Actually it isn't. There's no other job that matches it. I think about all those bored secretaries in the offices I go to, and I know that most of them are staring at their watches and saying "god its only 2 o'clock" where I'm always finding myself saying, okay, its 2 o'clock, there's so much more time, plenty of chances to make more $. Its the only job I've had where I don't want the day to end. And there is a lot more skill involved than you might think. Not only with the riding, but with the ability to get in and out of buildings quickly, working your way through problems, and getting routes right. Its both mentally and physically demanding. I sure as hell don't do it because it pays extremely well, instead I think I do it because its an incredible job after you add up all the good and the bad.

I have a question about this messengering business. When I ride around Seattle in the summer doing errands, I sweat my butt off. I have the luxury of taking my time and sitting in the shade to cool off before I go into a store or office, but as messengers, you folks are oft times go - go - go. How do you deal with that? Is it a job only for folks that don't sweat? Maybe the question sounds silly to some, but it would be a problem for me. I'd literally be dripping sweat on people's desks if I had to do it.

At 49, I'm NOT about to become a messenger, plus my current work suits me, I'm just curious.

Jim

Easy, sweat = sexy.

Sweat? Hell, thats the least of my worries. I just try to dress accordingly and wear breathable clothes.

Sometimes you get the "look" when you walk into an office, but you'll probably get it whether you're soaked in sweat or not. The people calling you for a pick up will do it whether it's 75 and sunny or below zero and snowing, and they know you're on a bike most of the time, so they don't expect "much" from your appearance.

seriously, the best part of my day is walking into an elevator full of rich people in business suits dripping with sweat knowing that they are trying to stay as far away from me as possible. It's even better when myself and another courier are in the same elevator. yep. totally makes my day.

all this talk of messenger-ing REALLY makes me want to try it! damn you guys! just kidding, i love you...

-jason

Excellent ..... Thanks. I suppose it was a silly question but I actually know people that sweat very little and thought maybe those were the only ones suitable for the job.

Jim

Wait on tables and spend your tips on a bike. Messengers don't make much money in any city, they do it for the lifestyle.

And if you can rip out a little silent fart, all the better.

I messengered in Toronto for a while and made between 80 to absalute max 150 a day. I now live in Halifax (population 300,000) and filled in for another biker on friday for the first time. It sucks ass because the city is a ****ing huge hill but the company has a 85 daily minimum which is sweet on slow days.

The wierd part is since it's such a small company I'm the only biker and the dispatcher is another courier in his car. This makes for him not ever knowing what's up with the calls I have on and doing **** like forgetting to give me calls for an hour and then ****ing up my run because I have to head right over to the forgotten call to fix his mistake.

Has anyone else had experience working in smaller cities or with companies without a dedicated dispatch?

the truth in the trail is to ride it.

absolutely.

take a two week vacation and stay in your own city and get a messenger job. you'll understand a lot, including why the job sucks and why the job is incredible.

Another view (from another coast): I'm a messenger/owner/accountant/mechanic/etc. for a worker-owned service in the bay area. We pay ourselves hourly (with bonuses) and split the profits at the end of the year. We don't get rich, but we don't make any lazy-assed boss or dispatcher rich off our labor, either. (dispatch from the road...thank you nextel). I can work half time and take home 20k+/year...not too bad for riding my bike around town all day.

Wow. How do I get in on this rent thing. I'm a student, and the only thing covering my rent is my massive loan. The funding my school gives me covers my tuition for the year, some books, and a week's drinking.

Wow.

From reading through this thread, messenger pay doesn't seem to have gone up at all since I was doing messenger work (in DC) back in 1988-1990... Ouch.

i gotta work on that silent fart thing - everyday, I bring with me to work good ol' raisins and penauts, with chocolate chips, which keeps my digestive system, um, regualr.

as far as smaller cities, i work in pittsburgh [pop. 334,000] for american expediting, a nationwide chain that seems to focus more on the car couriers than the bikes. i had to get a cell phone for the job, which they call to send me on runs. and there isn't really a dedicated dispatcher so i can get a call from one of four or five people. i've only started working there full time recently, as i recently just graduated from the big U. [wheee - massive debt]. when i go in early though, the work is more steady than if i roll into town at 10. but dealing with a bunch of dispatchers is weird - i don't know if they forget that i'm out there or what. still trying to figure out who gets what work and when. but if i could figure out how to cover my bills and loan payments while messing, then i'd do it until i was physically unable to any longer. plus, i can get some great reading done - i'm tackling michael parenti's 'against empire' now. good stuff.

