When you’re a kid, the mailman means birthday cards. When you’re an adult, it’s a little less enjoyable, thanks to bills. Whatever your age, the mailman coming is one of those reliable, consistent fixtures in life, Monday through Saturday, no matter your address.
But who does the mailman work for? Is USPS the mailman? Or can you call any delivery person, the mailman (or woman), and still be accurate? Here is the answer you are seeking!
Is USPS The Mailman In [currentyear]?
Postal carriers employed by the United States Postal Service are what you think of when you consider the term “mailman” in [currentyear]. However, the term is slightly antiquated as postal carriers can be men or women. Delivery people from other shipping companies, like FedEx or UPS, are not considered mailmen or women.
To learn more about postal carriers, or mailmen or women, about USPS mail and what it’s called, what you can expect your postal carrier to deliver, and much more, keep reading!
Is USPS The Mail Carrier?
The United States Postal Service is the national carrier of mail in America, founding roots in the 1700s colonial era, even before the Revolutionary War.
The USPS, and thus mail delivery itself, is a guaranteed Constitutional right for all Americans (in the Postal Clause).
Because of this, part of the USPS mission is to provide mail delivery to every known address in the US, regardless of geographical location or hardship in reaching it.
That said, this commitment to the service of delivering communication to citizens far and wide makes USPS a popular partner with other shipping companies.
If USPS is going to that remote mailbox down the dirt road anyway, why not have FedEx or UPS hand off the package for last-mile delivery (saving them time and fuel)?
With that, it’s important to note that while mail delivery is a guaranteed right, access to postage is not.
To that end, USPS – despite ongoing financial difficulties – maintains its status as what is often the most affordable shipping service in the US, even for international shipments.
The trade-off, of course, is that it can be slower, sometimes a lot slower, than its rival shipping companies.
Still, USPS has earned the right to be known as the mail carrier in the US, despite an uncertain future.
Is USPS The Mailman Or UPS?
Your United States Postal Service mail carrier is “the mailman” or the “mailwoman.”
Further, they’re instantly recognizable in their uniforms, often consisting of a light blue shirt, grey bottoms, and a navy jacket if the weather warrants another layer.
Of course, shirts and jackets are branded with the USPS logo, so the mail carrier is identifiable from the outset, even more so if you see them in their big USPS-branded truck.
Additionally, people do not typically refer to the UPS man or woman as “the mailman” since they don’t deal in “mail” or letters. Instead, they deal mainly in larger envelopes and packages.
Also, UPS delivery people are very recognizable, thanks to their brown/tan uniforms, which look so very different from USPS.
Is USPS Regular Mail?
USPS mail carriers deliver what many of us think of as “regular mail.”
That said, regular mail is known as First-Class letter mail, consisting of your typical business-size envelopes, regular-size, and even postcards.
Also, “regular” is a good adjective for USPS mail because it’s your average stuff – bills, letters, etc. – and it comes regularly, Monday through Saturday.
Does The Mailman Bring USPS Packages?
If you have a package arriving via USPS, your postal carrier or mailman will bring them to you. However, they don’t always arrive with the “regular mail” or letter mail.
Moreover, sometimes they arrive earlier, and sometimes they come later.
According to this very helpful letter carrier on Quora, sometimes they just don’t have enough room in their mailbag for everything.
Therefore, they might drop off the parcels first and then go around and do the letters. Or, they’ll do the letters and then loop around with everyone’s packages.
Additionally, if you see a letter carrier delivering on a Sunday, it’s usually Priority Mail Express or an Amazon order, thanks to a special arrangement between Amazon and USPS.
Also, while it might be a letter carrier, it’s likely not your regular one because they tend to work a Monday through Friday schedule.
Lastly, USPS hires part-time mailpeople, or even temps, to pick up the weekend shifts, especially Sundays.
Does USPS Have A Separate Truck For Packages?
According to my research, USPS does not separate letters from packages and put them on different trucks.
Essentially, all indicators reveal that the two types of mailpieces go out on the same trucks simultaneously.
Moreover, it seems to be up to the mail carriers to decide how they want to deliver packages – before letters, while delivering letters, or after.
Does USPS Deliver To Your Door?
USPS mail carriers deliver to residents’ mailboxes. However, if the parcel or envelope is too big, they tend to leave the item on the doorstep or close to the front door.
Also, some customers have had very thoughtful mail carriers tuck packages and envelopes that wouldn’t fit in a small mailbox just inside the porch.
This way, porch pirates couldn’t see the parcels sitting there from the street or sidewalk.
What Does USPS Stand For?
USPS stands for United States Postal Service.
Formerly known as the United States Post Office Department, it was a Cabinet department from 1872 to 1971.
Under President Nixon, its cabinet status was dissolved, and it became an independent agency (no tax dollar funding, no Presidential oversight) of the Executive branch.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on how many numbers USPS tracking, the cheapest USPS shipping method, and what days does USPS deliver.
Conclusion
USPS employees who carry letters and packages are known as mailmen or mailwomen, or more modernly, postal or letter carriers.
That said, they are easily recognizable by their branded uniforms, and they are the ones delivering the regular mail, or First-Class letter mail, Monday through Saturday.
