Are you contemplating if you want to be a delivery driver or not? If you are, this article will list out the pros and cons of being a delivery driver. We will discuss one-by-one about the benefits, salary, responsibilities, and job satisfaction in this field of work.
Is Being a Delivery Driver Worth It?
First, let’s hear about the opinions of actual delivery drivers regarding this job. Here are a few statistics based on Owl Guru’s delivery driver survey:
- 58% of drivers are satisfied with the job.
- 46% find their line of work as “meaningful.”
The majority of the delivery driver community was satisfied with their jobs. According to the drivers, their job contributes to making the world a much better place to live in. In fact, it brings them a sense of satisfaction.
Salary as A Delivery Driver
Entry-level Salary
- $26,260 to $24,520 annually
- $10 to $12 hourly rate
- No experience requirement (This might vary depending on the establishment)
Average Salary
- $36, 920 annually
- $18 hourly rate
Delivery Driver Requirements
One of the most frequent questions about being a delivery driver is the level of education required. Here’s a statistics from Owl Guru’s survey about a delivery driver’s education level:
- 74.63% has a High School Diploma
- 22.83% has less than a High School Diploma
- 2.54% has a College Certificate
The Job Description
Before we dive into the pros and cons of being a delivery driver, let’s discuss its overall job description. Most companies will look for a responsible delivery driver with manners and a great personality to boot. Typically delivery drivers use the following vehicles:
- Truck
- Van
- Motorcycle
Aside from delivering parcels, food, products, and other types of delivery, a delivery driver has other responsibilities to oversee. Here are the following examples of what an employer expects from their delivery driver:
- Collect and safeguard payments.
- Handling receipts and the money from the delivery.
- Follow provided routes and time schedule.
- Verifying inventory contents with the shipping papers.
- Load and unload the vehicle.
- Drive vehicles with at least 26,000 lbs capacity or under three tons.
- Maintain records such as vehicle logs, billing statements, and cargo records.
- Follow regulations and industry safety standards.
- Pay close attention to traffic rules and regulations.
There are chances where an employer’s requirements differ from the above-stated details. However, it’s the most common job description for delivery drivers.
The Pros as a Delivery Driver
Every job has two sides of a coin. There’s always an upside and downside if you’re working a nine-to-five job. As a delivery driver here are the pros in the line of work:
Away from Desk Work
If you’re not a fan of the typical desk work, then being a delivery driver will be a perfect fit for you. One of the highlights of working as a delivery driver is not being bound to a desk. Besides, you’re able to travel to various places in the country.
Be Your Own Boss
A majority of delivery driver roles allow you the opportunity to be your own boss. As someone who ventures outside, you get to make your own decisions as you fit in the situations you encounter. However, this entirely depends on the kind of delivery driver role you’re applying for.
Flexibility
Being your own boss on the road allows you some flexibility. Let’s face it. Drivers themselves make the most decisions. Your delivery process does not matter as long as you manage to meet your quota per day.
You’re hungry? Eat while driving. No one to receive the delivery? Pass. As long as you do your job and abide by your employer’s rules, the clutches of your boss will not reach you outside. Other than that, some jobs depend on how much you want to work. It will be fine whether you want to deliver for a few hours per day or just 2 to 3 times a week.
Money
Depending on the company you submit your application to, the salary is considered pretty good. Of course, this varies per role and job. In the end, your salary depends on the type of delivery service. Here are the top 6 best-paying jobs for a delivery driver from Indeed:
- Favor Delivery Driver: $13.81/hour
- DoorDash Delivery Driver: $45,555/year
- Grubhub Courier: $47,378/year
- Instacart Delivery Driver: $48,219/year
- Postmates Delivery Driver: $50 364/year
- Caviar Delivery Driver: $26.96/hour
Listen to Music, Podcasts, or Audiobooks.
The main advantage of being on the road is having free reign on the radio or whatever device you listen to. You can drive while listening to your favorite music, podcast, or audiobook. If you’re a person who’s interested in self-improvement and self-education, you can tune in to whichever benefits you most. That’s a great opportunity to learn as you get paid by the hour.
The Cons as a Delivery Driver
Yes, we’re finally on the “downside” of being a delivery driver. No jobs are an exception to the “cons.” All employees have at least one or two things they don’t like about their job. As a delivery driver, here are the cons you’ll encounter:
Isolating
Unless you have a delivery partner, this line of work can feel isolating. So, if you’re a people person, this job will be a challenge for you. As a delivery driver, you’ll spend most of your time inside your vehicle. This means less time to socialize.
Body Numbing
To be more specific, being a driver is a numbing job. Most likely, you’ll spend most of the time sitting down, which can numb various parts of your body. You might even suffer from back pain as well.
Vehicle Requirement
In most cases, some company requires you to have your own vehicle. It means you’ll have to shoulder all the costs, such as but not limited to the following:
- Fuel
- Vehicle Insurance
- Maintenance
Stuck in a Vehicle
This job mostly involves driving a vehicle. It’s a no-brainer if you’ll eventually feel “stuck” in a vehicle. Sure, you escaped being bound to a desk, but spending most of a day inside a vehicle? It won’t work unless you love driving. This job might bring you to various places, but it won’t allow you actually to explore it. In the end, you’re stuck inside a vehicle.
Hectic or Slow Days
There are two extremities as with most jobs— a hectic or slow day. There are high chances that you’ll encounter a tightly packed day with back-to-back deliveries. Hectic days might be stressful, but it helps the day go by quicker. On the other hand, slow days are painful as it will seem to drag on forever.
Money
Money can also be a con for this line of work. Of course, it entirely depends on the company. However, it’s best to research and look out for high-paying delivery driver jobs to avoid this.
Encountering Rude Customers
There’s a lot of horror stories online about being a delivery driver. It involves experiences and interactions with the “worst” customers. Most bad customer experiences often involve food delivery. Right, we don’t want to mess with a hungry person. As we’ve all experienced, we’re moody when hungry.
An unfamiliar place is the most common reason why delivery is late. If you’re in the food industry, some people will not take it into consideration that you’re unfamiliar with the place. Once you finally located their door, some customers will take their frustrations out of you and slam the door once you collect the fee.
Of course, there’s also a lot of cases where a delivery driver was rude. But that’s a story for another article.
Dangerous
For others, being a delivery driver can be considered a dangerous job. There are cases where delivery can cost your life. No, it’s not about illegal dealings. As a delivery driver visiting door-to-door, you’ll never know if you’ve encountered someone dangerous until they attack you. As they say, “a delivery driver is the most vulnerable person on the streets.”
This incident happened to Sonya King on her first day of delivery around downtown Atlanta, Georgia. According to BBC, a customer named Rick attacked her from behind and attempted to strangle Sonya with her hair and niqab. Thankfully, she managed to escape his clutches and managed to find her car keys. In the end, she used the keys for defense and stabbed him repeatedly in the head and face.
This is just one of the many examples of the potential threat a delivery driver faces on the streets. Even the most careful drivers unexpectedly encounter misfortunes. We can never really predict a person.
Conclusion
As with most jobs, there’s the bright side and downside of being a delivery driver. In the end, we discussed the pros and cons of being a delivery driver. Hopefully, this article tackled the range of concerns and questions you had in mind regarding the job. Overall, if you’re still unsure about this work path, it’s best to reach out and question acquaintances.
