Delivery drivers drive different kinds of vehicles to deliver various kinds of products such as food, appliances, mail, documents and packages.
Nature of Work
The particular duties of delivery drivers depend on the industries where they work, the policies implemented by their employers and if their job includes sales work. They are required to observe speed limits and obey all traffic and road signs. They also have to keep records of their driving activities such as working hours, mileage and gas receipts. Delivery drivers are also expected to perform simple maintenance work on their vehicles such as filling tires with air as needed, cleaning the vehicle’s interior and exterior parts, etc. Drivers are also responsible for loading and unloading the goods, picking them up from their origin and delivering them to their destination. The origin may be the manufacturer of the goods and destination is its distribution center. The delivery driver may also have to get the goods from a distribution center and deliver them to a customer. They will have to interact with customers to get and receive payment for the goods, sign documents and give receipts.
Working conditions
Driving delivery trucks demands a lot of physical efforts. This has been one of this job’s major contentions, in spite of many new technologies in building modern trucks. A delivery driver has to drive for many hours and making several deliveries along the way can be very tiring, especially for long-haul drivers who may have to spend long stretches away from home. On the other hand, local delivery drivers get to go home in the evening.
For long distance delivery drivers plying interstate routes, the US Department of Transportation rules that they may only drive for 11 hours/day. They may only work for a total of 14 hours which includes both driving and non-driving duties as described above. A driver is also required to have off duty of at least 10 hours in between driving duties. They should also be provided with at least 34 hours off-duty before being allowed to work for more than 60 hours within a week. Most delivery drivers on long-haul duties take on driving duties up to almost the permitted maximum time because they are paid for the number of miles they log.
For local delivery drivers, a 50-hour work week is typical. They often drive late at night or very early in the morning, especially those who drive delivery trucks for chain grocery stores, bakeries or produce markets.
Needed Skills
A delivery driver needs to be of driving age and posses a valid license issued by the state. Some employers might require their drivers to undergo a driving record check, a driving test, and not have any accident or ticket for at least two years. Since they will be dealing with the public and provide goods and services in the name of the company, they should posses excellent communication skills, be friendly and pleasant always, as well as be attentive to details. There are no fixed educational requirements but many employers prefer at least a high school diploma or an equivalent job experience.