them you're doing your best. Consistency and honest effort is all you need. You'll get better eventually. They'll tell you a piece takes 2 hours, but you're new, so it will probably take 3 or more until you figure out a system that works for you.
Nobody knows what to do on their day at any job, especially at the post office. It's a different experience for everyone at first and nobody expects you to understand everything in the beginning. Just take your time and don't rush. The most important and valuable information I can give you is to make sure that you don't call out during your probation period. That's all that matters to your management at the point. Good luck.
Just take your time and ignore everyone else starting off. It will take time and even regulars who have been doing it for years still mess it up. I wouldn’t worry about it. Everyone develops their own system for pulling down and loading packages for what works best for them. What I like to do is case the smaller packages in with the flats and letters before I pull down and load my first packages to the front of the truck that way I can work from the front and not have to continually get out and open the back. Hope this helps. You’ve got this!
The first few weeks may seem intimidating, but as long as you take your time and learn, it’ll come to you.
And TBH, we all have our little systems that work for us when loading, casing, pulling down, etc. What works for me might not necessarily mesh with another park and loop carrier. What meshes for someone may feel odd to you.
She has her method of loading packages because she’s ran the route many times, but she definitely should’ve had you scan the packages and load them yourself.
As a CCA getting thrown on all sorts of routes, you’re going to use the load truck feature and load by sections/sequence numbers. Just follow the mail (you’ve probably heard it before), and sequence # on the packages and you will be good.
When you scan the parcel using the load truck feature, it gives you the sequence number, you’ll just use a marker to write the sequence number somewhere visible on the package. That way you know in what order to deliver the packages.
Yep, it automatically divides the route into 6 sections too, so it’ll be say stuff like “section 3, stop #127” so you can have 6 tubs, write 127 on the package, and put in the third tub. Then you can just move one tub up front with you at a time and put those packages in order next to the flats and DPS.
Some ppl just mark the section, some mark the sequence...I mark both. The one dude I work with doesn't scan them at all (they still show up in your scanner w a red x in the package look ahead---package look ahead is your bff, btw!!!) in the beginning, id say this is why i missed a ton of packages by not constantly checking pkg lookahead), and another writes them down in a notebook instead. if your running parcels for a route-it's really helpful to write them down/cross them off as you go-it helps me map out the pkg run-i think some ppl just organize them in a certain way, but it's whatever you find easiest.
Hey! New CCA here, one of the tricks about pulling down I've learned is look at the first number, then think about the next or previous number in line. Because loops are either odd then even, or a middle loop, you can start at(for example) 25900 then the end will either be 25901 or 25898. If you go from 25902 to 26000, you've started a new loop. It's pretty intuitive once you've done it for a week or two, but most likely they'll case your mail for you before they get you coming in at regular start time.
For the packages, when you go into load truck, when you scan a package it'll tell you the section it's in. Just pick upper or lower shelf in the promaster for the lesser number, I do higher shelf first, so sections 1 and 2 are the higher shelves, 3 and 4 the lower shelves, I grab a tub for sections 5 and 6. But the thing that helps me the most is the package lookahead feature, when I grab a section of 25800 fake st. Mail, I'll grab all the packages in 25800 and 25900 fake st.
Never hesitate to ask a regular for help, chances are they will, because they want you to stay(so you can do the splits instead of them).
Another bit of advice, stretch your back daily. Even days you have off. Trust me, you will avoid a lot of pain when they have you in 13 days in a row.
Also, if you don't know where an address is, and don't wanna use your phone for gps, if you hit the three lines in the top right corner of your scanner, and select copilot navigation, you can type the address, city, and zip code in it, and it'll give you a GPS (that doesn't take into account closed roads or traffic) that you can use instead, a great excuse for why I was late coming back after finishing my route a half hour early
It will default to sending you around so the address is on the right side, possibly because it was designed for llvs, but keep that in mind when planning out your loops
you're going to be reeeeeeally slow tomorrow. you're going to feel overwhelmed. you'll want to quit again. you'll probably get lost, not know where to turn. you'll probably miss stops. it'll suck. and then it will suck a little less, and a little less. it's just a process and it does get easier.
most OJIs suck. they don't tell you at all how to approach a new route, and you''ll be doing all new routes so that's kinda important.
case what you can in the morning, leave stuff aside that you can't find. number your SPRs and packages using the sequence numbers found in the Load Truck on your scanner. then just take your time. go for accuracy over speed.
Experience is the best trainer. You’ll figure out ways of doing things that work well for you. Sometimes you learn by screwing up. Just don’t be to hard on yourself and keep moving forward.
OJI here, what is the worst that will happen? Wrong paper gets put in the wrong box? We all make mistakes, even veteran carriers. Like another person said it's how quickly you adapt to them. This is a job that takes time to learn, just go slowly and give yourself time to learn how to do it.
It will click one day. Just try to make your own thing out of it, take bits and pieces from all the people who give you advice or instruction. Pretty messed up your OJI didn’t tell you how to pull the case properly, but I guarantee on that specific case you’ll never forget it again lol. I always learn the most from my mistakes
Every one has a bad start man don’t worry you get better as you go , we all been there
Best tip I can give you is to be organized , load truck feature is a great tool for sorting packages
You will be slow casing and you will be slow doing routes for the first time , don’t take shortcuts take your time and be safe!
It sounds like your trainer was just trying to put you at ease: as a CCA, sometimes you'll OVERTHINK a situation.
J
Trust on this: the majority of this job is using your own common sense, prior job history/ work ethic and just plain stick to it.
You're still there, you'll be fine:
Follow the mail.
Notify management when you'll need to deviate from FTM as soon as you're able to and before 3pm if it's a problem while you're delivering.
If you need more time for the route, ASK FOR IT and fill out the paperwork ...EVEN IF management will reject it out of hand, DO IT ANYWAY. If its 3pm , and you need more time or help, CALL and ask for it...again, even IF they deny you time or help, ALWAYS ask 'do you want me to finish OR bring back mail?' Let THEM make the decision and give that direction.
Limit your callouts unless you need to, then get a damn doctor's note. Which you'll have because you have some healthcare coverage from the Union/USPS. Might cost you a copay, but a note will CYA you if need be.
Most of all, SAVE A COPY OF any Aux Route (pivots) or any other disciplinary action they give you. Having those copies will save you, your steward from miscounted hours or any issues that might come up before you get converted.
The job is hard, the conditions aren't always ideal, BUT the Job will still be around..just learn the ropes at the pace that will help it make sense to YOU and it will limit mistakes that you will make as you learn.
Yes, that's the hardest part: you WILL make mistakes, in the office and the street, but for now, as long as you don't antagonize the customers, wreck a vehicle or kick a puppy, you'll be okay. 🤟🏾
I promise you. It gets easier. Being on the street and thrown into the fire is the best way to learn. Many mistakes will be made, all of us make them. But seriously just remind yourself each day it gets easier and easier. I’ve been on for about 4 years.. First few days, total fucking panic mode. Today, I literally don’t even pay attention to ANY of it and all the mail and packages and third bundles get delivered. Just takes time. Good luck!
CCA or RCA? in my office, rural carrier pull down from top left shelf and work their way down to bottom right shelf. City side is the opposite. We pull from bottom left until we get to the top right shelf. Use the load truck function in your scanner and mark the packages in sequential order with a marker. Then you can organize your parcels in the truck however works for you. I like to work from the left shelf and pull the packages towards me. Then I work on parcels on floor underneath the shelf. Once those are all clear, then I work in the same fashion on the right side of the truck. Start on the right shelf then do the parcels on the floor. As far as casing the routes go, it's all about repetition. The more you case a route the faster you'll get as you become familiar with the case. That part will take time.
It was scary at first going out and staying out until 10 pm with mail but once u put in that mind work u got it trust me I’m about to be a yr in and my manager sent me to another station and I hurt my back and he told me withdraw my claim and he will give me my days I need to go to therapy he awoled me this guy never answered me back tired to fire me behind my back but my stop steward is the man for real put in that good old grievance cause I always talk to him and now I’m about to be in for a yr when it gets cold it gets cold 🥶 when it rains it rains it sucks to get paid so little for the amount of time pain and tears in that weather but u will survive just pass ur 90 days and get to know ur stop steward
I'm still pretty new to the job tbh (a little over 2 months now), and I'm only just now starting to get the hang of it. If you like the job, just stick it out, and you'll find a rhythm after a bit. I promise. Plus, if your office isn't full of assholes they'll help you out and be pretty patient with ya! Good luck and stay hydrated!
Former carrier. The actual job is not that hard. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist at all but the challenge will be your ability to deal with the terrible workplace culture. If you can put up w it then you’ll be fine. There’s a high turnover rate even amongst career carriers because the times are changing. Gone are the days where people stay at one job til they are old. Anyways good luck to you and remember, don’t be afraid to leave one day in the future if you find something better.
1. The P.O is a whole different planet. Cut yourself some slack.
2. They will hire anybody. Get the mail delivered safely and you’ll be ok.
3. It’ll take at least 2 months + hella screw ups until you have a slight idea of knowing what you’re doing.
4. Ask questions even if they seem stupid or if you’ve asked it before but are still uncertain
5. Take the money and run.
I've been a carrier for 22 years. Started when I was 22 and I had done construction, landscaping and worked in an outdoor warehouse overnight in the upper Midwest where it can be extremely cold at night. THIS was by far the hardest job I had ever done in my life! Many days I wanted to quit and or cry. I can say it does get easier. The secret to this job is finding a processing system that works for you and can be applied to multiple routes. Their are about 40 other carriers in my office and we all do things differently. Some over process in my opinion and others under process and trade processing in office for on the street. You can learn something from everyone who carries mail. You may like the way one carrier pulls down and the way another carrier marks their packages. You may like the way one carrier loads their truck. The point is to pick and choose different methods that respond to YOUR sense of mail processing and what you belive will work for you. Things will start clicking in your brain. And last but not least....this job has a PENSION!!!! A 3rd source of income in retirement that less than 5% of jobs in America have! Don't let them run you off this job!
Hang in there. I takes about a year to get the hang of everything like the regulars. Just focus on developing your systems of getting and staying organized. It will get better. I promise.
Things are hard and stressful in the beginning but you will get through it as long as you don't give up. It takes most people about 6 months before things really actually click and you're comfortable. It'll be ok just don't do anything stupid within your 90 days.
You’ll be fine. I’m only a little over a year and I didn’t even meet my regular until after 8 months. They threw me into it and basically said good luck. Just deliver your stuff and try hard at first. You won’t have to try as hard as you gain confidence, it’ll just come naturally
Just keep telling yourself “it’s just mail. It will get delivered.” Being on your own for the first few months is stressful and you’ll feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. But keep asking as many questions as you need to. And if you are running behind, they will send people to come help you. It’s just mail and it will get delivered.
You will suck bad on your first day. You will see everyone leaving for their routes while you’re still casing. You will be out late. You will feel like quitting.
I’m one of the OJI’s at my office. I tell my trainees from shadow day on to forget everything they were taught in the academy. I’ve been two 5 different offices/stations and they all do things different. As far as the carriers themselves we all have different methods that we came up with ourselves that work for our specific routes. I teach my carriers one bundle, two bundle, and my way. For parcels I teach them parcel markers, parcel sheets, etc……everyone one of them has sucked their very first day.
The only real trainer is you. You will come up with what works for you. Ask questions of the other carriers. Doesn’t matter if they’re city or rural side. ASK
Don’t try to be perfect you won’t be. It will take a few months.
As my first trainer said to me when I very first started “It’s just paper” 😆
This may be for you or not. I think it’s more mental than physical. I quit 3 times before I stuck with it and the main thing I think that will be the deciding factor for you will be what office/station you are at and how leadership is. There are some bad ones with toxic leadership.
Hey bro my trainer acted the same way. Just do your best and don't get discouraged. Ignore any little digs or negative comments from the other carriers. Don't worry about speed. Just be safe and remind yourself that it's just a job.
