Career Overview
Pick up and deliver messages, documents, packages, and other items between offices or departments within an establishment or directly to other business concerns, traveling by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, or public conveyance.
Also Known As
- Courier
- Driver
- Laboratory Courier
- Messenger
Alternate Job Titles
- Bank Courier
- Bank Messenger
- Bank Runner
- Bicycle Messenger
- Bill Distributor
- Bill Hiker
- Bill Peddler
- Call Person
- Call Worker Person
- Caller
- Circular Distributor
- Copy Chaser
- Copy Messenger
- Copy Worker
- Courier
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Deliver and pick up medical records, lab specimens, and medications to and from hospitals and other medical facilities.
- Obtain signatures and payments, or arrange for recipients to make payments.
- Record information, such as items received and delivered and recipients' responses to messages.
- Receive messages or materials to be delivered, and information on recipients, such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and delivery instructions, communicated via telephone, two-way radio, or in person.
- Load vehicles with listed goods, ensuring goods are loaded correctly and taking precautions with hazardous goods.
- Walk, ride bicycles, drive vehicles, or use public conveyances to reach destinations to deliver messages or materials.
- Sort items to be delivered according to the delivery route.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Customer and Personal Service
- Transportation
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Speech Recognition
- Far Vision
- Near Vision
- Written Comprehension
- Multilimb Coordination
- Category Flexibility
- Finger Dexterity
- Manual Dexterity
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Social Orientation
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Relationships
- Support
- Working Conditions
- Independence
- Achievement
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- Bank deposit bags
- Bicycles
- Computer data input scanners
- Copy machines
- Delivery trucks
- Document shredders
- Envelope sealers
- Global positioning system GPS devices
- Handheld radio frequency RF scanners
- Hard hats
- Hazardous material packaging
- High-reach forklifts
- Hydraulic lift tables
- Laser facsimile machines
- Lockboxes
Work Environment
- Telephone Conversations
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Time Pressure
- Contact With Others
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $29,880 |
| Median | $38,340 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $50,590 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 71,920
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Postal Service Mail Carriers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $57,490
Light Truck Drivers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $44,140
Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $38,150
Postal Service Clerks
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $61,630
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $43,190
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.

