Postmen using their own cars?

OU812 · 18-10-2019 9:00am #1

Noticed this morning my postman, taking post out of what I presume is his own car. Unmarked silver Fiat.

The boot was full of letters & packages.

Are an post paying them to upgrade to commercial insurance?

If not & they have regular insurance, what would be the situation if the car was stolen or burnt while the post was in it?

corner of hells · 18-10-2019 9:02am

OU812 wrote: »

Noticed this morning my postman, taking post out of what I presume is his own car. Unmarked silver Fiat.

The boot was full of letters & packages.

Are an post paying them to upgrade to commercial insurance?

If not & they have regular insurance, what would be the situation if the car was stolen or burnt while the post was in it?

Undercover postmen or its their own post that they bringing home from the sporting office.

LirW · 18-10-2019 9:10am

OU812 wrote: »

Noticed this morning my postman, taking post out of what I presume is his own car. Unmarked silver Fiat.

The boot was full of letters & packages.

Are an post paying them to upgrade to commercial insurance?

If not & they have regular insurance, what would be the situation if the car was stolen or burnt while the post was in it?

Our postman used 4 different cars in the last year, now it seems Anpost has a new fleet. First it was this old Post van, 13 years old. Then he was driving the same model but in red and 181 reg. Then after a few weeks it was an Enterprise rental and that was used a few months.
And now he has this new fancy Anpost van.

I'd assume Anpost is just as deep in sh*te as all the other state services, imagine having to drive a rental for a while because your employer is incapable to sort a decent fleet out.

razorblunt · 18-10-2019 9:16am

This has been happening for at least 20 years now from what I've seen.

OU812 · 18-10-2019 9:27am

Should have mentioned, youngish postman. Sporty car, unlikely to be a rental or fleet car.

18-10-2019 9:30am

OU812 wrote: »

Should have mentioned, youngish postman. Sporty car, unlikely to be a rental or fleet car.

Mileage FTW.

But, as you say, unlikely to be insured under regular rules.

branie2 · 18-10-2019 9:32am

I've never seen it happen

Ray Palmer · 18-10-2019 9:33am

Some postmen choose to use their cars even though they are meant to cycle. They would be in trouble if found out by management.

whisky_galore · 18-10-2019 9:56am

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Some postmen choose to use their cars even though they are meant to cycle. They would be in trouble if found out by management.

Or walk.
Adults too lazy to walk or cycle, like their offspring. No wonder we have so many fatties.

punisher5112 · 18-10-2019 9:58am

Post men do it on your doorstep....

ted1 · 18-10-2019 9:59am

OU812 wrote: »

Noticed this morning my postman, taking post out of what I presume is his own car. Unmarked silver Fiat.

The boot was full of letters & packages.

Are an post paying them to upgrade to commercial insurance?

If not & they have regular insurance, what would be the situation if the car was stolen or burnt while the post was in it?

They don’t need commercial insurance. They just increase their policy to include business use. Costs about 40 euro a year. Anybody who uses a private car and collects mileage should have it.

Your Face · 18-10-2019 10:02am

whisky_galore wrote: »

Or walk.
Adults too lazy to walk or cycle, like their offspring. No wonder we have so many fatties.

When I read a post like this, my suspicions lead me to believe that the poster may be a ground-worrying fattie chub chub monster.

Del2005 · 18-10-2019 10:02am

whisky_galore wrote: »

Or walk.
Adults too lazy to walk or cycle, like their offspring. No wonder we have so many fatties.

Most post is parcel these days. Not easy, or safe, to be walking or cycling long distances with heavy bags. Even cycling with a bag of letters could be a danger.

Then there's the risk of leaving the bag of mail unattended when delivering the mail.

ted1 · 18-10-2019 10:03am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Mileage FTW.

But, as you say, unlikely to be insured under regular rules.

Not unlikely, very cheap and easy to increase insurance to business use / Class 1

18-10-2019 10:04am

whisky_galore wrote: »

Or walk.
Adults too lazy to walk or cycle, like their offspring. No wonder we have so many fatties.

Was in a meeting yesterday, met up in a cafe in Rathfarnham which suited those of us attending. And just observing the people turning up in the shopping centre and getting out of their cars, most were significantly overweight.

ted1 wrote: »

Not unlikely, very cheap and easy to increase insurance to business use / Class 1

I'd say almost no postman that uses their car for work will pay the extra premium to pay for business use. It can be quite saucy. Could be wrong, but highly doubt it.

Blanchguy · 18-10-2019 10:08am

Postmen don't get mileage.