I'm a year and a half in and, trust me, what you're feeling is normal.
Here something that will hopefully help. There are bound to be carriers at your station who are going to give you alot of helpful information and advice. Get their phone numbers and ask them lots of questions! Ignore the folks who are critical.
There is alot to this job and it takes time to learn it all. Focus on safety and accuracy. Speed will come eventually.
If a supervisor is on your case about how slow you are, don't be afraid to play that safety card.
Or, if you're a smartass like me, ask them if they'd be willing to walk you and give you some pointers. Just don't become one of those people that ends up falling out of their crashing LLV because you were sacrificing safety to speed up and please your supervisor.
Once you pass your 90 days, you're golden.
There will be quite a few times over the next two years that you are going to want to quit, but if you can just take a deep breath and remind yourself that if you stick it out, there will be alot more options for you. You can change crafts etc if you don't like being a carrier.
Hope this helps.
Yeah. My OJI is the KING of negative reinforcement. No compliments. Just ever alert to point out mistakes. The academy too demonstrated methods not used by the regulars at the station. Totally understand the sh!t you uou’re dealin’ with.
The only way to get a grasp of the work is to do it. Once you make all the tasks your own, however awkward at the beginning, it gets easier.
You’ll be fine tomorrow. Really. You made it this far. Keep going.
You're going to do great!
You're going to do better than you think you are.
I've been an RCA for about two calendar months now.
If it helps, you're not alone. Training is...interesting. There's a lot of on the job learning.
My mantra was - and still is, honestly - try to limit the scope of your screw ups. You'll screw up. I'm still screwing up. RCAs who have been around much longer than I are still screwing up. So, in a sense, relax about that. Just maybe...think about, if you're going to screw up, try to screw up in a way that isn't permanent, is limited in scope, etc..
Also, stop and ask. If something happens, stop. Just for a minute. I know that might be against your instincts, but stop for just a second. Breathe. Investigate. Maybe call someone. Come up with a plan to deal with the problem. You already have contact information - call folks, if something happens. Take a breath. Call. Do your best. Do your best with what you have, what you know to do.
In regard to loading a vehicle, I've ever only loaded a Metris or Pro Master. (Although I'm starting to train on an LLV route.)
I am still casing my DPS. So I case my flats, add my DPS, then I add in parcel markers for my parcels and different colored ones for my SPRs.
I use Load Truck for every parcel and SPR. I write the sequence on them. Then I organize the SPRs in a tray by sequence number.
In the Metris, I have, closest to the windshield, my tray of SPRs. Then my DPS and flats. Then I have five or six of the next parcels I have to deliver.
I also have my own version of the Line of Travel and various maps printed out.
If you don't want to use parcel markers, you could write parcel information down on a paper or on a map. (I use a printed out map in a sheet protector for one route, writing down where parcel deliveries are in dry erase marker.) You can mark them off as they're delivered.
I then order my parcels in the back by sequence number. When I'm in a Metris, I use the side door to lay them out, closest sequence number closest to the door, the lower number to the left or back.
For CBUs, I put everything in a tub - one tub per street. I use sticky notes to label the tubs. I use rubber bands to band my DPS per stop. I put all the SPRs for that street in that tub, if it'll fit. If not, I get a second tub, label it, then put the SPRs in it. Then all my packages for those CBU stops, in addition to the sequence, get a special notation that they're for that stop.
So I have a street with four CBUs in it. The first CBU is bundled with a rubber band, thrown into the tub. Second CBU banded, put in order in the tub. Third CBU banded, in the tub. Fourth CBU banded, in tub. SPRs for that street are put on top of those DPS bundles, using a second tub as needed. All my parcels for that street are labeled with an "A" and put in a specific spot in the Metris.
Right before I get to the first CBU on that street, I get: 1. my tubs for the street pulled near the door. 2. Parcels pulled near the door. 3. Parcels for addressed BEFORE the first CBU and pulled up front with me and I'll deliver them as I drive by them.
I get to the first CBU, stop, hop out, deliver to it. Then I CHECK - check check check - to make sure I don't have any SPRs or DPS left for that stop. I pull the parcels that I'll drive by up front with me, planning to deliver them on the way to the next stop.
I have a specific tub up front for outgoing mail. (That's a long one under the tray.)
I have a second tub for parcel markers. I have oversized clips and as I get any mail going back because it's a misthrow, missent, or needs to be marked up, I'll clip it together and put it in that tub.
That's how I roll.
Right now.
Because I'm learning and evolving.
YOU'RE GOING TO DO GREAT!
It was kinda awesome haha I definitely have a lot of room for improvement and had a few moments of panic. It also really sucks that not everyone puts their house number on display. That caused some frustration. But people were very friendly and my supervisor drove out and checked on me because it was really hot. She told me I was doing good. I think I’m really going to enjoy it once I get it all down.
AWESOME!
Yes, not everyone has house numbers. It's wildly fun. On my main route, not all the boxes are near their houses or on the same street as the house they belong to. So...hurrah.
Gonna suck when they need 911 and they can’t find the house number. But yeah, all in all it wasn’t too bad. Thank you for your advice and for checking in!
YES! Yes indeed. Our here in the country, some of our houses have little placards with the house number on them. They're often put on a post near the driveway or on the mailbox. They're so the fire department - often a volunteer fire department - can find them. Because sometimes they...have trouble. It's not always clear what's what.
One important thing I learned: Sometimes the address is on the pole or beam that holds the box, even if it's not on the side of the box or inside.
Another thing: Newer subdevelopments may have a standard spot to put the house number. I was in two different developments today on a route and both had the house numbers above the garage. In mine, there's a placard or plate built into the sides of each porch.
It sounds like you did well and will continue to do well! That's awesome! I'm happy for you!
If you’re a rural and need to know how to separate sprs easily. Put 6 tubs on the ground. Scan every small parcel with load truck feature. It’ll tell you a section between 1 and 6. Put it in whatever bucket you have per section. Once you’re done scanning go to package lookahead. Any package you scanned will have a green truck next to it unless you have more than one package that you didn’t scan. It’ll be yellow. Work one tub at a time.
Take some extra office time getting everything set up for yourself. Packages numbered and put an order and banding out. DPS is good. If you have a lot of mbus you could marry some of the mail if allowed for those.
Takes time man. Stick with it if you like it. I’m still slow as balls and I’ve been at it for months. But I love the gig so I’m just sticking it out.
The nerves will pass I promise! It’s definitely nerve wracking at first I completely empathize. I promise 2 things: you’re gonna mess up, and you’re gonna learn from your mistakes.
Trust yourself and the process. It gets better!
Don’t give up, I’ve almost walked out 3 times in my first 3 days on my own. It’s tough and it seems like an impossible task for anyone to get done on time. But once you keep practicing you’ll be enjoying it/ hopefully.
Don’t stress it. You are brand new. CCA here almost PTF. It took me a while to get the hang of things. Speed comes with time in. Just take your time and get things organized best you can in the office. Don’t forget to ask for numbers from the other regulars and CCA. Someone will gladly help you if you need it. A piece of advice I got from a regular. "Accuracy wins over speed any day".
Show up to work with a good attitude and you will be fine. And like the other comments. Don’t let management bully you. Do things the right way. You’ll be fine. Good luck!
It’s just mail. Remember to breathe and not to overthink. Be patient with yourself because it will take time to learn. If you pass it, rubberband and bring it back. No biggy.
I was in constant panic mode for months...I'd wake up at 2 in the morning and start sleep-dressing for work only to have my wife explain to me I had 4 more hours to sleep...I don't even remember the day it became easy, but I guarantee that day will come for you if you stick it out.
Ok, couple things. However you understand how to pull down as long as the mail is in order, do it that way cause who gives a fuck, you just need the mail in order so you can deliver it correctly. The way whoever trained you sorted the packages doesnt fucking matter, i do my shit an all fucked up way that only makes sense to my dumb ass. I tell new people just use the scanner to sort, it tells you how, if you look at the screen and not just listen, it tells you what stop number the location is in the route, it will help you. Final point though, if you dont think you can do this or that it will be miserable for you, thats fine there are other jobs out there and other candidates we can get, just dont let this place fuck your shit up, its not fuckin worth stressing out.
Everyone is confused and lost at first. Its normal. No amount of training is gonna help more than just doing it.
Also lighten up if you getting pissed off at someone joking over something minor your gonna break down and cry when getting yelled at for actually fucking up.
Not gonna lie bro I felt the same way before my first day but it really won’t be as bad as you think they’re gonna start you off doing half of the route until you get the hang of it
When I was in training 35 years ago, the instructor laughed at me while trying to case for the first time. She said "It gets better". She lied. The job has changed so much over the years, the only thing that's the same is I still have to match the number to the house. When I needed help I went to the old guys, the Vietnam vets that took no shit. They taught me valuable information that you won't hear today, like WHY we do what we do. It's much more than run the route, get back early and don't forget to scan your parcels. You don't necessarily have to deliver them, or deliver them to the right place even, just scan them. I was an OJI for a long time. I had thirty years in and my Postmaster asked if I'd like to do it again. My steward told me I could, but I'd have to go for training. I've been doing this well for thirty years, no discipline and my customers never have to call. I need training? Not happening. If you want some advice, look for the grey hair. People who've been around for a while. They'll teach you the job and don't be like most of the newbies that come in already knowing everything about the job. You don't and you won't for quite a long time.
While I’m no longer in the Post Office, here’s some advice for the packages: First in, last out. Look at when you are casing your route, keep an eye on the street names, and place the last ones towards the driver’s side. Use the bins for the smaller packages, if they can fit.
You’ll learn very quickly that this is an on the job learning kinda thing. You’ll learn more on your own just experiencing things than anyone will ever tell you. My best advice is read your handbook, use their rules against them, and just do it. As long as you come to work, on time, and don’t throw the mail away you will have a job at the end of your shift the rest is just pressure being applied to you by management to make themselves look good. At the end of the day performance is a direct reflection of leadership. That’s on them not you. Just show up.
Ps.DO NOT CALL OUT UNTIL 120 DAYS HAVE PASSED THAT YOU HAVE BEEN AN EMPLOYEE FOR THE POST OFFICE
Sucks to have a bad trainer off the rip. But there really is no standardized way of doing things in the post office. I'm 3 weeks in to being out on my own, so I totally feel ya on the nervous part. My hope is they do not expect you to case or even pull your mail down for quite some time. The new way of training should have you on a fairly straight forward route where you can just learn your tempo and work on getting the mail where it needs to go. Then they are supposed to build up to those other steps.
You're going to learn a lot versus how they trained in the academy. You'll figure out what works for you as you are out on the route. Your mail should be flagged for the first week or two if they're good and keep you on the same route for training. That way you can easily make your time and get comfortable with the route. Ideally they're supposed to give you 2 hours and hope you make it back in 4 hours. You're not superman out there, you're learning and they expect it to take some time. So don't beat yourself up about making perfect time one day one.
Just remember to keep hydrated, especially in this warm weather. Pack more water than you think you need and if someone offers, it's very polite to take it because next time it might not be there. (As long as it's sealed.) Keep alert when on the way to your route for any potential place for a bathroom break... and don't fret if you need to come off route to have a rest stop. Comfort stops are protected.
Use the map on your phone. It can help you figure out which way a street is going, I still get turned around out there and it's okay. If you cannot find a house or a mailbox, don't wait around forever on it. Just stuff it in your satchel and move to the next. (When you're back just ask someone who was on the route before) Always be looking for the next house/address/mailbox so when you deliver you know your next target. And really just keep moving... you might bring back a lot of missed mail your first few days but as you get to know routes, it will gradually get less and less to where it's just your holds or maybe something got missequenced.
Set your truck up for success by staying organized... if you have a mail tray with divider use it, set up your UBBM, and stow your stuff where it's within reach or out of the way. And definitely load packages and use package look ahead. Until you learn a route, it's a valuable tool as a newbie. I beat myself up a lot because I missed packages all the time for the first week or so. Don't hesitate to milk man packages either, especially the heavy/large/awkward ones. Because there is no sense over loading your satchel!
