Summary
A delivery driver takes products or orders to customers safely and on time. Deliveries can be meals, packages, parts, supplies or furniture, by car, van or truck.
Say what you deliver and what vehicle the driver uses. Candidates need to know whether they use their own car and how mileage and tips are handled.
Duties and responsibilities
- Load and secure items, and check them against the order or manifest.
- Plan the route, and deliver to each address within the promised window.
- Drive safely and follow traffic laws and company rules.
- Hand over items politely, and collect payment or a signature when needed.
- Report damage, delays and problems to dispatch right away.
- Keep the vehicle clean, fueled and ready, and report maintenance needs.
- Keep accurate records of stops, times and any issues.
Skills and qualities
- A safe, careful and patient driver.
- Good sense of direction and comfortable with navigation tools.
- Friendly and professional with customers.
- Organized and dependable with deadlines.
- Able to lift and carry items as your deliveries require.
- Honest with cash, signatures and records.
Typical requirements
- A valid driver’s license and a driving record that meets your insurance requirements. A commercial license only if the vehicle needs one.
- Insurance, vehicle and inspection requirements that apply if the driver uses a personal vehicle. State them clearly.
- Ability to lift the weight you name and get in and out of a vehicle many times a day.
- Willingness to complete a driving record check or background check, if you run them.
- Minimum age that meets your insurance and your state’s rules.
Requirements differ by state, city and employer. Check the licensing, age, safety and pay rules that apply to your business before you post. This page is a starting point, not legal advice.
Schedule and conditions
Delivery schedules follow customer demand. Give the usual days, start time and how many hours the shift runs, and whether evenings, weekends and holidays are included.
Explain how mileage, fuel, tips and waiting time are handled.
Nice to have
- Experience with the type of delivery you do.
- Experience with delivery apps or route software.
- A clean driving record.
- Customer service experience.
Tips for posting this job
- Say what you deliver and the area you cover.
- State whether the driver uses a company vehicle or their own.
- Explain pay, mileage, fuel and tips in plain words.
- List the license, insurance and record check requirements.
- Give the shift times and how schedules are set.
Put your real pay, schedule and location in the posting. Candidates skip posts that leave them out.
Sample job post
Copy this, then change the words in brackets to match your business.
Delivery Driver: [what you deliver] in [city or area]
[Company name] is hiring a delivery driver to bring [meals / packages / parts / furniture] to customers in [delivery area]. You will drive [a company van / your own vehicle] and work with our dispatch team to keep deliveries on time.
Pay: [pay rate or range], [how mileage, fuel and tips work]. Schedule: [days and start time], [full time / part time], including [evenings / weekends, or none]. Start: [start date].
- Load and secure items, and check them against the order or manifest.
- Plan your route and deliver within the promised window.
- Drive safely and follow traffic laws and company rules.
- Hand over items politely, and collect a signature or payment when needed.
- Report damage, delays and vehicle problems to dispatch right away.
- Requirements: a valid driver’s license, a driving record that meets our insurance rules, [personal vehicle and insurance, if required], and the ability to lift [weight].
- We provide: [vehicle, fuel or mileage pay, phone or route app, uniform, other benefits].
Interview questions for a delivery driver
- Tell me about your driving record and the kinds of vehicles you have driven for work.
- You are running late and have three stops left. What do you do?
- How do you plan your route at the start of a shift?
- A customer is not home and the item needs a signature. How do you handle it?
- What do you do if an item is damaged when you load it or deliver it?
- Which navigation or delivery apps have you used?
- Which days, start times and weekends can you reliably work?
Ask every candidate the same questions so you can compare answers fairly. HRGP keeps your questions, notes and scores with each applicant.
Questions and answers
What are the main duties of a delivery driver?
Delivery driver duties include loading and checking items, planning a route, driving safely, delivering within the promised window and handing items over politely. Drivers also collect signatures or payment when needed, report delays and damage to dispatch, keep the vehicle ready and keep accurate delivery records.
What license does a delivery driver need?
Most delivery jobs need a valid driver’s license and a driving record that meets the employer’s insurance rules. A commercial driver’s license is only needed for larger vehicles that require one, and the rules depend on the vehicle and where you operate, so check locally. If drivers use their own car, state the insurance and vehicle requirements clearly.
What should a job description for a driver include?
A clear driver job description says what you deliver and where, whether the driver uses a company vehicle or their own, the main driver job responsibilities, the license and record check requirements, the shifts, and the pay. Explain mileage, fuel and tips in plain words, since drivers ask about those first.
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