What does a courier do?
A courier, also known as a messenger, is an individual who delivers goods to consumers or businesses. Those could be important documents, special packages, items, and even messages from one person to another. Their means of transportation vary from roller skates, bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, trucks, and airplanes. Some even travel by foot or any public transportation depending on the target location. Some are employees dedicated to companies, while others are freelancers who provide delivery services.
Courier responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real courier resumes:
- Operate postage machine and other mailroom office machines.
- Train and certify in safe transportation of hazardous materials (HIPAA and OSHA procedures).
- Work closely with logistics company to provide superior customer service, ensure prompt and reliable service to all enlist patrons.
- Provide customer service skills while transporting emergency medication patients.
- Receive strong reviews for customer service, communications, dependability and attendance.
- Station in Frankfurt, Germany and Washington
- Uphold HIPPA laws with regards to patient privacy.
- Collect and deliver correspondence for the local Drs.
- Maintain alertness to be available at any moment's notice.
- Fill and deliver supply requisitions for the various local Drs.
- Keep records of all items paid and send by fed-ex.
- Follow a strict schedule for pickups.pic up and deliver stat specimens.
- Carry out safe and efficient transport of patients from nursing stations and rooms to designate surgeries or rehabilitation rooms.
- Monitor staff hours work on and off the road as well as attendance and punctuality.
- Acquire CDL to transport customers' packages from the terminal to the airport.
Courier skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Couriers are proficient in Delivery Service, Safety Policies, and Rehabilitation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Hand-eye coordination, and Sales skills.
We break down the percentage of Couriers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Delivery Service, 16%
Assisted pharmacists in providing professional prescription delivery services to the patients and staff of various medical facilities and rehabilitation centers.
- Safety Policies, 12%
Complied with all operational, security, and safety policies/procedures, while meeting critical service objectives to support organizational brand.
- Rehabilitation, 12%
Deliver promptly and accurately to senior assisted living & rehabilitation centers in accordance with Pharmacy requirements and guidelines.
- Traffic Laws, 8%
Followed established safety procedures and traffic laws.
- Demonstrates Proficiency, 7%
Scan packages according to prescribed procedures; demonstrates proficiency in features of service and equipment.
- Customer Service, 7%
Provided exemplary customer service when dealing with customers by ensuring that each delivery satisfied the expectation of both customer and employer.
Most couriers use their skills in "delivery service," "safety policies," and "rehabilitation" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential courier responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a courier to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "when completing deliveries, drivers often interact with customers and should make a good impression to ensure repeat business." Additionally, a courier resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "transport cash and deposits to banks, atm's, and customers. "
Hand-eye coordination. Another essential skill to perform courier duties is hand-eye coordination. Couriers responsibilities require that "drivers need to observe their surroundings at all times while operating a vehicle." Couriers also use hand-eye coordination in their role according to a real resume snippet: "assisted with air to ground coordination of feeder flights as well as ramp operations for dhl location at hartsfield international airport. "
Sales skills. couriers are also known for sales skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to courier responsibilities, because "driver/sales workers are expected to persuade customers to purchase new or different products." A courier resume example shows how sales skills is used in the workplace: "assisted with sales customer service of new clientele and was responsible for complying with all dangerous goods transportation regulations. "
Visual ability. A big part of what couriers do relies on "visual ability." You can see how essential it is to courier responsibilities because "to have a driver’s license, delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers must be able to pass a state vision test." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical courier tasks: "do a visual inspection of delivery vehicle before starting out to complete deliveries. "
The three companies that hire the most couriers are:
- DoorDash3,416 couriers jobs
- FedEx163 couriers jobs
- Verano72 couriers jobs
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Compare different couriers
Courier vs. Package delivery room service runner
A messenger takes messages, packages, and other items to requested addresses. The mode of transport used to perform deliveries varies for each messenger. They are required to pick up documents and goods, deliver to predetermined locations, work within preferred practices of the industry and their employers, and ensure deliveries are punctual. This role requires someone who is familiar with traffic, routes, and all locations within a working area.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a courier are more likely to require skills like "delivery service," "safety policies," "rehabilitation," and "traffic laws." On the other hand, a job as a package delivery room service runner requires skills like "hotel guests," "room service orders," "guests rooms," and "awards." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that package delivery room service runners earn slightly differ from couriers. In particular, package delivery room service runners are 2.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a courier. Additionally, they're 4.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Courier vs. Messenger
Each career also uses different skills, according to real courier resumes. While courier responsibilities can utilize skills like "delivery service," "safety policies," "rehabilitation," and "traffic laws," messengers use skills like "customer deposits," "strong customer service," "nyc," and "professional demeanor."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Messengers tend to reach similar levels of education than couriers. In fact, they're 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 4.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Courier vs. Mail messenger contractor
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, couriers are more likely to have skills like "delivery service," "safety policies," "rehabilitation," and "traffic laws." But a mail messenger contractor is more likely to have skills like "dot," "healthcare," "straight truck," and "usps."
Most mail messenger contractors achieve a similar degree level compared to couriers. For example, they're 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Courier vs. Phonathon caller
Types of courier
Updated January 8, 2025