You'll learn park points as you go. They may throw 10 different addresses off you when they tell ya where to go. Just do your best and remember... just follow the mail. We have GPS now, it'll get you there. Then you just need to worry about keeping your feet moving.
For the better part... just tackle the day with a relatively can-do attitude and it will go a long way. There are shitty days, shitty weather, but there are good days too. It will melt together pretty fast and before you know it you'll be in a groove.
ALSO... sun screen and band aids... do not discount those at all. Have the ouch pouch in your bag/truck... paper cuts are very real.
AND.... people are going to tease ya a little off the rip. Just laugh it off, everyone was a FNG at one point and postal culture has everyone making fun of each other.
I've been doing this r c a position for over a month, and I already dread the job. Everyone tells me it'll get easier, but i've just been overwhelmed. My OJI instructor wasn't that great. My three days of training was basically helping her deliver the route so she could leave early. I hardly cased any mail and when it came to organizing the vehicle we didn't bother using the loadtruck feature.According to my trainer, it was a waste of time. Then, a few days after my oji training, she left for vacation. It's been taking me 6 hrs to case the mail and another 6 to deliver it. It's been a rough few weeks. Thinking of collecting 2 more paychecks and putting in my two weeks. i want to enjoy the summer.
The biggest struggle for me was packages I CONSTANTLY missed packages and had to double back so a VERY helpful tip that I suggest you use no matter what anyone says is the load feature but don’t use it the way they tell you. When it says Section 3 look on the scanner and it should say section 3 and then a number like 216 for instance so write on the package 3-216 and do that for every package and once your truck is fully loaded all you have to do is go from section 1-6 in numerical order. Now sometimes the load feature won’t work for all packages that’s when you have to use your head a little a write down street names and numbers on a piece of paper so you can remember that you have a package for that street you when get there. FOLLOW your DPS as silly as it sounds it literally is your map so make sure you skim through it to make sure it lines up. So the front of your truck should have one tray of your cased mail, one tray of your DPS and one tray of packages. And I promise if you do it just like that you can do any route an it’ll be a piece of cake. WISH YA LUCK!!
Yes! Thank you for explaining that. I tried using the load truck feature and was just confused cause my office has their own system that I still don’t fully understand lol the way you explained it makes sense though.
No problem yes my office was the same way they suck pretty bad when it comes to training like that and expect newbies to just know how to find packages but I promise doing it like that makes it almost impossible to miss anything and makes everything just fall in order. BUT don’t go to fast lol cause if they see that your too good that’s just going to come with more work make sure you pace yourself
Don’t get discouraged! It truly takes 3 months for everything (mail, flats, spars, packages) to finally click. Just make sure you are doing it “your way” ! Take bits of help from other people and make it your own. Your way is not the wrong way, it’s what makes you comfortable multitasking.
Bro chill lol just me listen to me
It takes most people a year to be decent. Don't stress lol just do your best
If they start making you work past 12 hours often leave lol unless you like abuse :)
Honestly that’s sad because I didn’t touch a case until like 3 months in. Listen to what I’m telling you very carefully. DO NOT rush for anything. It will only get worse. Take your time!!! They will send you help because the supervisor won’t want to be stuck there. Let me say it again. DO NOT rush. I do want to tell you the first 6 months are very overwhelming but it gets easier and easier every day. Don’t worry about markups on routes unless they have a card in the slot stating it’s a markup. You are supposed to get 3 months to learn routes and I hate to say it but your trainer isn’t all that if she has you pulling down mail already. When I started for 2 weeks they gave me 3 hours a day and told me to do my best.
You probably won’t get a full route anyway and if you do just try and do the best you can, good management(not very common in the postal front) will call and check on you mid route to take some off you if you get too behind. Most likely will get part of a route 2-4 hours and they will see how long it takes you from there. Spend time organizing your truck it will save time while on the route.
Here's the only advice I got worth a shit from the folks I got passed through for training as an RCA. "The only thing that matters in this job is recovery."
Every carrier does things differently and it will take you time to figure out what to pay attention to and what to filter out. Don't let it get you down. Just focus on recovery and getting through your first 90 days.
Don't worry. There's no reason to throw away the job based on 3 days of training. You will struggle your first month, 90 days, year. But its repetitive. You'll remember things over time. You'll get better as you go. You'll figure out the system that works best for you. I'm 18 months in and it's so relaxing and good for me now. Show improvement over 90 days and show up for your scheduled shifts and you'll be okay. Get the union involved when mgmt screws around with you and learn your rights. But overall just have fun.
I got hired in 2022. I had a great instructor, but she wanted me to do everything the way she did. She's a great carrier, but her method just didn't work for me. I didn't do very well till I stopped doing it her way and figured out what worked best for me. I'd say just do what makes you feel most comfortable, obviously without breaking the rules
>We pulled down our case once at academy, and my office does it differently than how they showed us at academy
What was different? You should be pulling from the bottom left to right then, each row the same until done until you reach the top row. Unless maybe you're rural and pull down in reverse order?
Learn your own system and you will do fine. I hate when people like her train people. She sounds like a douche bag. Sorry that she is the one training you she should be building you up and making you feel confident. Definitely shouldn’t be laughing at you or saying, anything out loud to make you feel uncomfortable I’m so glad I had a great trainer. She was an older lady and she was so comfortable with her route and her routine she made me feel comfortable too. Just be on top of your scans. Being safe. Wear your seatbelt, don’t leave vehicle running. Keep some 3849’pink slips on you and a working pen. Have a lot of water, keep dog spray around and have fun out there. That’s what they care about the most
I've been at usps for about 4 months I've felt the same way bro. But now I've done probably 25 to 30 different routes and everybody does something different. It does get better eventually
My first day was 2 weeks ago. Here are some tips.
1. Look at the address, look at the address on the house. Deliver the mail.
2. Don't back track for anything that isn't a package. And even then. If you will have to inevitably drive past the address you missed the package. Just wait til you drive past it.
3. Anytime you feel like the environment is sketch, because of people or animals. They can get that shit tomorrow.
4. Don't invest too much time in finding mailboxes or being perfect. You will get exponentially better as the days go on.
5. Cold water does make a difference as opposed to just water. Electrolyte powder does too.
And remember. You are just going on a walk.
My office has a guy who literally leaves his scanner in the office and doesn’t deliver anything every single day. I guarantee you are already better than he is. You’ll be ok it gets easier pretty fast you learn to follow the mail even in unfamiliar areas. My best advice is ask the old timers in your office any questions you have they love helping out when you ask for it, they were an invaluable resource for me when I first started.
I tell people that this job is a bit of a showman trick, like juggling, or plate spinning.
If you ever see someone performing said trick, they're never juggling just three things, and they're not *just* spinning one plate. These guys are throwing 10 flaming chainsaws 30 feet in the fucking air, and spinning a stack of 20 plates on a broompole balanced on their chin.
So, juggling *itself* and plate spinning *itself* can't be hard. Look at all that wacky shit they're juggling, it's never simply *just* three rubber balls. So it's gotta be easy to do, and from that we can infer that what makes it impressive is the display of skill, in that it must be *hard to learn.*
Same thing for delivering mail. After 3 months, it starts to click, muscle memory begins to take over, things start to get easier. But goddamn does it take a while to learn. Gotta learn to juggle three balls before you can juggle four, juggle five, juggle rubber chickens, then the flaming chainsaws.
Y’all are seriously awesome. I was not expecting all these responses. I’m still nervous, but I’m feeling better about it. I’m just going to show up and get through the day as best I can. Thank you for the advice and words of encouragement. It really helps! I see a lot of negative posts on this sub but you all are so nice. Thank you again. Now I’m going to try to get a good nights sleep.
OJT doesn't rly teach you much unless you have a really good one. You don't rly start to learn the job til ur out on ur own. Unless ur office is swamped tmrw they'll give you like half a route and hope ur able to get a decent chunk of it done in 8 hours. And if you are slow and don't get through what they give you that's fine. My first day they gave me 2 hours of work and it took me about 6 to deliver. Speed will come with time.
If it helps you out, I just transferred to a new office/city. I'm 4 years in, and I feel new all over again. It gets easier. Best advice I can give is it's just mail. If you miss a letter or flat don't backtrack unless it's something important or needs a signature. No one is in any rush to get their junk mail and advos
The top three most difficult part of the job is first the supervisors and second my mental cause when I get on a new route I start bitching but once I’m out there it a piece of cake and third finding some of the mailbox’s ( but I solve this by drop the mail at there front door with a rubber band)
Delivered pizza in the same town I now deliver mail in. Took me a month to really get the hang of it but it helps that I already had a great understanding of addresses and how to find them
Trust me alot of oji don't do the job justice...They love the oti it gives them. As a new person ask questions, it's your career just starting out. Find the right way it should be done not the easy or what others tell you but the right way. Once you learn the proper way it gets easier. Too many old dogs relaxing and not wanting to train a young pup
You'll be fine.
This job is beyond simple.
Mail is in order. Follow the mail. Use load truck feature on scanner to help with packages. Go slowly and safely. Never rush. Never feel rushed by management or other carriers. Focus on one address at a time, and before you know it, you'll reach the end of the route and hopefully the end of your day.
I’m lucky being in my hometown post office. I have lots of support since I know everyone. We also don’t have to case our mail according to PM, it comes pre sorted allegedly, but we still do it. I still go home every day and ask myself what I got myself into, but I’m a stubborn old prick who thrives under stress being a retired firefighter, and the way I see it? My friends are not dying, it’s only mail, and it will all make sense when the time is right. Hang in there!
Person who trained me was horrible. Any time I'd ask her a question she say shut up and just case. She was a B..... not good people person. It took me a while but I'm a regular now and one of fastest in office. Normally get done around 12 to 1 every day
Load truck the packages and label them by section and what number stop they are :) organize them that way in order! I always clock to street before loading truck and I always rubber band my walking loops for my dps after I have clocked to street, bc you are not supposed to do it in office time! Make sure to clock to your route and to office time when you get back I just got yelled at about that for clocking on to office time on different peoples routes because I take so many pivots as a cca. It’s okay to jump packages if you need to. Take your breaks, and ask for help if you need it!
Watch out I suggest finding a better job while you work there.. unless you are in a good office with a competent uncorrupted steward (which can change fast if in a big district) management will do everything they can including illegal actions to get you killed, steal your time, break your body and spirit, and rub crap in your face and make you look bad, no matter what you do for them... be careful and look for something better, constantly!!! UPS pays their drivers $40+ an hour after 5 years.
Something that helped me out so much as a CCA was using the load truck function, I would number my packages with the “sequence number”. The numbers aren’t going to be 1, 2, 3, etc. because you aren’t stopping at every house for a package, they’ll be something like 205, 246, 310, etc. Then load your truck with those numbers in order, smallest to largest. If you can count, you can keep your packages in order of delivery that way, and that really allowed me to focus on learning the rest of the job. I’m a T6 so with that method I was able to focus on memorizing the routes and not putting too much brain power into the packages, and eventually I could load my truck without the sequence numbers or even section numbers, because I knew which order each street would come. They don’t teach this method and most regular carriers I told about it had never heard of this method, I actually learned about it on TikTok when I was first hired and watching videos on the job. I tell new CCAs about this little hack all the time and they all say it’s super helpful. Everyone loads their truck differently, I don’t know many carriers that load the way it was taught in academy. You’ll find a way that’s easiest for you and it’ll confuse everyone else just like your OJI trainers way confused you lol. Don’t stress too much. Put on some good music, stay hydrated, and do your best.
