Just completed my first monster route for the first time a couple days ago. Got my ass kicked, regrouped, got it kicked again, and the supervisor sent out help around 6 p.m. I will not give up, and will probably get my behind kicked again, but I won't make the same mistakes again. Learn, live, keep pressing forward!
There's just no way to make a parcel list in my area. We have 100+ roads and streets on each rural route. What I did was make a Google spreadsheet from excel documents from a website that had all the roads listed for each route and made 19 case maps for each one. I'll populate them as I work each one. I worked as an RCA 5 years ago, and being thrown on one of the worst routes blind going in was horrible. I'm starting again this week since it's a great paying job for my area. There are supposedly two other RCAs starting at the same time, which will bring the office total to 3. They're currently running without subs. That means I'll be guaranteed full-time work AND one of the first in line for a regular route! My only gripe is our entire office uses the Mercedes vans. They still have some LLVs as backups, but I really liked using my own vehicle and getting that extra mileage pay. Plus, I love driving around in my old 1977 DJ5 mail Jeep. Sliding doors on a mail vehicle is king compared to hinge doors! For parcels, I think the best way for me would be to use parcel markers for anything I can't case, and write the address numbers on them. Two different colors. One for large parcels, and another for SPRS. My biggest thing is the case itself, but I think with my case maps (which I might share with all RCAs in my office), it won't be near as bad. We shall see, though. Orientation is in a couple of days.
GREAT VIDEO! AS A NEW RCA, I STRUGGLE WITH THE LOOSE FLATS & HOT CASE MAIL WHEN I DON'T KNOW THE CASE!! THAT'S WHAT SLOWS ME DOWN BIG TIME. THANKS FOR THE VID!
You are welcome! Yeah, I had to run a few new routes this summer and I have to say, writing those street names down in order is super helpful I know it seems like a time-suck, but it will usually take you just 5 minutes or so and it gives you something to consult when you can't find and address. Looking for 801 Pine? Check your sheet and you can see that pine street is in row 4 right after Elm street and just before main. Good luck with the job and hang in there- it gets easier every time. Pretty soon you will be able to learn a case really well after delivering it just a couple times.
Just use this link:. eddm.usps.com/eddm/select-routes.htm And then enter the zip code. Click around on the map to choose the different routes. You can always just search eddm on Google -. Just make sure you skip the first few entries and choose USPS.com
I'm just starting and my biggest problem is that most houses and/or mailboxes don't have numbers on them. I'm in a rural part of Upstate NY and don't know the area. It's frustrating, especially when I have to deliver a parcel to the door. Other than that, I end up missing houses and having to go back to deliver a package. Takes way too much time. It's also NYS law that you have visible numbers on your house (E911 Sign Law).
Struggle! Lol. But seriously, what should happen is the regular carrier should write the addresses inside the mailboxes to help out the subs. In lieu of that, I just do my best to figure out what I can based on the ones that are marked.
Absolutely! I can certainly understand that. So right now I'm in a fully staffed office and I only work a mail route one day a week, and then I deliver Amazon every other Sunday. If I wanted to, I could probably just deliver the Amazon once a month. The reason I do it this way is cuz I also have a full-time job. For a while I was trying to do just the mail route and I was working 2-4 days a week in other offices. You are only guaranteed 1, but some offices will want you almost every day.
Are they having you ride with someone the first time? That's the norm around here for ARCs. After you log in with the scanner, you likely will use "dynamic delivery". It is #7 on the menu you see after you log into it. Once you are in the dynamic menu, it gets pretty easy. You choose "delivery routes" and pick the one you are assigned. When you highlight the first address and press enter, it will give you turn by turn directions to each house. When you get there, you just hit the back button, choose delivery, and scan the package. When everything is working, it is pretty easy. Just make sure that you bring a fully-charged smart phone as a backup in case an address is hard to find. Practice a little with your own navigation app on your phone before you go out. You might not need it, but it will help should something not work right with the scanner.
