A Rural Carrier Associate (RCA) is a casual or substitute employee of the United States Postal Service (USPS) who is responsible for the delivery of mail in a small rural area. The requirements for becoming an RCA are that the applicant must be at least 18 years old, have a valid state driver’s license, and be able to pass a background check and drug test. The pay for an RCA is based on the number of delivery stops and the distance traveled, and can range from $11 to $20 per hour.
A rural carrier associate is an individual who is responsible for the delivery of mail and other items to customers in rural areas. This position is often part of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The requirements for this position vary by state, but generally include being at least 18 years old and possessing a valid driver’s license.
What’s the difference between a rural carrier and a rural carrier associate?
The Rural Carrier position is a fulltime career position that comes with the famous complete Postal benefits package. The Rural Carrier Associate (RCA) is a non-career long-term relief job that can work directly in to a career position.
Most rural carriers are part-time, which means they have other jobs in addition to their postal job. They may work as farmers, teachers, or in other jobs. On average, they work as a rural carrier for about 9 years before becoming a regular carrier.
How many hours a week does a rural carrier associate work
It’s difficult to have a life outside of work when you’re expected to work upwards of 15 days in a row on average. With only 1 day off, including Sundays, and constant mandatory overtime, it can be tough to find time for anything else. Hours vary daily, so you never really know how long your day will be. It could be a short 7-8 hours, or a long 12 or more hours, which makes it difficult to plan anything else in your life.
If you want to be an RCA, you must have a safe driving record, a valid state operator’s license, and at least 2 years of unsupervised driving experience. You will also need to pass an initial road test.
What are the job duties of a rural carrier associate?
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is responsible for the safe and efficient delivery and collection of the US Mail. RCAs are responsible for delivering and collecting the mail when regular carriers have scheduled days off or take vacation days. RCAs also sell stamps, supplies, and money orders.
The RCA uniform dress code is designed to help create an educationally conducive, non-distracting environment. All students are expected to wear uniforms every day. The uniform should be clean, neat, and modest.
Do RCA use their own vehicles?
The Royal Canadian Army uses their own vehicles for mail delivery and they receive an equipment allowance in addition to regular pay. The vehicle needs to be insured, dependable, and in good working condition. Vehicles with bucket seats or standard transmission are not recommended.
This memo is to inform all RCAs that they will earn annual leave at the rate of 1 hour for every 20 hours worked, regardless of assignment. The maximum amount of annual leave that can be earned in a pay period is 4 hours. Designation 74 and 79 will continue to also earn sick leave at the same rate for all hours worked on assigned regular or auxiliary route.
How much vacation time does a rural carrier get
The Postal Service is a great place to work if you need a lot of time off. With 13 days of vacation per year for the first 3 years, and up to 26 days per year after 15 years of service, you can take all the time you need to relax and recharge. And if you ever get sick, you can rest easy knowing that you have plenty of sick leave to cover you.
As an RCA, your hours are very flexible. You can work as little as 1 day a week, or up to 60+ hours a week. You can also work 7 days a week, sometimes with 10-30 days in a row without a day off.
How do RCA’s get paid?
You are paid for the evaluated time, whether you complete the route over or under such time. It is to your benefit to do the route under the evaluated time. For ex, if the route is evaluated at 9 hrs a day, you will get paid for 45 hrs if you run it 5 days that week, providing you actually worked it in under 40 hrs.
A rural route is a postal service delivery route that is located in a rural area. A carrier who has a rural route may use either a government-owned vehicle (GOV) or their own vehicle, and will receive fuel and maintenance reimbursement from the Postal Service.
What’s the best position at USPS
There are a few high paying jobs at the post office! A postal inspector can make 31,000-51,500 per year, a window clerk can make 31,000-46,500 per year, and a postal service clerk can make 27,500-45,500 per year. There are also many other great postal jobs available like mailing specialist, route carrier, mail inserter, mail carrier, and postal worker.
Being an RCA can be very stressful because you are constantly filliing in for the regular carriers. You could be an RCA for 4-8 years, depending on your office. Once you become regular, it is probably not so bad, but my experience as a sub was not the best. The job itself is easy, sorting mail and delivering is not hard at all.
Do rural carriers get overtime?
Regular rural carriers are paid FLSA overtime under two circumstances:
-Hours worked in excess of 12 hours in a day
-If a carrier works more than 12 hours in a day, the amount over 12 is entered in the Daily Overtime block on PS Form 1314.
The National Rural Letter Carrier Agreement conforms to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Section 7(b)(2), which states that certain regular rural carriers assigned to a route of 35 hours or more (31 paid miles or more) are entitled to a guaranteed annual wage. The amount of the wage is based on the number of hours, or miles, assigned to their route.
Are rural carriers USPS employees
A rural carrier associate is a great way to get your foot in the door with the United States Postal Service. This is a part-time position that is perfect for those who live in rural and suburban areas. Mailmen and postal carriers are other names for a rural carrier associate, although this role is open to all applicants regardless of gender.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) no longer requires its letter carriers to wear uniforms. This change was made in order to save money on the cost of providing uniforms to new employees. Rural carriers are not required to wear uniforms, but may do so if they choose.
Final Words
The U.S. Postal Service defines a rural carrier associate (RCA) as an “independent contractor who provides delivery service to the public on behalf of the Postal Service.”
To be an RCA, an individual must:
Be at least 18 years old
Possess a valid state-issued driver’s license
Have a safe driving record
Be able to lift up to 70 pounds
Be able to walk and stand for long periods of time
Be able to work in all weather conditions
An RCA is responsible for delivering mail and providing excellent customer service to the people in their assigned route.
A rural carrier associate (RCA) is a person who is hired by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to perform delivery and retail functions in a rural area. The RCA definition and requirements are defined by the USPS. The RCA must be a citizen of the United States, have a clean criminal record, be able to pass a drug test, and be able to lift packages weighing up to 70 pounds. The RCA must have a valid state driver’s license and a safe driving record. The RCA position is a full-time, entry-level position with the USPS.