Delivery Driver Jobs

Delivery Driver Job Overview

Delivery drivers transport goods within a particular area. They may pick up packages from a distribution center and then drop them at retail stores or customers homes. Drivers must make sure the total weight of their loads is no more than 26,000 pounds. That amount includes vehicle and passenger weight, along with any products carried. Besides truck driver jobs that usually involve carrying heavy cargo, a delivery driver can also carry specific things, such as prepared foods for individual residential customers.

Delivery Driver Job Education Requirements

In order to be a delivery driver, you must usually have a GED or be a high school graduate, plus have a driver's license for the state in which you wish to work. On-the-job training that lasts at least a month is common, especially if the duties of your job require traveling across long distances. That education usually includes company etiquette, since you are representing your employer even when not working on-site. In some cases, people work in manufacturing packer jobs before they become company drivers, meaning they have a strong knowledge of the types of products carried during delivery trips.

Delivery Driver Job Market

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) believes opportunities for delivery driver jobs will increase by about four percent through 2022. That growth rate is slower than average compared with all other occupations. One of the reasons for that trend is improved routing with GPS technologies that makes drivers more efficient and limits the need to hire new ones. Also, rising fuel costs may force employers to look at ways to keep delivery trips to a minimum.

Delivery Driver Job Salary Information

According to salary data from the BLS, you can earn an average of slightly more than $29,000 per year in a delivery driver job. That rate goes up significantly for people who are able to find work with courier or messenger services.