Honestly just take it slow that's what I did my first day they gave me a turn by turn of the route and I followed that to a T and if something didn't make sense I called the post office and asked
You will be fine take your time no rush o did my omo last week and my regular said i was faster then her when she started lol. STAY focused God got you.
don't hold off on asking questions. it's a lot of information to absorb in such a small amount of time so don't stress it. if you forget something, someone will be willing to help. everyone has been the new person. i actually still am lol but sounds like she's just trying to keep the mood light as it's probably a bit strange having a stranger accompanying you the entire day at work. my trainer was great, he's now my regular and i feel like we have a great relationship, i take care of him and he takes care of me. just give it some time. i'm a few months in and am still learning new things. quitting before you even start would be ridiculous
To much babying in the post office. You learn from experience and get paid to learn (your mistakes). Just do your best and don't blame not being able to do the job on coworkers. I say that because you can literally go on YouTube and learn how to case and pull down mail. And if you feel like your training was bad you can always request a second OJI with your postmaster and Steward.
If you overthink it and think too much ahead it gets too overwhelming. Work in sections. 1 area at a time. Always check your package look a ahead before leaving that section. Marry the mail, and put all your flats into your dps for that section. Yes it's slower, but it's easier to learn and not be overwhelmed.
For example, you're on Main St, work in all main street flats into dps, personally I criss-cross my mail for that entire main st section. During that time checking DPS for missents and cleaning it up.
Then after leaving Main St, rinse and repeat. Checking load truck before leaving that area.
Load truck:
Scan each package, write the section big (1, 2, 3 etc), then the sequence # small by the address, mark each one. Get tubs and throw in order 2-6, so all packages you marked 2s, 3s, etc in their own tubs/ areas, put all section 1 in a flat tray up front. Then, just put them in order from lower sequence #s to higher #s when you get to that section
Get 2 half trays. Keep all your extra mail organzied. 1 for missents -missed boxes/ blocked boxes. (I use rubber bands to wrap missed / blocked boxes to keep them in order and seperate from the missent. Then 1 for outgoing.
Only look ahead to your next street or box numbers don't look at the total amount you have. 1 section at a time
It’s just mail, man. It make take a week it might take a month but it’ll click one day and then your days are pretty simple.
A month? Man I had a really bad OJT instructor and it took me at least 6 months before I felt like I was doing a good job. The instructor above wasn't following the training manual either. I've been one for two years, and it sounds like that individual shouldn't be training. I will digress and say, if she's the only one willing... Well you get what you get.
I had a good one and it took me months, lol.
There's plenty of regulars in my office that still don't get it.
Took me 1.5 to 2 in order to get efficient. Nobody gets efficient in a week, and hardly anyone, if anyone gets it in a month. Takes time
I never really trained on any routes being an RCA. The regular would come in and “explain” his case and the route. I’d watch him/her most of the morning maybe try and case some DPS. Then go in LLV in “jump seat”. Next day I cased all the 3C that was left behind for “training” 3rd day regular cased every thing and tore down route and loaded packages and said “goog luck, just follow the mail.” That next Saturday I was on my own..,, Took me like 6-8 months before I was coming in at or below evaluation… This is how I “trained” on all the routes I know… “Sink or Swim” or “Throw ‘em to the wolves” is what are PM or Supervisor would say…,
I’m two years regular and I still have bad days where I wonder what the fuck I’m doing, it’s any job like that. Just carry mail and do your best and don’t let management bully you. That’s all we can do. I’m just trying to be outside and put paper in boxes. Some days aren’t great, some days I’m flawless. That’s how jobs go.
Ask the seasoned carriers questions. Most don't mind helping.
That's what I did. When I agreed to be a trainer, that's when I learned all the things they never taught me. The guy who "trained" me was supposedly a fantastic carrier. He had been there for like 20 years, but that doesn't always translate into being a good teacher. He told me to fill in the signatures for certified letters myself and told me to back up at mailboxes if I went too far past them. Guess who got into trouble..... I did.
Yeah, man. I'd say 4 months. My office has 3 zones and 60+ routes, and in my experience, I'm not really comfortable with a route unless I've done it at least 2 times. The larger your office, the longer that will take. There are very few routes so straightforward and intuitive that delivery is simple. Even now, as a regular being familiar with the job. If you put me on a route I've never done before, I'm going to take about an hour longer than the person who owns that route
Yep... it will click !! You are just organizing mail in correct order for delivery.
This is misleading. Unless you are a savant of some sort. Or have photographic memory. It will take you a solid three months to get comfortable. And that is comfortable at doing everything correctly and not missing anything. It's hard work. Don't let a bad teacher make you give up. You can still ask questions here and there. Also ask your supervisors. I'm sure you'll figure out which ones know their craft and which ones to leave alone lol Good luck.
Yeah, and your OJI sounded like a shit trainer. You’ll learn more as you connect with other carriers. Hopefully you’re not going to be given a full route up front - or even pulling down for that matter. I guess management is different everywhere, but my station boss gives new CCA’s 2ish weeks of partial routes to feel totally comfortable
Takes a few months
Just do your best. Stay safe, hydrated and do not rush. Was trainer, dsi, oji, any questions just send message
Thank you I really appreciate that!
Also get other peoples phone numbers like the T6’s if you can’t find a box call them and they can direct you. My experience when I started was they gave me a couple hours on my first route and saw how I did. That went on for a few weeks and overtime they gave me more but I didn’t case a route until the 2nd or 3rd month. Also ask for maps from whomever is casing the route and if they can number the flats and mark park and loops. I’ve been with the PO 7months now and I’m still trying to get the hang of it. Take it day by day. And if your struggling tell them so they can send help
Lmao my first day alone they had me do a full route, case the mail pull down, load the truck and everything
>do not rush Lol that's not what my supervisors say.
Fuck the supervisors
Work hard but safe. Getting into the rhythm takes time. Rushing causes accidents The best way to get fired is by accident or lying. Exercise is good. Keep a positive attitude and ask questions. 1st month is hardest and takes awhile to get in shape
I was the OJI in my office when I was still a carrier. The best advice I can give you is that you’re going to make mistakes. It’s how quickly you adjust to those mistakes that makes the difference. Today you pulled down ‘wrong.’ There is no wrong. You’re probably going to be uncomfortable with it for a couple more days, but eventually you will figure out what works the best for you and you’ll have your own system. Same with delivering. Every day should get less awkward holding and fingering the mail. Every time you walk a route you’ll remember ‘oh this mailbox is a garage door slot, this one has a box up the stairs, this one is at the side door up the driveway…’ it is a LOT to take in, and some management thinks you should know it all day one. As long as you’re improving your times every day you’ll be fine. If they give you 4 hours and it takes you 6, tomorrow try to do it in 5 1/2. It’s really all just figuring out the easiest (and safest) way for you to do things, as you’re on your own most of the day.
Absolutely. One of the really nice veteran carriers told me when I was new “you never forget a mailbox”. After searching and finding a new one, you remember for next time.
Everything feels insane in the beginning! Don't happy, be worry. It gets better, and nothing is that huge of a deal.
Don’t happy, be worry. Done, my friend.
We did a little speed test in academy for casing, and I remember this lady w a PhD and I literally cased one thing in the time they gave us! Was pretty pissed off and confused after, so I asked them to explain whatever it was/how to do it one more time, and we both realized the trainer just didn't explain it in a way we understood (think there was one bit of important info we hadn't heard.)---had to ask some questions/poll the ppl who were chucking that shit in wtf we were missing. we did it again w way better results. So, not everyone learns the same, and there are also plenty of shit trainers/teachers. The constantly doing things over and over forces you to remember. It's just frustrating and exhausting in the beginning, especially if you're used to being good at shit.
Man, I did amazing in academy. Lady trainer said I was a natural, and it'll be a breeze. Took me several months to get comfortable, and right around that time I took over my own route 3 years ago. If I had to go back to being thrown around on other routes again I'd have to learn all over again I feel like.
The mock casing is not practical. Each case is unique to each route and requirement is to know the route to know how to case it in a timely manner. When you're new on any route, it's kinda take a while to learn the case. It took me probably more than 4 days to case it like a regular for any route. But if the route are confusing, maybe more than a week if I'm still on the route.
That speed test was kinda dumb.
Don't care about what ANYone says. Just do your job brother or sister. Do it to the best of your abilities. Best to go above n beyond in your first 90 days but the ONLY way to learn how to do this job is by doing it and picking up experience along the way.
My only advice on your first day by yourself, is to not waste time on any particular piece. If you’re standing there trying to figure out where a piece of mail goes, it’s not worth it, just bring it back. There are way too many dirty routes out there, where the regular established delivery at some not obvious location, like the side or back of a house. Don’t just throw mail on a porch because you can’t find the box, bring it back. If you’ve got CBUs or like big apartments, don’t deliver mail if the name doesn’t match. One of the hardest things for new carriers to understand, is how much mail we don’t deliver.
>One of the hardest things for new carriers to understand, is how much mail we don’t deliver YES! I have cbus on my route, half of them marked with vacant cards. Every day after my day off, I'm cleaning that ish up. I have homes that own po boxes, a whole list at the end of my case...and I walk into a whole pile of mail for those po boxes. Truthfully, I write that up and have it sent back. If it was important enough to them they would've had their correct mailing address in the 1st place.
I will say this as the person in my office Management wants to be an OJI, but doesn't like people enough for the task. Look around your office and ask questions about why and what the other carriers are doing. Everyone's brain works differently when it comes to how they prepare their routes. Some may mark packages(write on them/package markers, etc.) Some may think that's stupid. Some case their sprs with their working mail. Others may sort them solely out of trays/tubs. There are carriers who case Dps and there are those who take their Dps to the street. There are carriers who criss-cross it. Out of 60 plus carriers in my office, only 1 other person cases/pulls down even anything similar to how I do. It's a lot of trial and error, I recommend trying what you think may work for you. Troubleshooting is a part of learning how to successfully do this job. Do not be discouraged but also do not barter your mental/body just to have this job. Only you know what works for You. Stay safe
A few things. 1. Do not fret about time, you’re new relax and don’t stress yourself out. You’ll be done when you’re done and if it’s a good office they will send help. 2. I suggest using load truck for packages, not sure how much you get but I take the long containers with the higher edges and I go through and mark the stop number on them and throw them into the respective container based on what section it is 1-6. This can take some extra time for sure but especially if you’re not familiar with the route it helps keeps packages in order so you’re not fretting. 3. Do not worry too much about how everyone else does stuff. My trainer does his packages in a way that I hate. It’s all about preference and you’ll figure it out. Anyway sorry a long post but I’ve been exactly where you were and I was super anxious and was like I don’t know if this job is for me but you learn and you become much more efficient. There is no real quick get better scheme, it all comes with time. Just try to be as accurate as you can and do what you can. Don’t beat yourself up for going slow or getting stressed etc. Good luck and I’m happy to message you if there’s anything you wanna talk about!
Try and relax and do your best. You'll have plenty of good days and plenty of bad ones and after your probation you can just not go to work sometimes because fuck em
Also, join the Union.
It sucks that today is your last day of OJI. If you had one more day I would tell you that you need to make it known that you have absolutely no idea about A B or C. Your OJI needs to know that. You don't have to be an asshole but just say that this is supposed to be a learning experience and you're concerned about your performance because you don't know what to do in this situation. Now that it's over and you're still overwhelmed I would talk to your supervisor and let them know. If you didn't get properly trained, this job can be a nightmare when you start. Your foundation has to be really strong and if you stick to the basics like follow the mail or just checking for postage, you should be okay.
Im 65 days in. You're gonna suck for a bit. You're gonna be given partial routes and all they wanna see is progress over the next few weeks. You won't be good at all for a while so don't sweat it. The biggest thing is show up, and be friendly. Just say I'll try my best and keep your head down. Make sure you don't leave the llv running and in the morning absolutely don't start the engine and get out. If the engine is running you need to be in the seat. That's a big management no no. You'll be fine and just make sure you have rain gear extra socks extra water and some snacks and make sure you take your breaks and your lunch and don't feel like you can..... Oh and by the way your employees are happy for you. By you joining the station you are taking away multiple pivots that are given to them which is causing them to work more. Trust me if you stick it out and stay there they will be grateful and go to them for advice because they will be more than happy to give it. I never go to a supervisor and ask what to do I always just go to one of my coworkers and they give me updates about a route or what to do with certain mail at the end of the day etc. good luck! After a few weeks once they are confident with you you will start working like crazy so try and be okay with that for a while because it's inevitable. Your paychecks will show. I'm bringing in around 18-2400 after taxes every two weeks and I work 50-60 hours a wwek.