Anyone who thinks a postman is lazy should give it a try sometime. Certainly in a city or suburbs it's a workout.

18-10-2019 10:10am

Blanchguy wrote: »

Postmen don't get mileage.

Anyone who thinks a postman is lazy should give it a try sometime. Certainly in a city or suburbs it's a workout.

Just to answer the insurance question - did you ever get business insurance if you used your car.

ted1 · 18-10-2019 10:20am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'd say almost no postman that uses their car for work will pay the extra premium to pay for business use. It can be quite saucy. Could be wrong, but highly doubt it.

It’s 40 euro , we all have it here and the company won’t pay mileage without seen a copy of the insurance policy.

Grab All Association · 18-10-2019 10:26am

Seen it happen here in Thurles too a good few years ago. The postman at the time (since retired) was using a Chevrolet car. He lives down the road from me and it wasn’t his own vehicle. I assume An Post are hiring these vehicles. They use Renault Kangoo vans here in Thurles. Sometimes there’s a plain white van.

18-10-2019 10:36am

ted1 wrote: »

It’s 40 euro , we all have it here and the company won’t pay mileage without seen a copy of the insurance policy.

And that's why Postmen wont have it. It's pointless. They don't get mileage (paid) and unlikely to be doing it authorised by An Post management in the first place - so not for business purposes.

Insurance varies depending on various factors. Carrying around packages is likely to make it expensive rather than just travelling. But, in this case it's not business (arguably not social or personal either - if it came to an accident and the insurance co. investigated).

TomSweeney · 18-10-2019 10:39am

My postman used to complain all the time about low wages, I stopped feeling sorry for him when he turned up to deliver a parcel in his 192 D Bentley ....

whisky_galore · 18-10-2019 10:40am

Your Face wrote: »

When I read a post like this, my suspicions lead me to believe that the poster may be a ground-worrying fattie chub chub monster.

Whatever you think yourself.

my3cents · 18-10-2019 12:02pm

Nothing to see here its all sanctioned, insured, legal and above board.

Just asked my postman about it and if you have a cycle or walking route you can apply to use your own car. You don't get any benefits or mileage payment but it is allowed but you have to fill out forms and sort out insurance for it to be sanctioned.

Oasis1974 · 18-10-2019 12:07pm

The Postman who works our neighborhood drives the car into all the driveways and gets out and then gets in to the next driveway etc. That's if it's raining lol.

18-10-2019 12:07pm

Blanchguy wrote: »

Anyone who thinks a postman is lazy should give it a try sometime. Certainly in a city or suburbs it's a workout.

There's a guy here I regularly see running doing his round.

He has to be the fittest postie in the country.

Edgware · 18-10-2019 12:25pm

People were complaining that there was a urine smell off their letters. Then they realised that the local postman, Pat, was carrying his cat, Jess, around him in the van.
The old women didnt mind though. They looked forward to Pat shoving a big parcel into their letterbox early in the morning

freshpopcorn · 18-10-2019 12:49pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'd say almost no postman that uses their car for work will pay the extra premium to pay for business use. It can be quite saucy. Could be wrong, but highly doubt it.

I know a few people who have their car insurance on Class 1 instead of social domestic and pleasure and it doesn't make much of a difference.

kirving · 18-10-2019 12:59pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

And that's why Postmen wont have it. It's pointless. They don't get mileage (paid) and unlikely to be doing it authorised by An Post management in the first place - so not for business purposes.

Insurance varies depending on various factors. Carrying around packages is likely to make it expensive rather than just travelling. But, in this case it's not business (arguably not social or personal either - if it came to an accident and the insurance co. investigated).

All of the above is speculation.

I know someone who was working for another state body similar to An Post who used their own car, carried expensive equipment often, and had the correct insurance paid for by the state body with zero issue. All above board.

They were involved an a collision (not at fault) that wrote off both cars and the Gards and both insurance companies had no issues.

MrCostington · 18-10-2019 1:30pm

Turning the tables, I guess some have already seen this, postman Dick buys his An Post Renault 4 for a tenner!

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0315/859886-retired-postman-retains-van/

Del2005 · 18-10-2019 4:24pm

ted1 wrote: »

Not unlikely, very cheap and easy to increase insurance to business use / Class 1

Does Class 1 cover the carriage of others property? I thought class 1 was for carrying your own goods or equipment. Carrying someone else's property requires higher insurance.

Force Carrier · 18-10-2019 4:32pm

The Union should kick up about that.
The least they can expect is for their employer to provide a little
van and a cat.

Postmen using their own cars?

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