Hello, I'm about to start training as a new RCA. I have a 2005 Chevy Colorado with bucket seats. I can buy a bench seat relatively cheap at a local salvage yard, but was wondering where I would put the mail trays if I sat in the middle? I had also thought of sitting on the left and using a grabber tool. I'm 6'2'' if that helps. Any tips on how you set up your vehicle would would be appreciated!
Chevy Colorado route vehicle
- Thread starter flipzsd2
- Start date
Rt2mailman
Well-known member
Being tall you should be able to sit in the middle an leave you feet on the left side. The first 10 years of my career I did that also, with trays of mail in 2 rows across the trays not llengthwise, but across the tray so I could see the addresses better.
littlesew&sew
Well-known member
I have an 05 Canyon as my backup vehicle. Console comes out between bucket seats easily. I put two small (18-inch or so) pieces of 4x4 between the seats with a pillow on top for cushion. Trays of mail sit between me and the passenger door. I have a crew cab so remaining trays of mail go in the back seat passenger side. Small parcels in a tub right behind driver seat. Large parcels in the bed secured under topper. The only thing the mail hawk might be useful for is pulling parcels towards the tailgate.
As said earlier, you can usually take out the center console and put firm pillow(s) in the middle. I really recommend working with what you have and seeing how the job goes before dumping any kind of money into a vehicle, pedals, etc. Two suicide knobs opposite eachother on the steering wheel make a huge difference when not directly behind it. When straddling, my butt is usually half on the passenger seat and half over the pillow. Your long arms will be an advantage for reaching mailboxes, I wouldn't worry about any kind of grabber. Long legs might let you sit further to the right and allow for more mail tray options on the driver's seat. There are three mail tray options you might want to try out
1) flat tubs with criss cross mail or taco'd mail. These tubs are short and will sometimes be your only option depending on the space between you and the driver's side door. They often have sharp edges and because they are tall, they sometimes prevent you from seeing your next piece of mail before grabbing it out of the tub. They also get HEAVY when filled with mail. I sprained my shoulder and wrist trying to pull these up from the back seat without getting out of the front seat. Definitely dismount to move your heavy trays. These tubs are my least favorite option these days. (2) tall plastic trays (similar to dps trays but taller and less flemsy). These are a little shorter and more flexible than the hard green trays coming up in option (3). They can fit in a tight spot where a hard tray might be just an inch too long. I've typically pulled my mail down into these trays straight and upright, rubber banded, similar to the city carrier style. I've also seen a carrier put two half size dps trays inside these tall plastic trays and put taco'd mail in those (the half trays acting as natural dividers to help keep the mail from sliding all over.) Especially when a route has lots of newspapers every day, it also seems to be popular to taco mail in the newspapers and lay the tacos in these trays as if they were real tacos, with the mail flush with the top of the trays. (3) hard green trays. They aren't flimsy and can hold quite a bit of mail, turned or pulled down straight. These are my preferred method these days but they can get heavy. These trays didnt fit in my isuzu rodeo when I straddled. They do fit now that I have pedals installed on the right side. Again, I would encourage not buying pedals etc until you've tried the job out for a while.One disadvantage to just pedals (approx $400) is that the steering wheel is just an inch or two out of my natural reach which means my back is constantly skewered and in use just to keep the vehicle straight. When straddling, my back does occasional reaches over to mailboxes instead of constantly reaching over to the steering wheel while driving. Straddling also puts me closer to the steering wheel whichs means much more control in an emergency maneuver. One crappy part about straddling is dismounting for packages. You have to scooch out of the vehicle and in some cases there will still be unremovable sections of the console that you have to pull your left leg up and over. AND: (4) the bonus option: Custom tubs purchased out of your own pocket. I've seen especially older carriers prefer to use their own tubs. Similar to the flat tubs, carriers find tubs about the same size but half as tall. They seem to do this mostly to save their back. They can get pretty pricey though. If I was a regular and knew which route I would be on every day I personally would consider this option, but in the 10 months since I started, the routes I have worked and whether or not I was in my POV or an LLV has varied somewhat wildly, and I've put enough money into maintenance, tires and some repairs that it just doesn't make sense for me at the moment. One more thing: If your driver's side seat can go all the way flat, that gives lots more options and becomes a makeshift mail trail (you can even cut a piece of plywood for an even better tray/parcel surface). If your driver's side seat doesn't go flat, a flat tub just behind the driver's seat makes for a great secondary mail location (maybe small parcels, or full coverage advertisements), etc etc. Good luck!