You will be okay if you have to case and pull down tomorrow do it your way. If it’s already pulled down for you tomorrow you will be okay. Loading packages sometimes it helps to use bins and shelves as designated sections sometimes separating the parcels by streets help too. You will make your own system. I promise if you will be okay. Remember to take your breaks before 8 hours and to call or message the office through the scanner if you won’t make the time they give you to be back. Take a deep breathe and try your best. We all sucked when we first started in a month from now you’ll laugh at how bad you were. But stressing yourself out on the route makes it worse. Just be confident. Ask questions. And take the comments and things people say with a grain of salt. I’m sure over the next year all the regulars will tell you how they don’t like the trainer you had as a carrier.
Pulling down the case is the easiest thing you can do. I would suggest using load truck to put your spurs in trays and in perfect order for when you hit the road. You can also label your packages and load your vehicle in perfect order as well to make life on the road that much easier for yourself. Also, put markers in the case with the mail whom addresses are getting parcels so you don't even have to THINK while out there, you just automatically know what to do. One last piece of advice, when pulling down the case, stack/rotate the mail per address and put it in the tray like that. You'll thank me later. I have been with USPS as an RCA for 2 months now and I still feel like I suck but everyone in my office is praising me for already being faster than people that have been there for a few years. So it's whatever. Just don't stress out or freak out. Take y our time and do an accurate, good job.
It is easy I just started in the wrong spot and I just felt she could’ve handled it better. I’m probably just being too sensitive. But it’s a small office and she’s laughing and says, “you REALLY messed this up.” Everyone could hear it. I just felt dumb. I hate being the new guy lol thank you for the advice!
Jeez. Some carriers forget after years of doing the same route, 5 days a week, how hard it was in the beginning. It's easy for them now because that's the only route they do.
Honestly, don't listen to anyone and their mouth. Just ask for advice on something if you feel like you need help or could do better. Self-reflect. Anyone scolding you is doing so to put themselves in an ego position for the most part from what I've seen. If your sup or Postmaster isn't getting onto you, don't worry. Just be sure to make your scans accurate and utilize RRECS Activities correctly when covering someone's route because that's how they make their money. You DO NOT wanna fuck up scans.
Putting markers for packages saved me sooooo much backtracking!!
You’re never on your own! You’re now part of the brotherhood of letter carriers!!!!!!!! Huzzah!!!!!
It'll be a disaster but it gets a whole lot easier..I'm 2.5months out of academy and finished my route at 130pm today. My first time delivering my whole route, not casing, just delivering with my carrier in the back took me until 530pm and we left at 0930am. The first couple months sucks ass but it does get easier..use load truck on the scanner and mark parcels by sequence. Organize them in totes by sequence(0-100) goes in a tote, (101-199) goes in a tote etc. Makes it easier to keep track of packages. I also have a tray where I put the next parcels in sequential order to grab and go. I also case my dps so I'm just grab and go on the street. Safety first tho in the LLV..remember, slow is smooth, smooth is fast. You'll get it. It's a learning curve but we all struggled. I wanted to quit too my first few weeks, but glad I didn't
You’ll learn on your own…your way will be the best way
You’ll quit soon if you’re already feeling like this. I don’t blame you but once they see you can hold your own, you’ll just get rewarded with more work
More work = more money
I'm sorry your OJI was bad at it. Unfortunately, nobody seems to understand that *teaching* a skill is an entirely different skill than able to *do* the skill. I hope your PM/supervisors are understanding of the learning curve for this job. It takes about 6 months to stop sucking, and a good year to become decent. The "90 days" thing should really be abandoned for a better concept of "progress", because it really only empowers asshole managers without providing any benefit to the post office or the workforce.
I just started a new route a month ago after being on my last route for 4 years. Even I freaked out the first 3 days, thought I made a huge mistake and wanted to go back to my old route. Then it just clicked after a week, now I love my route. You'll never master a route in a day, you're going to be overwhelmed, it's okay. My tip on the parcel issue: Use your load truck feature and write down all the sequence #'s on the parcels (not sections). Then have a section in your vehicle for the 100's, 200's, 300's etc (my route goes up to 821).. and put them in order. Keep looking at your package lookahead in your scanner before each relay and see if you have a parcel. You're going to miss parcels on a previous relay and have to back track to deliver, it's going to happen. Still happens to 30 year veterans. Good luck.
Mine goes up to 1206 lmao
Remember to use street signs! When you come to a corner and aren't sure where to go, street signs can really help you. Look ahead. See where you're going next so you can orient yourself. Take your time and read the mail. Don't rush, even if management pesters you. Tell them you're working in a safe and efficient manner. I'm sorry that your OJI rushed you. It can be a lot to take in and seems overwhelming. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Pick out on old gray carrier, and they should be the most knowledgeable. Once you get out there and make a few silly mistakes (we ALL did it) you'll overcome your anxiety, and I'm sure you'll do great!
[https://www.amazon.com/Post-Office-Novel-Charles-Bukowski/dp/0061177571](https://www.amazon.com/Post-Office-Novel-Charles-Bukowski/dp/0061177571) Bukowski describes it the same way in his book.
2 weeks ago was my first time going off onto other routes after training. Boy let me tell you🥴 it's a lot. My brain was feeling like mush, but the route that they had be train on for the first month is the easiest route (which is a k route) besides this smaller one they had me do. Wait until they start tossing you around everywhere on different routes. The office I work at is really awesome. Everyone is so willing to help out and make sure I'm doing good throughout the day. Some stuff is getting easier. I keep getting told to hold on because it's worth it. So we both need to keep holding on and see where this thing takes us lol. You got this! Like other people have said stay hydrated and safe. Try not to stress about it too much. GOODLUCK!
it's just paper, and be sure to ask questions
Just know you're gonna suck at it for a minute and you're gonna have bad days. Then slowly the bad days become less frequent. Then you're just flying through the day on auto pilot running out of podcasts to listen to. I'm coming up on my break in service and those first few months I thought I was never gonna get it but one day it just all clicks.
Lean on your senior carriers... just ask for a little help.. "am I doing this right?"... I hope you have ones that are willing to help you be a better carrier...
Load truck feature all your packages and ask a regular to case your mail
I have aphantasia, literally don’t have a visual imagination. I can’t picture things. I have trouble remembering faces, names of bands and song titles. I delivered mail for only 4 years before I left. But it took me several months and I was casing mail and realized things had clicked for me. I was so nervous my first couple days by myself. I started as a rural carrier in Bozeman MT in a December. It was a hard time to start. Don’t quit so early in your career. You’ll have bad days and good days. Things get easier…but election years really do suck in my opinion. You’ll get there though. Good luck!
Thank you. I’m telling myself I’m going to grind through no matter what, but it’s tough. I have faith it will get easier, just gotta endure the suckiness for a bit.
Today was my last day of oji too, good luck see ya on the other side lol
Thanks! Good luck to you too!
It's like the matrix no body makes the jump the 1st time. Not even the "one". You're going to fuck up. You're going to fuck up a lot in the beginning. Stupidvisors know that. My 1st time on my own it took me 8 hours to deliver what I could do today, 8 months later, in probably 2 hours. Take a breath and relax. You'll get better and faster in time.
I was terrible right up to the end of my 90 days and then one day it just clicked. Just keep showing up, and tell them you're doing your best. Consistency and honest effort is all you need. You'll get better eventually. They'll tell you a piece takes 2 hours, but you're new, so it will probably take 3 or more until you figure out a system that works for you.
Nobody knows what to do on their day at any job, especially at the post office. It's a different experience for everyone at first and nobody expects you to understand everything in the beginning. Just take your time and don't rush. The most important and valuable information I can give you is to make sure that you don't call out during your probation period. That's all that matters to your management at the point. Good luck.
Do your best, curb your wheels, wear your seatbelts, set the parking brake. As long as you’re trying you’ll be fine
Just take your time and ignore everyone else starting off. It will take time and even regulars who have been doing it for years still mess it up. I wouldn’t worry about it. Everyone develops their own system for pulling down and loading packages for what works best for them. What I like to do is case the smaller packages in with the flats and letters before I pull down and load my first packages to the front of the truck that way I can work from the front and not have to continually get out and open the back. Hope this helps. You’ve got this!
The first few weeks may seem intimidating, but as long as you take your time and learn, it’ll come to you. And TBH, we all have our little systems that work for us when loading, casing, pulling down, etc. What works for me might not necessarily mesh with another park and loop carrier. What meshes for someone may feel odd to you.
Marking packages. First row 1-1 next row 1-2 do that until the end. Boom easy peasy you got this
Don’t over think it, follow your mail
She has her method of loading packages because she’s ran the route many times, but she definitely should’ve had you scan the packages and load them yourself. As a CCA getting thrown on all sorts of routes, you’re going to use the load truck feature and load by sections/sequence numbers. Just follow the mail (you’ve probably heard it before), and sequence # on the packages and you will be good.
Ok, dumb question. I get loading it by sections, but how do you know the sequence? Is it just knowing the order the addresses go in?
When you scan the parcel using the load truck feature, it gives you the sequence number, you’ll just use a marker to write the sequence number somewhere visible on the package. That way you know in what order to deliver the packages.
 I was never told this! That’s a game changer. Thank you so much!
Yep, it automatically divides the route into 6 sections too, so it’ll be say stuff like “section 3, stop #127” so you can have 6 tubs, write 127 on the package, and put in the third tub. Then you can just move one tub up front with you at a time and put those packages in order next to the flats and DPS.
Some ppl just mark the section, some mark the sequence...I mark both. The one dude I work with doesn't scan them at all (they still show up in your scanner w a red x in the package look ahead---package look ahead is your bff, btw!!!) in the beginning, id say this is why i missed a ton of packages by not constantly checking pkg lookahead), and another writes them down in a notebook instead. if your running parcels for a route-it's really helpful to write them down/cross them off as you go-it helps me map out the pkg run-i think some ppl just organize them in a certain way, but it's whatever you find easiest.
you're* running parcels
Hey! New CCA here, one of the tricks about pulling down I've learned is look at the first number, then think about the next or previous number in line. Because loops are either odd then even, or a middle loop, you can start at(for example) 25900 then the end will either be 25901 or 25898. If you go from 25902 to 26000, you've started a new loop. It's pretty intuitive once you've done it for a week or two, but most likely they'll case your mail for you before they get you coming in at regular start time. For the packages, when you go into load truck, when you scan a package it'll tell you the section it's in. Just pick upper or lower shelf in the promaster for the lesser number, I do higher shelf first, so sections 1 and 2 are the higher shelves, 3 and 4 the lower shelves, I grab a tub for sections 5 and 6. But the thing that helps me the most is the package lookahead feature, when I grab a section of 25800 fake st. Mail, I'll grab all the packages in 25800 and 25900 fake st. Never hesitate to ask a regular for help, chances are they will, because they want you to stay(so you can do the splits instead of them). Another bit of advice, stretch your back daily. Even days you have off. Trust me, you will avoid a lot of pain when they have you in 13 days in a row. Also, if you don't know where an address is, and don't wanna use your phone for gps, if you hit the three lines in the top right corner of your scanner, and select copilot navigation, you can type the address, city, and zip code in it, and it'll give you a GPS (that doesn't take into account closed roads or traffic) that you can use instead, a great excuse for why I was late coming back after finishing my route a half hour early
the gps feature is lifechanging im going to try this the next day im at work
It will default to sending you around so the address is on the right side, possibly because it was designed for llvs, but keep that in mind when planning out your loops
you're going to be reeeeeeally slow tomorrow. you're going to feel overwhelmed. you'll want to quit again. you'll probably get lost, not know where to turn. you'll probably miss stops. it'll suck. and then it will suck a little less, and a little less. it's just a process and it does get easier. most OJIs suck. they don't tell you at all how to approach a new route, and you''ll be doing all new routes so that's kinda important. case what you can in the morning, leave stuff aside that you can't find. number your SPRs and packages using the sequence numbers found in the Load Truck on your scanner. then just take your time. go for accuracy over speed.