I guess I might as well chime in here.I work in columbus ohio(pop 1.1 million in metro area), there's about 25 messengers here.About 3 years ago a few of us started going indie.I used to work for Best courier, I went indie august 21st 2003, best move I ever made.I used to be a car courier, ive got about 19 years of experience in the biz, about 5yrs on the bike, ya im old(39yrs old).When I left Best I was taking home about $500/wk average, and here that goes a long long way, my monthly bills are only $400/month with food included.Now im on my own and business is still building, I went from having 128 clients and working for a 70% cut to 3 clients and a 100% cut in one day.Now I have about 40 customers and I get a new one about every month or so, got Borden Chemical this week matter of fact Ive slowly but surely been taking Best's customers and others companies clients away, its all about service, the job is truly what you make of it.Im averaging about $400/wk now and its steadily going up, I expect to hit about $700 and then hire someone and take a 50% paycut, then hire 3 car drivers and get my % of their work.You can make decent $$ if you work at it and make the right moves, it isnt for everyone.My business is an even mix of law firms and regular businesses, ive got a whole bunch of realestate related stuff, one court reporting agency, some architects, a PR firm, an engraving company etc etc.Its a pretty wide mix.The business is pretty flat these days in most cities, car couriers are expanding, bikes arent, and competition can be pretty tough.Here in Columbus the indies like me are prettymuch killing the big companies slowly but surely, there's 6 indie companies and 3 big courier companies with bikers.I live downtown which makes it easy for me.As for rates, right now I charge $3,$4.50, and $6 for 2hr,1hr,and 1/2hr service respectively, and thats in the downtown zipcode, outside that, add $2 each time I have to go into a different zip code.I charge $20/hr for wait time in the court houses(fed,local, and state),roundtrips are double the base rate.

In the courier biz in general there's way more bad unscrupulous companies than good honest one's unfortunately, and only experience will teach you that.One company here has been bouncing checks for 6 years plus and getting away with it, average biker for them makes $200/wk.

As an indie your street cred and rep with clients is worth its weight in gold, word of mouth advertising is the best thing there is.But, the only way to get it is to work as a contractor for awhile.When I left Best I solicited about 80 companies in 3 days, initially I got 3, a month later I had a dozen.After a year I had about 30.I still get phone calls from old customers wanting to switch every now and again.Ive solicited about 200 or so at this point, you get used to making sales calls and having your flyer/biz card chucked in the trash as you walk out of their offices, but, eventually it pays off.Right now im the oldest full time indie messenger here and ive got about 145,000 deliveries worth of experience, you cant buy that kind of experience, and it helps believe me.I treat it like a war, I keep track of what everyone else charges,who has what clients, and even scheduled pick times of the other companies, who works where both on the street and in their offices.Ive become very opportunistic and ruthless, its business, but for me, its also personal.Here lately ive been doing what many would consider car runs too, my delivery area is now about 16 square miles roughly.Bottom line, there is work for those that want it bad enough.

i know i'm making a little less now than i was at my old job, and it's even more dead-end, but it's a great experience, amazing exercise. i've probably improved the quality of my life a million times over, healthwise. i wasn't really athletic at all before i started riding. now i never want to stop. also, while having your life threatened several times a day can be really frustrating and does tend to make people more quick to anger, focusing on moment to moment survival and getting from one place to the next safely is a very different way of using your brain than indoor people are used to. unless you're fooled into thinking you're invincible (it's easier than it should be to be lulled into that false sense of security) you do appreciate life as you're living it a little more, because you're so much more aware of how easily it could suddenly be over. at work there's really no time for abstract thought because you'll miss one little thing out of the corner of your eye or not see something about to happen ahead of you, and then be hurt or dead. people in offices basically spend all day with their brains running the opposite way. i feel like i've been rewired, and i am a little worried that it will take work to reverse someday when i'm not in traffic over 40 hours a week, but at least now i'm less likely to end up frail and weak when i'm an old fogey. ...that is, assuming i live long enough to be one.

Guys when you write these bible stories break up into paragraphs. Getting headache trying to read them.

Now back to our schedule program...
S/F<
CEYA!

Yes.

TV nation requires tiny sentences with musical soundtrack.

Brain can't hold ideas longer than 12 words.

Factoids please.

What were we talking about, messenger bags or something?

peace,
sam

The beatings will stop when morale improves.

Well, we usually sweat less, the better shape your in, the less you sweat.Trust me, I see the rookies go thru this all the time, it takes awhile.Ive seen an awful lot of them give it up too cause its just too much work for most, you arent likely to see very many overweight messengers that are worth a damn.Im 39 yrs old btw.

It takes mileage and time for it to happen, a few thousand miles a year doesnt do it, takes 10k+ per year of real riding just even get close to being in "bike" shape.Having a bag full of paper on your back all the time helps with the conditioning too.

who are you? seriously.

owner of pedal express, who are you?

heh heh

that's my company

I get paid ****. But I will fist a mothertrucker that asks me what the weather is like if i am drippin' wet. Dont mess with the package monkey......

bladow