How to Become a Delivery Driver
As a delivery driver, you get to bring happiness to people every day. Everyone loves receiving packages, and most of the time it's probably something off Amazon that they didn't even really need in the first place. But here you are bringing it to them.
In addition to dropping off unneeded packages, the job also requires you to pick up and transport those packages. But that does without saying. Typically, you'll stick with a local region or urban area for your delivery route. While driving a truck for long periods can be tiring, it'll be totally worth it when you see the look on someone's face who's been waiting for their package all day.
What Does a Delivery Driver Do
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers pick up, transport, and drop off packages and small shipments within a local region or urban area. They drive trucks with a 26,000-pound gross vehicle weight (GVW) capacity or less. Most of the time, they transport merchandise from a distribution center to businesses and households.
How To Become a Delivery Driver
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers typically enter their occupations with a high school diploma or equivalent. However, some opportunities exist for those without a high school diploma. Workers undergo 1 month or less of on-the-job training. They must have a driver’s license from the state in which they work and possess a clean driving record.
EducationDelivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers typically enter their occupations with a high school diploma or equivalent.
TrainingCompanies train new delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers on the job. This may include driving training from a driver-mentor who rides along with a new employee to ensure that a new driver is able to operate a truck safely on crowded streets.
New drivers also have training to learn company policies about package dropoffs and returns, taking payment, and what to do with damaged goods.
Driver/sales workers must learn detailed information about the products they offer. Their company also may teach them proper sales techniques, such as how to approach potential new customers.
Licenses, Certifications, and RegistrationsAll delivery drivers need a driver’s license.
Other ExperienceSome delivery drivers begin as package loaders at warehouse facilities, especially if the driver works for a large company. For more information on package loaders, see the profile on hand laborers and material movers.
Important QualitiesCustomer-service skills. When completing deliveries, drivers often interact with customers and should make a good impression to ensure repeat business.
Hand-eye coordination. When driving, delivery drivers need to observe their surroundings while simultaneously operating a complex machine.
Math skills. Because delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers sometimes take payment, they must be able to count cash and make change quickly and accurately.
Patience. When driving through heavy traffic congestion, delivery drivers must remain calm and composed.
Sales skills. Driver/sales workers are expected to persuade customers to purchase new or different products from them.
Visual ability. To have a driver’s license, delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers must be able to pass a state vision test.
Delivery Driver Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of technician you might progress to a role such as team leader eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title account manager.
Average Salary for a Delivery Driver
What Am I Worth?
Top Skills For a Delivery Driver
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 14.8% of delivery drivers listed clean driving record on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and hand-eye coordination are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Delivery Driver Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Delivery Driver templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Delivery Driver resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Delivery Driver Demographics
Delivery Driver Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among delivery drivers, 16.7% of them are women, while 83.3% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among delivery drivers is White, which makes up 65.7% of all delivery drivers.
- The most common foreign language among delivery drivers is Spanish at 70.8%.
Online Courses For Delivery Driver That You May Like
No matter the volume of production of a micro or small company, delivery to clients will always be indispensable. Designing the best way to transport goods may mean performing the process by the company’s own means or through outsourcing (an important part of an organization’s logistic process) In this course on logistics you will get to know the processer related to transportation and how they go from selecting routes, choosing vehicles, shipment frequency, to ensuring the reception of changes...
Learn how to Meet Deadlines Consistently with Project Management Essentials using Scrum for Continuous Delivery On Time...
This course is part of the Healthcare Administration MicroMasters program which consists of 7 courses and a capstone exam. After completing the program, you can also apply to Doane University to complete your MBA online for approximately $10,500 (learn more about the program here). Delivery system reform and disruptive innovation are the key leadership topics in healthcare. Understanding organizations and current delivery systems help leaders understand why there are poor outcomes and the need...
Best States For a Delivery Driver
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a delivery driver. The best states for people in this position are North Dakota, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Delivery drivers make the most in North Dakota with an average salary of $50,965. Whereas in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, they would average $49,862 and $47,722, respectively. While delivery drivers would only make an average of $46,918 in Vermont, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Illinois
$45,531
Avg. Salary
2. Minnesota
$46,033
Avg. Salary
3. Vermont
$46,918
Avg. Salary
How Do Delivery Driver Rate Their Jobs?
3.0
3.0
Uber Eats Driver • March 2019What do you like the most about working as Delivery Driver?
I enjoy working with people and working at a steady pace. Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
I don't like using my car I don't make enough money for the wear and tear on my car so I want to work for a company that has there cars. Show MoreTop Delivery Driver Employers
Most Common Employers For Delivery Driver
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PepsiCo | $55,952 | $26.90 | 974 |
| 2 | O'Reilly Auto Parts | $50,660 | $24.36 | 963 |
| 3 | Fort Gordon | $49,231 | $23.67 | 935 |
| 4 | The Coca-Cola Company | $48,894 | $23.51 | 1,040 |
| 5 | Postmates | $48,216 | $23.18 | 927 |
| 6 | Amazon | $48,040 | $23.10 | 1,662 |
| 7 | US Foods | $47,275 | $22.73 | 1,152 |
| 8 | FedEx | $45,628 | $21.94 | 6,294 |
| 9 | UPS | $45,598 | $21.92 | 2,020 |
| 10 | Edible Arrangements | $41,496 | $19.95 | 822 |
Delivery Driver Videos
Becoming a Delivery Driver FAQs
How long does it take to become a Delivery Driver?
It takes 3 years of professional experience to become a delivery driver. That is the time it takes to learn specific delivery driver skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.
How do I become a delivery person?
Becoming a delivery person is relatively easy. Most delivery drivers only need to have completed their high school diploma or an equivalent qualification. This is not always the case. Some positions will not require a diploma, and some others may ask for a bachelor's degree.
How much money do delivery drivers make?
Delivery drivers typically make between $25,000 per year and $50,000 per year. This rate of compensation can be augmented by bonuses and benefits in some positions.
Some delivery drivers work in positions where tipping is common practice. For these positions, delivery driver's hourly wages are augmented by customers' tips. Certain drivers can also earn more money by working for companies that deliver expensive or luxury items or companies that offer a luxury or specialty delivery process.
Is it hard to be a delivery driver?
Yes, it is hard to be a delivery driver. A delivery driver will usually spend many hours behind the wheel making deliveries. This can be physically taxing.
Delivery drivers are often expected to lift heavy objects. The physical exertions of delivery driving can make it a difficult career path. There are a number of benefits to delivery driving, though.
What sort of qualifications do you need to become a delivery driver?
To become a delivery driver, you typically need a high school diploma. This is not a hard requirement, though. Many delivery driving positions require no degrees at all, and some may require a bit of higher education. A bachelor's degree is usually more than sufficient, and a high school diploma is often enough.
What type of job is a delivery driver?
Delivery driving is a job that entails driving a vehicle to deliver products. This can be done in a multitude of ways and for a multitude of industries.
Package couriers may be salaried employees who drive fleet vehicles and work in set shifts. In contrast, couriers who work in a "gig" capacity using websites or apps usually make their own hours and drive their own vehicles.