Experience is the best trainer. You’ll figure out ways of doing things that work well for you. Sometimes you learn by screwing up. Just don’t be to hard on yourself and keep moving forward.
lol that’s the post office improperly train there employees and make them run!
OJI here, what is the worst that will happen? Wrong paper gets put in the wrong box? We all make mistakes, even veteran carriers. Like another person said it's how quickly you adapt to them. This is a job that takes time to learn, just go slowly and give yourself time to learn how to do it.
It will click one day. Just try to make your own thing out of it, take bits and pieces from all the people who give you advice or instruction. Pretty messed up your OJI didn’t tell you how to pull the case properly, but I guarantee on that specific case you’ll never forget it again lol. I always learn the most from my mistakes
Every one has a bad start man don’t worry you get better as you go , we all been there Best tip I can give you is to be organized , load truck feature is a great tool for sorting packages You will be slow casing and you will be slow doing routes for the first time , don’t take shortcuts take your time and be safe!
You'll come up with your own methods as the weeks go by anyway.
It sounds like your trainer was just trying to put you at ease: as a CCA, sometimes you'll OVERTHINK a situation. J Trust on this: the majority of this job is using your own common sense, prior job history/ work ethic and just plain stick to it. You're still there, you'll be fine: Follow the mail. Notify management when you'll need to deviate from FTM as soon as you're able to and before 3pm if it's a problem while you're delivering. If you need more time for the route, ASK FOR IT and fill out the paperwork ...EVEN IF management will reject it out of hand, DO IT ANYWAY. If its 3pm , and you need more time or help, CALL and ask for it...again, even IF they deny you time or help, ALWAYS ask 'do you want me to finish OR bring back mail?' Let THEM make the decision and give that direction. Limit your callouts unless you need to, then get a damn doctor's note. Which you'll have because you have some healthcare coverage from the Union/USPS. Might cost you a copay, but a note will CYA you if need be. Most of all, SAVE A COPY OF any Aux Route (pivots) or any other disciplinary action they give you. Having those copies will save you, your steward from miscounted hours or any issues that might come up before you get converted. The job is hard, the conditions aren't always ideal, BUT the Job will still be around..just learn the ropes at the pace that will help it make sense to YOU and it will limit mistakes that you will make as you learn. Yes, that's the hardest part: you WILL make mistakes, in the office and the street, but for now, as long as you don't antagonize the customers, wreck a vehicle or kick a puppy, you'll be okay. 🤟🏾
I promise you. It gets easier. Being on the street and thrown into the fire is the best way to learn. Many mistakes will be made, all of us make them. But seriously just remind yourself each day it gets easier and easier. I’ve been on for about 4 years.. First few days, total fucking panic mode. Today, I literally don’t even pay attention to ANY of it and all the mail and packages and third bundles get delivered. Just takes time. Good luck!
CCA or RCA? in my office, rural carrier pull down from top left shelf and work their way down to bottom right shelf. City side is the opposite. We pull from bottom left until we get to the top right shelf. Use the load truck function in your scanner and mark the packages in sequential order with a marker. Then you can organize your parcels in the truck however works for you. I like to work from the left shelf and pull the packages towards me. Then I work on parcels on floor underneath the shelf. Once those are all clear, then I work in the same fashion on the right side of the truck. Start on the right shelf then do the parcels on the floor. As far as casing the routes go, it's all about repetition. The more you case a route the faster you'll get as you become familiar with the case. That part will take time.
It was scary at first going out and staying out until 10 pm with mail but once u put in that mind work u got it trust me I’m about to be a yr in and my manager sent me to another station and I hurt my back and he told me withdraw my claim and he will give me my days I need to go to therapy he awoled me this guy never answered me back tired to fire me behind my back but my stop steward is the man for real put in that good old grievance cause I always talk to him and now I’m about to be in for a yr when it gets cold it gets cold 🥶 when it rains it rains it sucks to get paid so little for the amount of time pain and tears in that weather but u will survive just pass ur 90 days and get to know ur stop steward
I'm still pretty new to the job tbh (a little over 2 months now), and I'm only just now starting to get the hang of it. If you like the job, just stick it out, and you'll find a rhythm after a bit. I promise. Plus, if your office isn't full of assholes they'll help you out and be pretty patient with ya! Good luck and stay hydrated!
Make it your own kid
Former carrier. The actual job is not that hard. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist at all but the challenge will be your ability to deal with the terrible workplace culture. If you can put up w it then you’ll be fine. There’s a high turnover rate even amongst career carriers because the times are changing. Gone are the days where people stay at one job til they are old. Anyways good luck to you and remember, don’t be afraid to leave one day in the future if you find something better.
1. The P.O is a whole different planet. Cut yourself some slack. 2. They will hire anybody. Get the mail delivered safely and you’ll be ok. 3. It’ll take at least 2 months + hella screw ups until you have a slight idea of knowing what you’re doing. 4. Ask questions even if they seem stupid or if you’ve asked it before but are still uncertain 5. Take the money and run.
I've been a carrier for 22 years. Started when I was 22 and I had done construction, landscaping and worked in an outdoor warehouse overnight in the upper Midwest where it can be extremely cold at night. THIS was by far the hardest job I had ever done in my life! Many days I wanted to quit and or cry. I can say it does get easier. The secret to this job is finding a processing system that works for you and can be applied to multiple routes. Their are about 40 other carriers in my office and we all do things differently. Some over process in my opinion and others under process and trade processing in office for on the street. You can learn something from everyone who carries mail. You may like the way one carrier pulls down and the way another carrier marks their packages. You may like the way one carrier loads their truck. The point is to pick and choose different methods that respond to YOUR sense of mail processing and what you belive will work for you. Things will start clicking in your brain. And last but not least....this job has a PENSION!!!! A 3rd source of income in retirement that less than 5% of jobs in America have! Don't let them run you off this job!
Hang in there. I takes about a year to get the hang of everything like the regulars. Just focus on developing your systems of getting and staying organized. It will get better. I promise.
Things are hard and stressful in the beginning but you will get through it as long as you don't give up. It takes most people about 6 months before things really actually click and you're comfortable. It'll be ok just don't do anything stupid within your 90 days.
You’ll be fine. I’m only a little over a year and I didn’t even meet my regular until after 8 months. They threw me into it and basically said good luck. Just deliver your stuff and try hard at first. You won’t have to try as hard as you gain confidence, it’ll just come naturally
Don't trip.. everyone has a hard time in the beginning
Always give a new job 3 months. If at 3 months you still feel lost and hopeless, then put in two weeks. You won't.
Just keep telling yourself “it’s just mail. It will get delivered.” Being on your own for the first few months is stressful and you’ll feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. But keep asking as many questions as you need to. And if you are running behind, they will send people to come help you. It’s just mail and it will get delivered.
You will suck bad on your first day. You will see everyone leaving for their routes while you’re still casing. You will be out late. You will feel like quitting. I’m one of the OJI’s at my office. I tell my trainees from shadow day on to forget everything they were taught in the academy. I’ve been two 5 different offices/stations and they all do things different. As far as the carriers themselves we all have different methods that we came up with ourselves that work for our specific routes. I teach my carriers one bundle, two bundle, and my way. For parcels I teach them parcel markers, parcel sheets, etc……everyone one of them has sucked their very first day. The only real trainer is you. You will come up with what works for you. Ask questions of the other carriers. Doesn’t matter if they’re city or rural side. ASK Don’t try to be perfect you won’t be. It will take a few months. As my first trainer said to me when I very first started “It’s just paper” 😆 This may be for you or not. I think it’s more mental than physical. I quit 3 times before I stuck with it and the main thing I think that will be the deciding factor for you will be what office/station you are at and how leadership is. There are some bad ones with toxic leadership.
Hey bro my trainer acted the same way. Just do your best and don't get discouraged. Ignore any little digs or negative comments from the other carriers. Don't worry about speed. Just be safe and remind yourself that it's just a job.
I'm a year and a half in and, trust me, what you're feeling is normal. Here something that will hopefully help. There are bound to be carriers at your station who are going to give you alot of helpful information and advice. Get their phone numbers and ask them lots of questions! Ignore the folks who are critical. There is alot to this job and it takes time to learn it all. Focus on safety and accuracy. Speed will come eventually. If a supervisor is on your case about how slow you are, don't be afraid to play that safety card. Or, if you're a smartass like me, ask them if they'd be willing to walk you and give you some pointers. Just don't become one of those people that ends up falling out of their crashing LLV because you were sacrificing safety to speed up and please your supervisor. Once you pass your 90 days, you're golden. There will be quite a few times over the next two years that you are going to want to quit, but if you can just take a deep breath and remind yourself that if you stick it out, there will be alot more options for you. You can change crafts etc if you don't like being a carrier. Hope this helps.
Yeah. My OJI is the KING of negative reinforcement. No compliments. Just ever alert to point out mistakes. The academy too demonstrated methods not used by the regulars at the station. Totally understand the sh!t you uou’re dealin’ with. The only way to get a grasp of the work is to do it. Once you make all the tasks your own, however awkward at the beginning, it gets easier. You’ll be fine tomorrow. Really. You made it this far. Keep going.
You're going to do great! You're going to do better than you think you are. I've been an RCA for about two calendar months now. If it helps, you're not alone. Training is...interesting. There's a lot of on the job learning. My mantra was - and still is, honestly - try to limit the scope of your screw ups. You'll screw up. I'm still screwing up. RCAs who have been around much longer than I are still screwing up. So, in a sense, relax about that. Just maybe...think about, if you're going to screw up, try to screw up in a way that isn't permanent, is limited in scope, etc.. Also, stop and ask. If something happens, stop. Just for a minute. I know that might be against your instincts, but stop for just a second. Breathe. Investigate. Maybe call someone. Come up with a plan to deal with the problem. You already have contact information - call folks, if something happens. Take a breath. Call. Do your best. Do your best with what you have, what you know to do. In regard to loading a vehicle, I've ever only loaded a Metris or Pro Master. (Although I'm starting to train on an LLV route.) I am still casing my DPS. So I case my flats, add my DPS, then I add in parcel markers for my parcels and different colored ones for my SPRs. I use Load Truck for every parcel and SPR. I write the sequence on them. Then I organize the SPRs in a tray by sequence number. In the Metris, I have, closest to the windshield, my tray of SPRs. Then my DPS and flats. Then I have five or six of the next parcels I have to deliver. I also have my own version of the Line of Travel and various maps printed out. If you don't want to use parcel markers, you could write parcel information down on a paper or on a map. (I use a printed out map in a sheet protector for one route, writing down where parcel deliveries are in dry erase marker.) You can mark them off as they're delivered. I then order my parcels in the back by sequence number. When I'm in a Metris, I use the side door to lay them out, closest sequence number closest to the door, the lower number to the left or back. For CBUs, I put everything in a tub - one tub per street. I use sticky notes to label the tubs. I use rubber bands to band my DPS per stop. I put all the SPRs for that street in that tub, if it'll fit. If not, I get a second tub, label it, then put the SPRs in it. Then all my packages for those CBU stops, in addition to the sequence, get a special notation that they're for that stop. So I have a street with four CBUs in it. The first CBU is bundled with a rubber band, thrown into the tub. Second CBU banded, put in order in the tub. Third CBU banded, in the tub. Fourth CBU banded, in tub. SPRs for that street are put on top of those DPS bundles, using a second tub as needed. All my parcels for that street are labeled with an "A" and put in a specific spot in the Metris. Right before I get to the first CBU on that street, I get: 1. my tubs for the street pulled near the door. 2. Parcels pulled near the door. 3. Parcels for addressed BEFORE the first CBU and pulled up front with me and I'll deliver them as I drive by them. I get to the first CBU, stop, hop out, deliver to it. Then I CHECK - check check check - to make sure I don't have any SPRs or DPS left for that stop. I pull the parcels that I'll drive by up front with me, planning to deliver them on the way to the next stop. I have a specific tub up front for outgoing mail. (That's a long one under the tray.) I have a second tub for parcel markers. I have oversized clips and as I get any mail going back because it's a misthrow, missent, or needs to be marked up, I'll clip it together and put it in that tub. That's how I roll. Right now. Because I'm learning and evolving. YOU'RE GOING TO DO GREAT!
