Working is simply a way of life for many people. We have to provide for ourselves and our families, usually by doing a job that takes up at least 40 hours of our lives each week. And while every job is important to the person doing it, some careers are more rewarding than others are. Some careers help everyone in the community live their fullest life.

One such job under this description would be postal workers. Being a postman is one of the most misunderstood professions in the American economy. Mail people continue to be forgotten because so many people no longer take physical mail at their homes. Others have gone completely digital in this aspect of their lives. 

Postmen always get Sundays off, but they famously are there to get you your stuff in the harsh elements and the adverse effects of the outside world. We don’t really appreciate those in the mail industry. 

So what is in it for young people who decide to go into the postal world in 2021 and beyond? Auto insurance for postal employees is required for those who have to drive their own vehicles. Still, are there some discounts and perks that other drivers do not get?

We’ll also talk about the amount of time off you get. We’ll discuss whether the pay increases have been sufficient in the mail industry and whether other drivers for companies like UPS, FedEx, and Amazon have replaced mail people.

The Salary and Vacation 

All young people want to prepare early for a stable financial future. One of the ways of doing that is to pick a career that presents early upside for pay raises and potential promotions within an organization. 

The U.S. Postal Service has several different jobs. We want to focus on the delivery driver, also known as the letter carrier. The postal driver is responsible for delivering the mail by driving to the place of residence or a P.O. box and dropping the mail off. 

The potential salary of a driver is upwards of $3,000 per week. That puts you in the ballpark of over $150,000 per year. This is a sufficient salary for most families of three to four. You also get the benefits of health, dental, and vision insurance, along with paid time off and retirement planning.

The Intangible Value of Being a Postal Worker

But what about the intangibles? What about the extra value that a career in postal work brings to the deepest parts of your core? Delivering mail is an important part of the social and financial ecosystem in the U.S. Many people who live in rural parts of America have a hard time receiving deliveries from private companies such as UPS and Amazon.

This problem lies in the cost of bringing packages to the smallest towns in the nation. This is a responsibility that belongs to the USPS. Mail carriers can take great pride in creating real change in their communities if they do their job properly and with great attention to detail. 

Many folks who live in these communities have relied on the USPS for medications and other essentials that other delivery services simply do not handle. This has made postal work crucial during the pandemic. 

The services that reach the tiniest locations around local areas also bring about some of the most questions and extra necessities for postal workers. These are the types of issues that can dissuade certain people from the profession. Let’s talk about whether the USPS and the government fund mail vehicles for those postal workers who deliver to rural America. 

Insurance for Mail Carriers 

Many of the branches of the USPS will ask that their drivers purchase non-traditional delivery vehicles in case they have to take trips to small sections of the country. There aren’t large sections of mail vehicles available in the non-urban areas in America.

This means that auto insurance needs to be taken out on the cars that are driven, whether they are normal mail vans or personalized vehicles. The USPS will handle the former, but you will have to think closely and carefully about the latter.

Postal workers can apply for auto insurance discounts if they shop around for the best coverage in their state, and they should also ask for government assistance in paying for the auto insurance for their company vehicle. 

Being a mail carrier is a risk for auto insurance companies because there is so much more driving involved than in other careers. Despite this risk, driving your own car as a postal worker doesn’t have to be expensive if you communicate with your supervisors and get group coverage and discounts for working in the mail service. 

The Verdict: Being a Postal Worker Today

Being a mail person is still a career that features a tremendous amount of upside to those who decide it fits their desires. It allows you the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing one of the jobs that truly impact people. You may even meet neighbors and make a few new friends in cul-de-sacs that you frequented for years. 

It’s also a job that requires a lot of good driving habits and perseverance through the rough elements, such as snow, sleet, and storms. You usually don’t get to call in sick on days that snow and ice are blanketing the streets, so keep in mind that you simply can’t deliver mail if you don’t drive safely or are someone who doesn’t enjoy being on the road. 

It’s a job that falls outside of the normal office employment, and it doesn’t get as much publicity as other government jobs like teachers, firemen, or law enforcement. Think about whether this lack of popularity will bother you. 

Like most things in life, every person is going to feel different about the same things. While it may make one young person feel alive and motivated, the constant stress and repetition of mail delivery could wear another person out. All you can do is see if mail-carrying sounds fulfilling to you, and give it a try. There are plenty of rewards if you do.