boilermaker1

If you want to do dangerous, rigorous work in Chicago become a Local 1 ironworker. Then you'll have excellent wages, health insurance and a pension.

FiftySix

Might as well tell us the story since you've cracked open the thread. Should be historic since you mentioned the '80s.

indyfabz

I was 38 when this thread was started. Those were the days!

RadDog

The 80's were the best years of my life, and eventually the worst.

RadDog

Keep in mind, email cut 70% of the messenger business out. You are left with more mundane and low paying deliveries like food. Today almost no one has a job on the line because all the critical work gets delivered by email. In the 80's, work had to be hand delivered back and forth, and usually had to be done that day. One of my main clients was a typography company and they would not survive if all work was not gotten out and back as fast as possible. They would work on something, say all morning. The work would go out to their client. The client wanted revisions, so it had to go back to the typography company and again back to the client, had to be done that day. Those were known as rush tags, and that is where the real money is. However, only the top 15% fastest messenger got them.

I was a bike messenger in San Francisco for 5 years....as mentioned, it was during the 80's before email/Internet when businesses needed lightening fast deliveries for projects that were under time pressure.

3 or 4 died each year. Everyone wanted to be a messenger, but few made it. The workload was brutal if you wanted to make good money.

I started working for one of the big bike messenger companies making $50 a day. However, my reputation for speed eventually resulted in me making more than $170 a day, a lot of money at the time.


I was a mediocre BMX and road racer, but I had a unique set of skills that made me one of the fastest messengers in the city. The problem was most messenger companies wanted volume, medium speed for most deliveries and short distances. Also, you only got 40% of the delivery charge (called a tag) and had to pay fees back to the company.

We had a competition every year, and one of them was the fastest messenger to do a delivery from one end of San Francisco to the next. I won in 8 minutes and 43 seconds in heavy traffic. There was an article in the newspaper about it.

One night I was at a party. A guy who owned a typography company was complaining that he could not get his work out and back fast enough, even though he paid for the most expensive rush delivery (and from a company I had worked for, US Messenger). By the time he called it in it would take an hour or more. I asked what he was looking for. He said "I need it there in 30 minutes." I said "how about 9 minutes," and the next day gave him the article.

The following Monday I started working for him making that delivery nearly 20 times a day. The delivery company charged him $12:50 each time, and workers would get 40%. I got the whole tag. So yeah, $200 a day, easy. Of course these conditions would not be possible with the current state of technology. Now all those high paying tags go via email.

FiftySix

Have you seen the documentary "Murder of Couriers"? If so, what's your take on it?

RadDog

No I have not, I will look for it. I would never let my son messenger.

EDIT: Sweet, I found it. I will watch it tonight.

fietsbob

Food Couriers with takeouts being all that will keep restaurants alive may be the thing now. its like Uber for food delivery

think you can set up a website to be your own guy. the site owners make the big bucks..

RadDog

Food delivery will not pay nearly as well, just think about it. Would you (a customer) pay more than $20 (in current money) to have your pizza delivered? Delivery is often free except tips.

I hear that messengers make less than ever. That makes sense. With email/Internet/technology there is no need for a business to pay top dollar. I made the city run in 9 minutes, but that is more than 10 minutes after the documents could be emailed.

When I know a company is depending on me, respects me, and they pay me well, I will take personal risks for them. I am not risking my life for a pizza.

There are lots of other tricks of the trade. Our special way of dealing with stop signs/red lights is one.

Phil_gretz

I re-watched the film Premium Rush in a desperation move to stave off COVID boredom. It turned out better the second time through. I don't claim that it has any relevance to this thread, but it does emphasize the necessary speed and skill of the riders...

RadDog

I watched it last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. 2 main points came to mind: The film was made in Vancouver (VC) which is 100% different from messengering in SF. VC is like NY in that it is flat and most messengers ride fixeis. However, San Francisco (SF) is totally different we have MASSIVE hills and thus you need gearing. In SF motorists ignore you, in NY they gun for you.

The second point is in regards to the rampant drug and alcohol problem. This movie was spot on. A lot of talented messengers become slugs because of their drinking and drug use. I went from being the fastest messenger in the city to a drunk loser drinking 15 beers a day everyday. It eventually cost me my $200 a day messengering job (I worked directly for clients). Don't feel bad, I have not had a drink in 31 years, but it cost me a pretty penny.

On to the types of bikes being ridden: In Vancouver (VC) they ride fixies. I don't know much about VC, but I do know about NY messengers. NY is flat, and therefore does not require the gearing that a place like SF demands. SF messengers, are the best conditioned in the world due to the enormous grades you have to work on. VC is also less dense than SF. With email I do not know how these messengers make a living. It is my understanding that messengers make much les today than they used to. Also, SF messengers made more money than NY messengers. The crazy thing is, most messengers (known as slugs) only made $50 a day back then, and today they make $50 which is about $30 in 1987 dollars.

When I was messengering there were 2 classes of messengers, the Rad dogs who got all the high paying longer distance tags, and the slugs who got the regular downtown tags. What we saw in that movie was primarily slugs, or fast messengers who became slugs because of their drug and alcohol use.

JanMM

Thread 17 years asleep and OP inactive on BF for 12 years.

I was a year-round everyday bike commuter in Atlanta in the ‘80’s and was appalled when I first saw a bike messenger blow through a red light - at the intersection of Ponce deLeon and Peachtree. Probably in a hurry to deliver. Don’t know how much they earned then.

livedarklions

Is the Pony Express hiring?

RadDog

There is a pretty specific technique used to "blow through red lights." I can post it up if you like.

As far as earning, the pay is much less today. Honestly, with the advent of email I don't see how anyone can make any money today. 34 years ago work could not be sent electronically, it had to be hand delivered. My main client was a typography company and they were under severe time constraints. If it is 2 in the afternoon and a job has to be finished by 5, getting the job out and back as fast as possible was in high demand. Peoples jobs depended on it (including mine). Using a regular messenger service, even with rush tags it would take a document an hour to get there and another hour back. That leaves only 1 hour to work on a job that absolutely must be finished by 5. It was very exciting, work was a pure adrenaline rush.

Today, this scenario has been replace by email and other forms of electronic file transfers. I don't see how anyone makes any money, especially if they are delivering pizza.

BTW, I developed a drinking and white powder problem as a messenger and eventually I was fired from my $200 a day (in 1987 dollars...that would be over $300 today) because I was partying too much and coming in late to work. The owner of the company said "you make more than my skilled workers, and they don't show up late."

I did not realize until too late that alcohol cost me the best job I ever had.

himespau 

Certain legal documents still have to be signed in person, but more and more of documents can be signed electronically.

jack pot 

bikes were & still are the main transportation of herbal + whatever else you want deliveries in big urban areas

RadDog

If you are suggesting the messengers always have marijuana on them you are 100% correct.

Rorysmith

Yes you said right "there's no way the cops can treat people one way, then turn around and treat someone else entirely differently"