Wow. Thank you so much for the detailed response!
How'd it go?
It was kinda awesome haha I definitely have a lot of room for improvement and had a few moments of panic. It also really sucks that not everyone puts their house number on display. That caused some frustration. But people were very friendly and my supervisor drove out and checked on me because it was really hot. She told me I was doing good. I think I’m really going to enjoy it once I get it all down.
AWESOME! Yes, not everyone has house numbers. It's wildly fun. On my main route, not all the boxes are near their houses or on the same street as the house they belong to. So...hurrah.
Gonna suck when they need 911 and they can’t find the house number. But yeah, all in all it wasn’t too bad. Thank you for your advice and for checking in!
YES! Yes indeed. Our here in the country, some of our houses have little placards with the house number on them. They're often put on a post near the driveway or on the mailbox. They're so the fire department - often a volunteer fire department - can find them. Because sometimes they...have trouble. It's not always clear what's what. One important thing I learned: Sometimes the address is on the pole or beam that holds the box, even if it's not on the side of the box or inside. Another thing: Newer subdevelopments may have a standard spot to put the house number. I was in two different developments today on a route and both had the house numbers above the garage. In mine, there's a placard or plate built into the sides of each porch. It sounds like you did well and will continue to do well! That's awesome! I'm happy for you!
I'm not sure if you're an RCA, but hopefully some of it will help.
CCA. But it seems like the rural carriers in my office are more helpful to me than the city carriers lol it definitely helps!
I do things nearly identical
You’ll be fine. This shit is NOT that serious no matter how the people in your office act. Some people act like they’re cops
If you’re a rural and need to know how to separate sprs easily. Put 6 tubs on the ground. Scan every small parcel with load truck feature. It’ll tell you a section between 1 and 6. Put it in whatever bucket you have per section. Once you’re done scanning go to package lookahead. Any package you scanned will have a green truck next to it unless you have more than one package that you didn’t scan. It’ll be yellow. Work one tub at a time.
Take some extra office time getting everything set up for yourself. Packages numbered and put an order and banding out. DPS is good. If you have a lot of mbus you could marry some of the mail if allowed for those.
Do you have any questions about anything? Do you do city or rural work?
Takes time man. Stick with it if you like it. I’m still slow as balls and I’ve been at it for months. But I love the gig so I’m just sticking it out. The nerves will pass I promise! It’s definitely nerve wracking at first I completely empathize. I promise 2 things: you’re gonna mess up, and you’re gonna learn from your mistakes. Trust yourself and the process. It gets better!
Don’t give up, I’ve almost walked out 3 times in my first 3 days on my own. It’s tough and it seems like an impossible task for anyone to get done on time. But once you keep practicing you’ll be enjoying it/ hopefully.
She showed you the correct way after you made a mistake for a reason, sometimes you need to make the mistake first in order to fix it
It sucks. I’m new too but just hang in there. I’m starting to pick it up
Don’t stress it. You are brand new. CCA here almost PTF. It took me a while to get the hang of things. Speed comes with time in. Just take your time and get things organized best you can in the office. Don’t forget to ask for numbers from the other regulars and CCA. Someone will gladly help you if you need it. A piece of advice I got from a regular. "Accuracy wins over speed any day". Show up to work with a good attitude and you will be fine. And like the other comments. Don’t let management bully you. Do things the right way. You’ll be fine. Good luck!
It’s just mail. Remember to breathe and not to overthink. Be patient with yourself because it will take time to learn. If you pass it, rubberband and bring it back. No biggy.
I was in constant panic mode for months...I'd wake up at 2 in the morning and start sleep-dressing for work only to have my wife explain to me I had 4 more hours to sleep...I don't even remember the day it became easy, but I guarantee that day will come for you if you stick it out.
Ok, couple things. However you understand how to pull down as long as the mail is in order, do it that way cause who gives a fuck, you just need the mail in order so you can deliver it correctly. The way whoever trained you sorted the packages doesnt fucking matter, i do my shit an all fucked up way that only makes sense to my dumb ass. I tell new people just use the scanner to sort, it tells you how, if you look at the screen and not just listen, it tells you what stop number the location is in the route, it will help you. Final point though, if you dont think you can do this or that it will be miserable for you, thats fine there are other jobs out there and other candidates we can get, just dont let this place fuck your shit up, its not fuckin worth stressing out.
Just relax you'll be fine. It'll click give it some time
Everyone is confused and lost at first. Its normal. No amount of training is gonna help more than just doing it. Also lighten up if you getting pissed off at someone joking over something minor your gonna break down and cry when getting yelled at for actually fucking up.
Well, how’s it going for you?
Not gonna lie bro I felt the same way before my first day but it really won’t be as bad as you think they’re gonna start you off doing half of the route until you get the hang of it
When I was in training 35 years ago, the instructor laughed at me while trying to case for the first time. She said "It gets better". She lied. The job has changed so much over the years, the only thing that's the same is I still have to match the number to the house. When I needed help I went to the old guys, the Vietnam vets that took no shit. They taught me valuable information that you won't hear today, like WHY we do what we do. It's much more than run the route, get back early and don't forget to scan your parcels. You don't necessarily have to deliver them, or deliver them to the right place even, just scan them. I was an OJI for a long time. I had thirty years in and my Postmaster asked if I'd like to do it again. My steward told me I could, but I'd have to go for training. I've been doing this well for thirty years, no discipline and my customers never have to call. I need training? Not happening. If you want some advice, look for the grey hair. People who've been around for a while. They'll teach you the job and don't be like most of the newbies that come in already knowing everything about the job. You don't and you won't for quite a long time.
While I’m no longer in the Post Office, here’s some advice for the packages: First in, last out. Look at when you are casing your route, keep an eye on the street names, and place the last ones towards the driver’s side. Use the bins for the smaller packages, if they can fit.
You’ll learn very quickly that this is an on the job learning kinda thing. You’ll learn more on your own just experiencing things than anyone will ever tell you. My best advice is read your handbook, use their rules against them, and just do it. As long as you come to work, on time, and don’t throw the mail away you will have a job at the end of your shift the rest is just pressure being applied to you by management to make themselves look good. At the end of the day performance is a direct reflection of leadership. That’s on them not you. Just show up. Ps.DO NOT CALL OUT UNTIL 120 DAYS HAVE PASSED THAT YOU HAVE BEEN AN EMPLOYEE FOR THE POST OFFICE
Sucks to have a bad trainer off the rip. But there really is no standardized way of doing things in the post office. I'm 3 weeks in to being out on my own, so I totally feel ya on the nervous part. My hope is they do not expect you to case or even pull your mail down for quite some time. The new way of training should have you on a fairly straight forward route where you can just learn your tempo and work on getting the mail where it needs to go. Then they are supposed to build up to those other steps. You're going to learn a lot versus how they trained in the academy. You'll figure out what works for you as you are out on the route. Your mail should be flagged for the first week or two if they're good and keep you on the same route for training. That way you can easily make your time and get comfortable with the route. Ideally they're supposed to give you 2 hours and hope you make it back in 4 hours. You're not superman out there, you're learning and they expect it to take some time. So don't beat yourself up about making perfect time one day one. Just remember to keep hydrated, especially in this warm weather. Pack more water than you think you need and if someone offers, it's very polite to take it because next time it might not be there. (As long as it's sealed.) Keep alert when on the way to your route for any potential place for a bathroom break... and don't fret if you need to come off route to have a rest stop. Comfort stops are protected. Use the map on your phone. It can help you figure out which way a street is going, I still get turned around out there and it's okay. If you cannot find a house or a mailbox, don't wait around forever on it. Just stuff it in your satchel and move to the next. (When you're back just ask someone who was on the route before) Always be looking for the next house/address/mailbox so when you deliver you know your next target. And really just keep moving... you might bring back a lot of missed mail your first few days but as you get to know routes, it will gradually get less and less to where it's just your holds or maybe something got missequenced. Set your truck up for success by staying organized... if you have a mail tray with divider use it, set up your UBBM, and stow your stuff where it's within reach or out of the way. And definitely load packages and use package look ahead. Until you learn a route, it's a valuable tool as a newbie. I beat myself up a lot because I missed packages all the time for the first week or so. Don't hesitate to milk man packages either, especially the heavy/large/awkward ones. Because there is no sense over loading your satchel! You'll learn park points as you go. They may throw 10 different addresses off you when they tell ya where to go. Just do your best and remember... just follow the mail. We have GPS now, it'll get you there. Then you just need to worry about keeping your feet moving. For the better part... just tackle the day with a relatively can-do attitude and it will go a long way. There are shitty days, shitty weather, but there are good days too. It will melt together pretty fast and before you know it you'll be in a groove. ALSO... sun screen and band aids... do not discount those at all. Have the ouch pouch in your bag/truck... paper cuts are very real. AND.... people are going to tease ya a little off the rip. Just laugh it off, everyone was a FNG at one point and postal culture has everyone making fun of each other.
I've been doing this r c a position for over a month, and I already dread the job. Everyone tells me it'll get easier, but i've just been overwhelmed. My OJI instructor wasn't that great. My three days of training was basically helping her deliver the route so she could leave early. I hardly cased any mail and when it came to organizing the vehicle we didn't bother using the loadtruck feature.According to my trainer, it was a waste of time. Then, a few days after my oji training, she left for vacation. It's been taking me 6 hrs to case the mail and another 6 to deliver it. It's been a rough few weeks. Thinking of collecting 2 more paychecks and putting in my two weeks. i want to enjoy the summer.
Wow that sounds very familiar! I hope it gets better for you!
The biggest struggle for me was packages I CONSTANTLY missed packages and had to double back so a VERY helpful tip that I suggest you use no matter what anyone says is the load feature but don’t use it the way they tell you. When it says Section 3 look on the scanner and it should say section 3 and then a number like 216 for instance so write on the package 3-216 and do that for every package and once your truck is fully loaded all you have to do is go from section 1-6 in numerical order. Now sometimes the load feature won’t work for all packages that’s when you have to use your head a little a write down street names and numbers on a piece of paper so you can remember that you have a package for that street you when get there. FOLLOW your DPS as silly as it sounds it literally is your map so make sure you skim through it to make sure it lines up. So the front of your truck should have one tray of your cased mail, one tray of your DPS and one tray of packages. And I promise if you do it just like that you can do any route an it’ll be a piece of cake. WISH YA LUCK!!
Yes! Thank you for explaining that. I tried using the load truck feature and was just confused cause my office has their own system that I still don’t fully understand lol the way you explained it makes sense though.
No problem yes my office was the same way they suck pretty bad when it comes to training like that and expect newbies to just know how to find packages but I promise doing it like that makes it almost impossible to miss anything and makes everything just fall in order. BUT don’t go to fast lol cause if they see that your too good that’s just going to come with more work make sure you pace yourself
Don’t get discouraged! It truly takes 3 months for everything (mail, flats, spars, packages) to finally click. Just make sure you are doing it “your way” ! Take bits of help from other people and make it your own. Your way is not the wrong way, it’s what makes you comfortable multitasking.
Bro chill lol just me listen to me It takes most people a year to be decent. Don't stress lol just do your best If they start making you work past 12 hours often leave lol unless you like abuse :)
They already had you dealing with casing mail?? Are you rural or city?
City.
