I asked my postal clerk today if letter carriers were allowed to smoke in postal vehicles and she said NO.  They can smoke on their breaks - outside the postal vehicle and at lunch, again, outside the postal vehicle.  Therefore, if your letter carrier is bringing you books that smell of cigarette smoke and you think it's because he/she is smoking in the vehicle or you see him/her smoking in the postal vehicle, this is against postal regulations and is reportable..

I forgot to ask about contract carriers who use their own vehicles - I would bet though that the postal regulations might not apply to them.    Pat

I think many of us have carriers that use their own vehicles (I am on a city route, not a rural one and my mail carrier drives her own car). I would bet that will always be the case on the smokey books, the carriers drive their own vehicles. I think reporting them will only tick them off, they aren't going to stop smoking in their own vehicle.

POV = Privately Owned Vehicle are Rural Carriers or RCA's (Rural Carriers Associates) and not City Carriers.

Yes, this includes routes that are in what most people would consider a city or town.

There is a no smoking policy in postal vehicles.

For example, I am a Supervisor at the Elizabethtown, KY Post Office with a total of 96 employees. I have 9 city routes and 28 rural routes. Typically, a city route used to be considered a "walking" route or one where the carrier does a "Park & Loop", some city routes are all mounted, where the carrier drives his full route and delivers to mailboxes from the roadway. Of course some routes are a combination of the two. City carriers wear postal uniforms and drive LLV's (your typical RHD postal truck) or if the whole route is walking (park and loop) they may drive the LHD mini van / wagon. RHD = Right Hand Drive

Rural carriers used to drive their personal vehicles at all times but over the last 3- 4 years we have started to issue them LLV's. The majority of rural carriers still use POV's and there are no uniforms. I believe we are supposed to issue 15,000 more LLV's over the next five years. The mall we have in E-Town is on a Rural route and she has to walk the mall and deliver mail on foot.

Many years ago the "boundaries" were set for what was "City" and what was "Rural" and population growth and development has made some of these areas somewhat funny in retrospect.

15 of my 28 Rural routes use LLV's.

Another difference between City and Rural is that City carriers are paid on an hourly wage scale and Rural carriers are on an "Evaluated" route system based upon number of possible deliveries (mailboxes) , mail volume etc.

It's possible that an experienced Rural carrier can deliver their daily mail in less than eight hours and still be paid their "Evaluated" time. So in the summer when mail volume is low or on Saturday when many business's are closed they can get done early. Of course, on Monday's or day after Holidays or in the fall when mail volume is typically heaver it may take them longer than evaluated time.

Like any job, good and bad points :)

A small bit of trivia, the Post Office still uses mules to deliver the mail................................ to the bottom of the Grand Canyon :)

Kevin 

If the books are wrapped in plastic and taped well, I wouldn't think they'd be harmed by the mail delievery person smoking.     Not that they should smoke!

The packaged book would only be in the truck for 6 hours or so.  The carrier uses both hands to drive or deliver mail. The carrier has a schedule to keep up with!!!  How much smoking do you think they can do????             
What im trying to say is if the book smells like smoke, its not from the postal carrier!  The sender is blowing smoke up your way!!!!!

actually Leah, there are a few people here that have carries that KNOW they smoke and have seen them and all of their mail arrives smelling like an ashtray. 

I used to have a carrier that would bring her cigarette with her into the entry hall of the building and smoke as she was filling the mailboxes.  Sometimes she even dropped ashes on the floor.  Someone must have complained, but I'm too wimpy.

My mailman is a chain-smoker - the man smokes as he loads and unloads his Jeep, he smokes while he is putting packages in the mailboxes - he never stops. Every piece of mail I get reeks of cigarettes. Sometimes I have to leave packages outdoors for a day or two it is so bad. I won't mail things directly from my own mailbox anymore b/c of it.

If my mail reeked of smoke, I'd get a PO Box at least then I know if wouldn't stink, because they can't smoke in the buildings, when they box the mail in the PO Boxes.

I have to agree leahrod (Leah R.)  the mail is only in the truck for maybe six hours.

The carriers are in and out so much and if they have a mounted route the window is open the almost the whole time.

Maybe the person who is mailing it too you might be a chain smoker.

If the packaging is in the house with smoker it will reek through out the whole box trust me, when people bring in some packages you can smell them a mile a way plus the package reaks even after they leave them.

I was so embrassed when my son pointed out to me that the BOXES I sent their gifts in smelled like smoke.  I know it's dumb - but I was so careful with their gifts and it never occured to me that the cardboard was a smoker holder.   Sheesh me!   Don't have to worry about that anymore since I quit smoking.    

Well no one in my house smokes and I still got complaints about my outgoing packages stinking of smoke. Which is why I stopped mailing out of my mailbox - and the complaints stopped, go figure!