Hi David,Thnxs for this vedio, this Sunday my first day for work Arc,last week I fill up application for Rca ,this week I received email for RCA soon I am going to Arc to RCA plz gave me any advice for new job ,plz told me RCA is different from Arc
@@rajwinderkaur5863 as an arc your primary job is to deliver packages on Sundays and holidays. Most likely, you will use your scanner to guide you with dynamic delivery. It gives you turn by turn directions, you drive to the first house and deliver package number one, after you scan it you choose the next address and it guides you there. When it's working properly it's pretty easy. I have heard of arcs delivering mail, but that isn't usually the case.
Hi David last Sunday was my first day on job , before was I am little nervous but later was everything good 👍.. and soon now my job going Arc to RCA now 25th I am going too new job RCA ,plz told me about ,RCA this job is easy
I am assuming that you are talking about packages. Mistakes can happen, especially when you are unfamiliar with a route, but I tend to obsess a bit over packages. The small ones are in order right next to me, and i have the addresses for the large ones right in front of me. I check on them A LOT so I rarely miss one. That said, if I am on a large route I will sometimes check package lookahead on my scanner before I leave an area to insure that nothing has been missed.
If you're in town, just find a gas station. If you're way out in BFE, find a secluded spot and block yourself from view as best you can with the truck. Woods are your friend. Make sure you don't eat anything the day before that'll give you diarrhea.
Taking dps to the street for new route? I do this on my main route but not on new routes. The reason why is there is some junk mail to vacant or wrong addresses. I don’t want to get lost looking for too long. Any helpful tips for this?
Well, I had some hiccups early on, so I've learned to check behind a piece of mail if it seems to be taking me to another street or has me skipping the next address. Also, before I pull down my flats, I take a moment to check the front and back of each DPS tray so I can have them stacked in order. If something is obviously out of whack, I can deal with it before I leave- if I need to I can case a portion of it to set it right. Working off my parcel sheet also helps. Since I have the street names listed in order, I can reference it before I go crazy looking for the address. For example, if I'm delivering on Spruce and suddenly have a letter for Royal, I can look at my sheet to see if Royal is supposed to be the next street. I know it seems like a big extra step to write all of the street names in order by row, but it really only takes like 5 minutes. That sheet of paper then becomes very useful both when casing and when you are on the route.
You mentioned a tray that you keep on your lap. Can you describe what you use? I tried a small light weight plastic mesh rectangle bin but I dumped DPS around my feet! 😡 Now I just hold some loose in my lap.
County roads that straddle the county line. Sometimes it cause let's say 25683 cr 1520 on one side but the opposite side may be 11370 cr 1520 because the countries address scheme doesn't line up.
A lot will depend on your office and how it is staffed. You are only guaranteed 1 shift per week- that is your regular carrier's day off. If your carrier calls in sick or takes vacation time, you are expected to cover. In most offices you will also have to deliver Amazon on one or two Sundays each month as well as on most holidays. In larger offices you may have to cover a few routes each week if they are not fully staffed. After your 90 days, you can start loaning yourself out to other offices to pick up extra hours. This job works best as a side hustle
I work every Saturday from 7 until the route is done. I get paid for 8.5 hours. Used to get done by 3 or 3:30, but now I am usually done by 2. I also work every other Sunday delivering Amazon. I was starting at 8 and finishing by 1 or 2, but Amazon has been doing more of their own, so they haven't needed for over a month now. During the school year I teach math during the week, but in the summer I pick up hours during the week at other post offices.
Just completed my first monster route for the first time a couple days ago. Got my ass kicked, regrouped, got it kicked again, and the supervisor sent out help around 6 p.m. I will not give up, and will probably get my behind kicked again, but I won't make the same mistakes again. Learn, live, keep pressing forward!
Hang in there! Keep working on learning the case and the route and it will get better.
Writing a parcel list and hanging it on the visor?! That's GENIUS! Your videos are always so helpful!
eddm is every day direct mail. if you go to the usps website you can view the route using the eddm tool.
There's just no way to make a parcel list in my area. We have 100+ roads and streets on each rural route. What I did was make a Google spreadsheet from excel documents from a website that had all the roads listed for each route and made 19 case maps for each one. I'll populate them as I work each one.