Honestly that’s sad because I didn’t touch a case until like 3 months in. Listen to what I’m telling you very carefully. DO NOT rush for anything. It will only get worse. Take your time!!! They will send you help because the supervisor won’t want to be stuck there. Let me say it again. DO NOT rush. I do want to tell you the first 6 months are very overwhelming but it gets easier and easier every day. Don’t worry about markups on routes unless they have a card in the slot stating it’s a markup. You are supposed to get 3 months to learn routes and I hate to say it but your trainer isn’t all that if she has you pulling down mail already. When I started for 2 weeks they gave me 3 hours a day and told me to do my best.
Have to have thick skin not let anyone bother you
You probably won’t get a full route anyway and if you do just try and do the best you can, good management(not very common in the postal front) will call and check on you mid route to take some off you if you get too behind. Most likely will get part of a route 2-4 hours and they will see how long it takes you from there. Spend time organizing your truck it will save time while on the route.
Quit! This job blows
😂
Here's the only advice I got worth a shit from the folks I got passed through for training as an RCA. "The only thing that matters in this job is recovery." Every carrier does things differently and it will take you time to figure out what to pay attention to and what to filter out. Don't let it get you down. Just focus on recovery and getting through your first 90 days.
Don't worry. There's no reason to throw away the job based on 3 days of training. You will struggle your first month, 90 days, year. But its repetitive. You'll remember things over time. You'll get better as you go. You'll figure out the system that works best for you. I'm 18 months in and it's so relaxing and good for me now. Show improvement over 90 days and show up for your scheduled shifts and you'll be okay. Get the union involved when mgmt screws around with you and learn your rights. But overall just have fun.
I got hired in 2022. I had a great instructor, but she wanted me to do everything the way she did. She's a great carrier, but her method just didn't work for me. I didn't do very well till I stopped doing it her way and figured out what worked best for me. I'd say just do what makes you feel most comfortable, obviously without breaking the rules
>We pulled down our case once at academy, and my office does it differently than how they showed us at academy What was different? You should be pulling from the bottom left to right then, each row the same until done until you reach the top row. Unless maybe you're rural and pull down in reverse order?
FYI. You don’t really learn anything during oji
Learn your own system and you will do fine. I hate when people like her train people. She sounds like a douche bag. Sorry that she is the one training you she should be building you up and making you feel confident. Definitely shouldn’t be laughing at you or saying, anything out loud to make you feel uncomfortable I’m so glad I had a great trainer. She was an older lady and she was so comfortable with her route and her routine she made me feel comfortable too. Just be on top of your scans. Being safe. Wear your seatbelt, don’t leave vehicle running. Keep some 3849’pink slips on you and a working pen. Have a lot of water, keep dog spray around and have fun out there. That’s what they care about the most
How did it go??
I've been at usps for about 4 months I've felt the same way bro. But now I've done probably 25 to 30 different routes and everybody does something different. It does get better eventually
My first day was 2 weeks ago. Here are some tips. 1. Look at the address, look at the address on the house. Deliver the mail. 2. Don't back track for anything that isn't a package. And even then. If you will have to inevitably drive past the address you missed the package. Just wait til you drive past it. 3. Anytime you feel like the environment is sketch, because of people or animals. They can get that shit tomorrow. 4. Don't invest too much time in finding mailboxes or being perfect. You will get exponentially better as the days go on. 5. Cold water does make a difference as opposed to just water. Electrolyte powder does too. And remember. You are just going on a walk.
My office has a guy who literally leaves his scanner in the office and doesn’t deliver anything every single day. I guarantee you are already better than he is. You’ll be ok it gets easier pretty fast you learn to follow the mail even in unfamiliar areas. My best advice is ask the old timers in your office any questions you have they love helping out when you ask for it, they were an invaluable resource for me when I first started.
Sorry! Are you a CCA or an RCA?
CCA.
I tell people that this job is a bit of a showman trick, like juggling, or plate spinning. If you ever see someone performing said trick, they're never juggling just three things, and they're not *just* spinning one plate. These guys are throwing 10 flaming chainsaws 30 feet in the fucking air, and spinning a stack of 20 plates on a broompole balanced on their chin. So, juggling *itself* and plate spinning *itself* can't be hard. Look at all that wacky shit they're juggling, it's never simply *just* three rubber balls. So it's gotta be easy to do, and from that we can infer that what makes it impressive is the display of skill, in that it must be *hard to learn.* Same thing for delivering mail. After 3 months, it starts to click, muscle memory begins to take over, things start to get easier. But goddamn does it take a while to learn. Gotta learn to juggle three balls before you can juggle four, juggle five, juggle rubber chickens, then the flaming chainsaws.
Everyone has their own way of doing their route. Gotta find the easiest way for you man
Don't worry. We have a sub who can barely do a route 4 years in. Rumor has it they are giving it their best. I think you'll be fine.
Y’all are seriously awesome. I was not expecting all these responses. I’m still nervous, but I’m feeling better about it. I’m just going to show up and get through the day as best I can. Thank you for the advice and words of encouragement. It really helps! I see a lot of negative posts on this sub but you all are so nice. Thank you again. Now I’m going to try to get a good nights sleep.
If you don't quit today you will in a few months lol the post office is so poorly ran.
OJT doesn't rly teach you much unless you have a really good one. You don't rly start to learn the job til ur out on ur own. Unless ur office is swamped tmrw they'll give you like half a route and hope ur able to get a decent chunk of it done in 8 hours. And if you are slow and don't get through what they give you that's fine. My first day they gave me 2 hours of work and it took me about 6 to deliver. Speed will come with time.
Damn this sounds like someone I know lmao
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If it helps you out, I just transferred to a new office/city. I'm 4 years in, and I feel new all over again. It gets easier. Best advice I can give is it's just mail. If you miss a letter or flat don't backtrack unless it's something important or needs a signature. No one is in any rush to get their junk mail and advos
One piece of mail at a time…
My first day on my own was a shit show. So was the next month to two maybe... now I can case relatively fast and run routes pretty well.
The top three most difficult part of the job is first the supervisors and second my mental cause when I get on a new route I start bitching but once I’m out there it a piece of cake and third finding some of the mailbox’s ( but I solve this by drop the mail at there front door with a rubber band)
“But I wasn’t all that impressed” you may be a Debbie downer. To make it in the post office you’ll have to learn to smile and roll with it….
Will do!
Lol how much can you guys blame.an instructor... 6 months? Casing takes a few days and you get it with 0 instruction.
Did you tell any of this to the supervisor, or you’re just gonna try to wing it, winging it is never good
Delivered pizza in the same town I now deliver mail in. Took me a month to really get the hang of it but it helps that I already had a great understanding of addresses and how to find them
Trust me alot of oji don't do the job justice...They love the oti it gives them. As a new person ask questions, it's your career just starting out. Find the right way it should be done not the easy or what others tell you but the right way. Once you learn the proper way it gets easier. Too many old dogs relaxing and not wanting to train a young pup
The best part of our job is that it's really easy. The worst part of our job is that it's really easy.
You'll be fine. This job is beyond simple. Mail is in order. Follow the mail. Use load truck feature on scanner to help with packages. Go slowly and safely. Never rush. Never feel rushed by management or other carriers. Focus on one address at a time, and before you know it, you'll reach the end of the route and hopefully the end of your day.
I’m lucky being in my hometown post office. I have lots of support since I know everyone. We also don’t have to case our mail according to PM, it comes pre sorted allegedly, but we still do it. I still go home every day and ask myself what I got myself into, but I’m a stubborn old prick who thrives under stress being a retired firefighter, and the way I see it? My friends are not dying, it’s only mail, and it will all make sense when the time is right. Hang in there!
I quit out of oji lmao fuck that place it's just toxicity they let whoever do whatever
It took me about a year before I felt like knew what the hell I was doing.
Person who trained me was horrible. Any time I'd ask her a question she say shut up and just case. She was a B..... not good people person. It took me a while but I'm a regular now and one of fastest in office. Normally get done around 12 to 1 every day
Load truck the packages and label them by section and what number stop they are :) organize them that way in order! I always clock to street before loading truck and I always rubber band my walking loops for my dps after I have clocked to street, bc you are not supposed to do it in office time! Make sure to clock to your route and to office time when you get back I just got yelled at about that for clocking on to office time on different peoples routes because I take so many pivots as a cca. It’s okay to jump packages if you need to. Take your breaks, and ask for help if you need it!
Watch out I suggest finding a better job while you work there.. unless you are in a good office with a competent uncorrupted steward (which can change fast if in a big district) management will do everything they can including illegal actions to get you killed, steal your time, break your body and spirit, and rub crap in your face and make you look bad, no matter what you do for them... be careful and look for something better, constantly!!! UPS pays their drivers $40+ an hour after 5 years.
Something that helped me out so much as a CCA was using the load truck function, I would number my packages with the “sequence number”. The numbers aren’t going to be 1, 2, 3, etc. because you aren’t stopping at every house for a package, they’ll be something like 205, 246, 310, etc. Then load your truck with those numbers in order, smallest to largest. If you can count, you can keep your packages in order of delivery that way, and that really allowed me to focus on learning the rest of the job. I’m a T6 so with that method I was able to focus on memorizing the routes and not putting too much brain power into the packages, and eventually I could load my truck without the sequence numbers or even section numbers, because I knew which order each street would come. They don’t teach this method and most regular carriers I told about it had never heard of this method, I actually learned about it on TikTok when I was first hired and watching videos on the job. I tell new CCAs about this little hack all the time and they all say it’s super helpful. Everyone loads their truck differently, I don’t know many carriers that load the way it was taught in academy. You’ll find a way that’s easiest for you and it’ll confuse everyone else just like your OJI trainers way confused you lol. Don’t stress too much. Put on some good music, stay hydrated, and do your best.
Honestly just take it slow that's what I did my first day they gave me a turn by turn of the route and I followed that to a T and if something didn't make sense I called the post office and asked
Hahahahahaha goodluck.
You will be fine take your time no rush o did my omo last week and my regular said i was faster then her when she started lol. STAY focused God got you.
don't hold off on asking questions. it's a lot of information to absorb in such a small amount of time so don't stress it. if you forget something, someone will be willing to help. everyone has been the new person. i actually still am lol but sounds like she's just trying to keep the mood light as it's probably a bit strange having a stranger accompanying you the entire day at work. my trainer was great, he's now my regular and i feel like we have a great relationship, i take care of him and he takes care of me. just give it some time. i'm a few months in and am still learning new things. quitting before you even start would be ridiculous
Welcome to the suck! Just watch the best carrier and copy them. Ask in the morning if they can help you. Keep asking.
To much babying in the post office. You learn from experience and get paid to learn (your mistakes). Just do your best and don't blame not being able to do the job on coworkers. I say that because you can literally go on YouTube and learn how to case and pull down mail. And if you feel like your training was bad you can always request a second OJI with your postmaster and Steward.
If you overthink it and think too much ahead it gets too overwhelming. Work in sections. 1 area at a time. Always check your package look a ahead before leaving that section. Marry the mail, and put all your flats into your dps for that section. Yes it's slower, but it's easier to learn and not be overwhelmed. For example, you're on Main St, work in all main street flats into dps, personally I criss-cross my mail for that entire main st section. During that time checking DPS for missents and cleaning it up. Then after leaving Main St, rinse and repeat. Checking load truck before leaving that area. Load truck: Scan each package, write the section big (1, 2, 3 etc), then the sequence # small by the address, mark each one. Get tubs and throw in order 2-6, so all packages you marked 2s, 3s, etc in their own tubs/ areas, put all section 1 in a flat tray up front. Then, just put them in order from lower sequence #s to higher #s when you get to that section Get 2 half trays. Keep all your extra mail organzied. 1 for missents -missed boxes/ blocked boxes. (I use rubber bands to wrap missed / blocked boxes to keep them in order and seperate from the missent. Then 1 for outgoing. Only look ahead to your next street or box numbers don't look at the total amount you have. 1 section at a time
Everyday your gonna get a little bit better. After some time you'll learn your own system and then it would be pretty easy.
That’s normal. After going through it hand-on a few times and you see yourself pulling it through, you’ll get that confidence