Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator 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.
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator is Also Know as
In different settings, Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator is titled as
- Automation Clerk
- Computer Forwarding System Markup Clerk (CFS Markup Clerk)
- Distribution Clerk
- Flat Sorting Machine Clerk (FSM Clerk)
- Mail Handler
- Mail Handler Equipment Operator
- Mail Processing Clerk
- Mail Processor
- Parcel Post Distribution Machine Operator (PDPMO)
- Small Package and Bundle Sorter Clerk (SPBS Clerk)
Education and Training of Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator is categorized in Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education Required for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Degrees Related to Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator
Training Required for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator in different industries are
- Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks
- Postal Service Clerks
- Stockers and Order Fillers
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
- Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping
- Office Machine Operators, Except Computer
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers
- File Clerks
- Data Entry Keyers
- Packers and Packagers, Hand
- Cargo and Freight Agents
- Postmasters and Mail Superintendents
- Couriers and Messengers
- Office Clerks, General
- Conveyor Operators and Tenders
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
- Postal Service Mail Carriers
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
What Do Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator do?
- Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment.
- Bundle, label, and route sorted mail to designated areas, depending on destinations and according to established procedures and deadlines.
- Train new workers.
- Distribute incoming mail into the correct boxes or pigeonholes.
- Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters.
- Search directories to find correct addresses for redirected mail.
- Clear jams in sorting equipment.
- Check items to ensure that addresses are legible and correct, that sufficient postage has been paid or the appropriate documentation is attached, and that items are in a suitable condition for processing.
- Open and label mail containers.
- Rewrap soiled or broken parcels.
- Weigh articles to determine required postage.
- Move containers of mail, using equipment, such as forklifts and automated "trains".
- Sort odd-sized mail by hand, sort mail that other workers have been unable to sort, and segregate items requiring special handling.
- Accept and check containers of mail from large volume mailers, couriers, and contractors.
- Load and unload mail trucks, sometimes lifting containers of mail onto equipment that transports items to sorting stations.
- Cancel letter or parcel post stamps by hand.
- Dump sacks of mail onto conveyors for culling and sorting.
Qualities of Good Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Tools Used by Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator
- 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
- Laser facsimile machines
- Mail canceling machines
- Mail processing machines
- Mail scales
- Mail sorting machines
- Mail trucks
- Multi-position letter sorting machines
- Optical character readers
- Packaging machines
- Personal computers
- Point of sale workstations
- Postage marking machines
- Postal automated redirection systems
- Small parcel bundle sorter machines
- Voice recognition equipment
- Warehouse forklifts
Technology Skills required for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operator
- Address Management System AMS
- Automated Package Processing System APPS
- Barcode reader software
- Delivery operations information system DOIS
- Delivery Routing System DRS
- Directory software
- Electronic Time Clock ETC
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft Word
- Multi-line optical character reader OCR software
- NCR Advanced Store
- SAP software
- Teradata Database
- Time and Attendance Collection System TACS