I worked as an RCA 5 years ago, and being thrown on one of the worst routes blind going in was horrible. I'm starting again this week since it's a great paying job for my area. There are supposedly two other RCAs starting at the same time, which will bring the office total to 3. They're currently running without subs. That means I'll be guaranteed full-time work AND one of the first in line for a regular route! My only gripe is our entire office uses the Mercedes vans. They still have some LLVs as backups, but I really liked using my own vehicle and getting that extra mileage pay. Plus, I love driving around in my old 1977 DJ5 mail Jeep. Sliding doors on a mail vehicle is king compared to hinge doors!
For parcels, I think the best way for me would be to use parcel markers for anything I can't case, and write the address numbers on them. Two different colors. One for large parcels, and another for SPRS. My biggest thing is the case itself, but I think with my case maps (which I might share with all RCAs in my office), it won't be near as bad. We shall see, though. Orientation is in a couple of days.
Im starting soon. Thank you for all the info!
Congratulations on the new job! Thanks for watching!
Good videos
wut do i do with big parcels that wont scan on load truck
Wow I just looked up my route through this. Very helpful video!
GREAT VIDEO! AS A NEW RCA, I STRUGGLE WITH THE LOOSE FLATS & HOT CASE MAIL WHEN I DON'T KNOW THE CASE!! THAT'S WHAT SLOWS ME DOWN BIG TIME. THANKS FOR THE VID!
You are welcome! Yeah, I had to run a few new routes this summer and I have to say, writing those street names down in order is super helpful I know it seems like a time-suck, but it will usually take you just 5 minutes or so and it gives you something to consult when you can't find and address. Looking for 801 Pine? Check your sheet and you can see that pine street is in row 4 right after Elm street and just before main. Good luck with the job and hang in there- it gets easier every time. Pretty soon you will be able to learn a case really well after delivering it just a couple times.
What is the step by step to get to the EDDM maps? Great content!
Just use this link:. eddm.usps.com/eddm/select-routes.htm
And then enter the zip code. Click around on the map to choose the different routes. You can always just search eddm on Google -. Just make sure you skip the first few entries and choose USPS.com
Thank you 😊
You're welcome! Thank you for watching!
I'm just starting and my biggest problem is that most houses and/or mailboxes don't have numbers on them. I'm in a rural part of Upstate NY and don't know the area. It's frustrating, especially when I have to deliver a parcel to the door. Other than that, I end up missing houses and having to go back to deliver a package. Takes way too much time. It's also NYS law that you have visible numbers on your house (E911 Sign Law).
Have you tried google maps? It shows the house numbers when you zoom in. It helped me alot as a pvd for ups.
@@aprillsloof8542 Google maps doesn't always work where I'm at. It's frustrating, to say the least!
@@growingonthegriddle4945 Undeliverable. After they miss a few packages, they will get the numbers up.
Great suggestions! Been a carrier 8yrs. gonna use your tip for when you're frazzled. Thanks!
Thanks again man great content 👍
Thank you.👍
David what do you do when you have a bunch of Unmarked Mailboxes?
Struggle! Lol. But seriously, what should happen is the regular carrier should write the addresses inside the mailboxes to help out the subs.
In lieu of that, I just do my best to figure out what I can based on the ones that are marked.
As a RCA how many days do you work? I Want to apply but first I want to be informed
Absolutely! I can certainly understand that. So right now I'm in a fully staffed office and I only work a mail route one day a week, and then I deliver Amazon every other Sunday. If I wanted to, I could probably just deliver the Amazon once a month. The reason I do it this way is cuz I also have a full-time job. For a while I was trying to do just the mail route and I was working 2-4 days a week in other offices.
You are only guaranteed 1, but some offices will want you almost every day.
Oh ok I see thank you!
@@catherinecano9751 ua-cam.com/video/ZjaRjyoOdqQ/v-deo.html
Hi David next week my first day for Arc (Amazon parcel) work Sunday,I am little nervous,I am little confused so plz tell me how use scanner
Are they having you ride with someone the first time? That's the norm around here for ARCs.
After you log in with the scanner, you likely will use "dynamic delivery". It is #7 on the menu you see after you log into it. Once you are in the dynamic menu, it gets pretty easy. You choose "delivery routes" and pick the one you are assigned. When you highlight the first address and press enter, it will give you turn by turn directions to each house. When you get there, you just hit the back button, choose delivery, and scan the package. When everything is working, it is pretty easy.
