Mailboxes - From a Rural Carrier Perspective

     Mail carriers in rural areas usually face issues of improper mailbox placement.  Proper mailbox placement can greatly aid the rural carrier in delivering your mail more efficently. 

Mailboxes

Rural mailboxes are all basically the same design.  These boxes provide an excellent volume of mail, and are usually sold with a volume rating, in cubic feet.  Rural boxes are larger than city boxes for another reason...packages.  The larger size allows the placement of packages into the box.  If the package is too large, it is taken to the porch of the house instead.  Imagine, however, that if the rural carrier had 40 packages, and they didn't fit in the mailboxes.  That's 40 times the carrier would have to either drive their vehicle up the customer's driveway and get out, or walk to the house from the roadway.  The larger volume is designed to keep the mailman from constantly getting out of the vehicle for small packages. 

If you are constantly getting a large volume of packages, please install a large volume mailbox for the convenience of your rural carrier. I've also noticed recently some city-style locking mailboxes being installed on rural routes, forcing the carrier to deliver all packages to the porch.  This is a poor choice, and costs the rural carrier money.  I'll explain later.  

Mailbox Location

Mailboxes should be placed a safe distance off the road, and in line with other existing mailboxes.  The black mailbox at right was the first one installed.  The person who installed the second mailbox obviously was not thinking when he installed the mailbox.  In this case, the carrier must perform a "Stretch Armstrong" type maneuver in order to place mail into the black mailbox.  In this case, the carrier has the right to insist the box owners even up their boxes, but has chosen not to.  If it were my route, neither of these boxes would get mail if they did not fix this problem.

 

Mailbox height is also a prime consideration.  Some mailboxes are so low that it appears the owner thought that a 5 year old on a tricycle would be delivering their mail.  Again, the carrier can leave them a notice to raise their box to the proper height (about 40 inches).  If they do not comply within 10 days, the mail will stop.  I have seen this happen, with mail being held for over three months in one case.  The customer came to the post office periodically to get their mail.

 

Vandalism

Mailbox vandalism happens on rural routes.  Usually immature teenagers are to blame.  I've gone out one day and discovered about 30 mailboxes damaged.  Then, you may go for several more months without any incidents.  There are methods that can be used to fight vandalism.

You can now by vandalism-resistant mailboxes, that are made with very thick metal to resist a blow from a baseball bat or other object.  These can be purchased online or at major home improvement stores, but expect to pay a premium price for it.  While you can get a basic mailbox for $15, you can expect to pay $80 for one of these tough boxes.

You can also build a brick or stone structure to house your mailbox, such as the one at right (click for larger view).  This protects the box from vandals, and gives a bit of elegance to your house.  Please note that although the box is protected, it is missing its door, either through wear and tear or vandalism.  The door is usually still exposed.

You can also build your own custom mailbox with thick metal, if you have the proper tools.  I've seen many hand-made mailboxes on the road.  Although they don't carry the usual Approved by the Postmaster General stamp, mail carriers usually don't mind so long as they perform the function of a mailbox. 

Finally, the cheapest option is concrete (click picture for larger view).  Buy one large mailbox, and one small mailbox. Put the small mailbox inside the larger mailbox, and fill the gap between the two with concrete.  When a teenager hits it with a baseball bat, they will either break the bat, their arm, or both!  They will think twice about hitting mailboxes the next time.  The bat could even whip back from the force and hit their own car.  The mailbox at right has taken quite a beating over the years, but it still holds the mail.

Mailbox Obstacles

Many times carriers will approach a box, but the box will be blocked, by a vehicle, or garbage cans, or even people standing around.  Normally the mailman will simply take the mail back to the post office and will redeliver it another day.