Contrary to popular belief, the United States Post Office has no official motto. However,
a number of postal buildings contain inscriptions, the most familiar of which appear on postal buildings
in New York City and Washington D.C.
General Post Office, New York City, 8th Avenue and 33rd. Street.
"Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
This inscription was supplied by William Mitchell Kendall of the firm of McKim, Mead & White, The Architects who designed
the New York General Post Office. Kendall said the sentence appears in the works of Herodotus and describes the expeditions
of the Greeks against the Persians under Cyrus, about 500 B.C. The Persians operated a system of mounted postal couriers,
and the sentence decribes the fidelity with which their work was done.
Handles more than 43% of the world's mail. It's nearest competitor is Japan with only 6%.
Depends exclusively on postage and fees rather than tax payer revenue for it's operations.
Serves customers with nearly 40,000 post offices and retail units throughout the country.
Operates a $5.5 billion transportation network that includes more than 200,000 vehicles and contract space
on approximately 15,000 commercial flights daily.
Serves more than 8 million small business customers.
Operates the nations largest alternate fuel delivery fleet with more than 7,000 vehicles powered
by natural gas, electridity, and ethanol in 1996.
The postal service is listed by Fortune Magazine as 29th on a list of the world's largest companies.
Working with an annual budget of nearly 1% of the United States economy.
Recycles more than one million tons of materials annually.
Handles more than 41 million change-of-address cards each year as a free service to the 17%
of the nation's population that moves each year.
Serves as the largest credit/debit card acceptor in the nation with nearly 50,000 terminals at 33,000 postal locations
throughout the country.
Experiences an increase of one million dollars in costs when the price of gasoline increases
by one cent nationwide.
Delivers more in one day than FedEx does in a year, and more in three days than UPS does in a year.