Just make sure that you bring a fully-charged smart phone as a backup in case an address is hard to find. Practice a little with your own navigation app on your phone before you go out. You might not need it, but it will help should something not work right with the scanner.
Hi David,Thnxs for this vedio, this Sunday my first day for work Arc,last week I fill up application for Rca ,this week I received email for RCA soon I am going to Arc to RCA plz gave me any advice for new job ,plz told me RCA is different from Arc
@@rajwinderkaur5863 as an arc your primary job is to deliver packages on Sundays and holidays. Most likely, you will use your scanner to guide you with dynamic delivery. It gives you turn by turn directions, you drive to the first house and deliver package number one, after you scan it you choose the next address and it guides you there. When it's working properly it's pretty easy. I have heard of arcs delivering mail, but that isn't usually the case.
Thnxs David
Hi David last Sunday was my first day on job , before was I am little nervous but later was everything good 👍.. and soon now my job going Arc to RCA now 25th I am going too new job RCA ,plz told me about ,RCA this job is easy
How do you prevent backtracking?
I am assuming that you are talking about packages. Mistakes can happen, especially when you are unfamiliar with a route, but I tend to obsess a bit over packages. The small ones are in order right next to me, and i have the addresses for the large ones right in front of me. I check on them A LOT so I rarely miss one. That said, if I am on a large route I will sometimes check package lookahead on my scanner before I leave an area to insure that nothing has been missed.
Where to know to use a bathroom? lol
If you're in town, just find a gas station. If you're way out in BFE, find a secluded spot and block yourself from view as best you can with the truck. Woods are your friend. Make sure you don't eat anything the day before that'll give you diarrhea.
Taking dps to the street for new route? I do this on my main route but not on new routes. The reason why is there is some junk mail to vacant or wrong addresses. I don’t want to get lost looking for too long. Any helpful tips for this?
Well, I had some hiccups early on, so I've learned to check behind a piece of mail if it seems to be taking me to another street or has me skipping the next address. Also, before I pull down my flats, I take a moment to check the front and back of each DPS tray so I can have them stacked in order. If something is obviously out of whack, I can deal with it before I leave- if I need to I can case a portion of it to set it right. Working off my parcel sheet also helps. Since I have the street names listed in order, I can reference it before I go crazy looking for the address. For example, if I'm delivering on Spruce and suddenly have a letter for Royal, I can look at my sheet to see if Royal is supposed to be the next street. I know it seems like a big extra step to write all of the street names in order by row, but it really only takes like 5 minutes. That sheet of paper then becomes very useful both when casing and when you are on the route.
@@davidkelln9225 thanks.
You mentioned a tray that you keep on your lap. Can you describe what you use? I tried a small light weight plastic mesh rectangle bin but I dumped DPS around my feet! 😡 Now I just hold some loose in my lap.
County roads that straddle the county line. Sometimes it cause let's say 25683 cr 1520 on one side but the opposite side may be 11370 cr 1520 because the countries address scheme doesn't line up.
Oh, our rural routes dont have named streets. Just numbers for the most part
That's true. You get the same thing with city numbers and county numbers- one side of the street is in the city and the other side isn't.
What are the hours like?
A lot will depend on your office and how it is staffed. You are only guaranteed 1 shift per week- that is your regular carrier's day off. If your carrier calls in sick or takes vacation time, you are expected to cover. In most offices you will also have to deliver Amazon on one or two Sundays each month as well as on most holidays. In larger offices you may have to cover a few routes each week if they are not fully staffed. After your 90 days, you can start loaning yourself out to other offices to pick up extra hours. This job works best as a side hustle
I work every Saturday from 7 until the route is done. I get paid for 8.5 hours. Used to get done by 3 or 3:30, but now I am usually done by 2. I also work every other Sunday delivering Amazon. I was starting at 8 and finishing by 1 or 2, but Amazon has been doing more of their own, so they haven't needed for over a month now. During the school year I teach math during the week, but in the summer I pick up hours during the week at other post offices.