I've been a rural carrier for 19 years, so I was excited to get a reference that goes beyond what I see at the curb. Ch. 1's explanation of how carrier load and vehicle positioning should dictate which side a flag goes on is something I've never thought about, but now it makes total sense. I do wish it had mentioned solar-powered light brands by name, and the business chapters felt a bit redundant with the general principles I already know. Still, for the technical specs alone, it’s the most solid book on the subject I have. Worth the shelf space.

I bought this for my property management side gig, and the decision matrix in Ch. 3 alone was worth the price—it forced a 20-minute conversation with a client about frost depth before installing a decorative post for them. The chapter on installation and the specifics on set-back distances from the curb are exactly the kind of code-level info you can't find by searching blogs. A few sections were a little dry, like the full glossary, but it's a reference book; it's supposed to be. I've already recommended it to the other maintenance folks in our group.