1) flat tubs with criss cross mail or taco'd mail. These tubs are short and will sometimes be your only option depending on the space between you and the driver's side door. They often have sharp edges and because they are tall, they sometimes prevent you from seeing your next piece of mail before grabbing it out of the tub. They also get HEAVY when filled with mail. I sprained my shoulder and wrist trying to pull these up from the back seat without getting out of the front seat. Definitely dismount to move your heavy trays. These tubs are my least favorite option these days. (2) tall plastic trays (similar to dps trays but taller and less flemsy). These are a little shorter and more flexible than the hard green trays coming up in option (3). They can fit in a tight spot where a hard tray might be just an inch too long. I've typically pulled my mail down into these trays straight and upright, rubber banded, similar to the city carrier style. I've also seen a carrier put two half size dps trays inside these tall plastic trays and put taco'd mail in those (the half trays acting as natural dividers to help keep the mail from sliding all over.) Especially when a route has lots of newspapers every day, it also seems to be popular to taco mail in the newspapers and lay the tacos in these trays as if they were real tacos, with the mail flush with the top of the trays. (3) hard green trays. They aren't flimsy and can hold quite a bit of mail, turned or pulled down straight. These are my preferred method these days but they can get heavy. These trays didnt fit in my isuzu rodeo when I straddled. They do fit now that I have pedals installed on the right side. Again, I would encourage not buying pedals etc until you've tried the job out for a while.One disadvantage to just pedals (approx $400) is that the steering wheel is just an inch or two out of my natural reach which means my back is constantly skewered and in use just to keep the vehicle straight. When straddling, my back does occasional reaches over to mailboxes instead of constantly reaching over to the steering wheel while driving. Straddling also puts me closer to the steering wheel whichs means much more control in an emergency maneuver. One crappy part about straddling is dismounting for packages. You have to scooch out of the vehicle and in some cases there will still be unremovable sections of the console that you have to pull your left leg up and over. AND: (4) the bonus option: Custom tubs purchased out of your own pocket. I've seen especially older carriers prefer to use their own tubs. Similar to the flat tubs, carriers find tubs about the same size but half as tall. They seem to do this mostly to save their back. They can get pretty pricey though. If I was a regular and knew which route I would be on every day I personally would consider this option, but in the 10 months since I started, the routes I have worked and whether or not I was in my POV or an LLV has varied somewhat wildly, and I've put enough money into maintenance, tires and some repairs that it just doesn't make sense for me at the moment. One more thing: If your driver's side seat can go all the way flat, that gives lots more options and becomes a makeshift mail trail (you can even cut a piece of plywood for an even better tray/parcel surface). If your driver's side seat doesn't go flat, a flat tub just behind the driver's seat makes for a great secondary mail location (maybe small parcels, or full coverage advertisements), etc etc. Good luck! I'm about your size and delivered from
the right hand side. I would keep at least two trays of mail on the driver's side seat. I would put the mail into a tray on my lap and would work out of that. Parcels were kept on the seat behind me along with a tub for outgoing mail.
Having said that, all of my mail was cased, pulled down and put into trays. Taking DPS to the street would be trickier. I also needed rotator cuff surgery because of reaching behind me to get packages. I lost my fastball and had to rely more on my slider. Lol. Good luck.
the right hand side. I would keep at least two trays of mail on the driver's side seat. I would put the mail into a tray on my lap and would work out of that. Parcels were kept on the seat behind me along with a tub for outgoing mail.
Having said that, all of my mail was cased, pulled down and put into trays. Taking DPS to the street would be trickier. I also needed rotator cuff surgery because of reaching behind me to get packages. I lost my fastball and had to rely more on my slider. Lol. Good luck.
faceindawind
New member
Old school chiming in from days of Raw, Sector Segment to DPS at 6'1" former POV of 7 years now LLV hit my 20 combined. Still case all. POV and DPS to street with bucket seats? NO. Modify and buy the bench seat if this is something long term for you.
Long term service your shoulder WILL fail driving POV and bundles. An easy case to prove when it happens as to job related. My elbow is now starting to go.
Long term service your shoulder WILL fail driving POV and bundles. An easy case to prove when it happens as to job related. My elbow is now starting to go.
