By Ron Fitzwater

Last week an email arrived from a reader who asked to be called R.D.

R.D. had a question concerning mail delivery and especially rural mail delivery in bad weather.
R.D. explained that the problem that prompted his question was that the rural mail carrier on his route would not bring him his mail in a timely manner following the last snow and the only answer he could get from the post office was that the driver didn't have to make delivery if they felt the conditions were too bad.

"It was a week after the last snow and my driveway still had some ice on it but I drove on it every day. I don't know why my carrier won't bring me my mail. At the worst, since they are delivering mail in the mountains in a two-wheel drive car, they could get out and walk the 15 feet to my mail box. I didn't put it where it is, I rent my house and they told me I can't move it without the Postmaster's approval. Besides don't they have some sort of oath they have to follow to get the mail through?"

The answer is both yes and no. Yes U.S. Postal Service employees do swear an oath. They are government employees and just like the military they swear an oath of service. The famous Postman's Creed that most everyone knows at least part of is "Neither rain nor snow, nor sleet nor dark of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." However, not everyone who carries the mail is a U. S. Postal Service employee.

In fact the numbers are getting smaller. Like a lot of businesses, the Postal Service has to find ways to operate cheaper and combat competition with overnight carriers and increased email usage that have caused a steady decline in revenue taken in by the service.

One of the ways they are saving money is by using Contract Delivery Service providers. Contract delivery service is performed by one of three types of carriers; rural, city or contract. CDS carriers are not USPS employees but are independent contractors, often unionized, providing service on specific routes. They are not bound by the Postman's Creed and can elect when and where they deliver based on their own assessment of conditions. If they feel your driveway is too slick and they don't drive a 4-wheel drive vehicle they do not have to deliver your mail.

USPS carriers can be directed to hold mail due to weather conditions, but the decision is made by their postmasters not the individual carrier. The guideline is outlined on the USPS web page www.usps.com; "Mail delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous conditions to our carriers and/or vehicles. The Postal Service curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort."

So R.D. the answer is, no, your rural mail carrier does not have to bring your mail if they feel that the conditions would pose a hazard to their safety because they are not USPS employees bound by oath to deliver the mail. Additional information available shows they are not required to drive any specific type of vehicle regardless of delivery location or normal weather conditions.

A postal employee who asked not to be identified said that problems with rural delivery were not widespread as far as they knew but the only solution to the problem was for people to use post office boxes, explaining that even though it was not as convenient as having mail brought to your home it was more reliable than rural delivery.