Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators

Career Overview

Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Examine, sort, and route mail. Load, operate, and occasionally adjust and repair mail processing, sorting, and canceling machinery. Keep records of shipments, pouches, and sacks, and perform other duties related to mail handling within the postal service. Includes postal service mail sorters and processors employed by USPS contractors.

Also Known As

Automation Clerk
Distribution Clerk
Mail Handler
Mail Processor

Alternate Job Titles

Assorter
Automation Clerk
Computer Forwarding System Markup Clerk (CFS Markup Clerk)
Dead Mail Checker
Distribution Clerk
Distribution Handler
Distributor
Equipment Operator
File Conversion Operator
Flat Sorter Operator
Flat Sorter Processor
Flat Sorting Machine Clerk (FSM Clerk)
General Expeditor
Letter Sorting Machine Operator (LSM Operator)
Mail Distribution Clerk

What You'll Do

In this role, your typical responsibilities include:

Clear jams in sorting equipment.
Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters.
Sort odd-sized mail by hand, sort mail that other workers have been unable to sort, and segregate items requiring special handling.

Key Abilities

This career requires key abilities in:

Near Vision
Manual Dexterity
Perceptual Speed
Static Strength
Written Comprehension
Multilimb Coordination
Information Ordering
Category Flexibility
Oral Comprehension
Speech Recognition

Work Style

People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Integrity
Stress Tolerance
Cautiousness

What Matters in This Career

This career tends to satisfy these work values:

Support
Relationships
Working Conditions
Achievement
Independence

Education & Preparation

Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

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 SharePoint
Microsoft Word
SAP software
Teradata Database

Tools & Equipment

Addressographs
Automatic airline assignment systems
Automatic pallet unloaders
Barcode scanners
Barcode sorters
Compact assignment machines
Computer data input scanners
Conveyor belts
Conveyor sorting systems
Copy machines
Delivery point packagers
Dollies
Electric material moving tractors
General purpose mail containers
Hand-pushed carts

Work Environment

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Time Pressure
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable

Salary & Job Market

Salary Percentile	Annual Wage
Entry-Level (10th percentile)	$42,600
Median	$56,530
Top Earners (90th percentile)	$74,050

Workers Employed Nationally: 111,930