Summary
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers pick up, transport, and drop off packages and small shipments within a local region or urban area.
What they do
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers drive trucks having a total weight of 26,000 pounds or less for vehicle, passengers, and cargo. Delivery truck drivers usually transport merchandise from a distribution center to businesses and households.
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers typically do the following:
- Load and unload their cargo
- Communicate with customers to determine pickup and delivery needs
- Report any incidents they encounter on the road to a dispatcher
- Follow all applicable traffic laws
- Report serious mechanical problems to the appropriate personnel
- Keep their truck and associated equipment clean and in good working order
- Accept payments for the shipment
- Handle paperwork, such as receipts or delivery confirmation notices
Most drivers generally receive instructions to go to a delivery location at a particular time, and it is up to them to determine the best route. Other drivers have a regular daily or weekly delivery schedule. All drivers must understand an area’s street grid and know which roads allow trucks and which do not.
The following examples are types of delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers:
Driver/sales workers are delivery drivers who also have sales responsibilities. They recommend new products to businesses and solicit new customers. These drivers may have a regular delivery route and be responsible for adding new clients located along their route. For example, they may make regular deliveries to a hardware store and encourage the store’s manager to offer a new product.
Some driver/sales workers use their own vehicles to deliver goods to customers, such as takeout food, and accept payment for those goods. Freelance or independent driver/sales workers may use smartphone apps to find specific delivery jobs.
Light truck drivers, often called pickup and delivery or P&D drivers, are the most common type of delivery driver. They drive small trucks or vans from distribution centers to delivery locations.
Drivers make deliveries based on a set schedule. Some drivers stop at the distribution center once only, in the morning, and make many stops throughout the day. Others make multiple trips between the distribution center and delivery locations. Some drivers make deliveries from a retail location to customers.
Work Environment
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers have physically demanding jobs. When loading and unloading cargo, drivers do a lot of lifting, carrying, and walking. Driving in congested traffic or adhering to strict delivery timelines can also be stressful.
How to become a Delivery Truck Driver and Driver/Sales Worker
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 one month or less of on-the-job training. They must have a driver’s license from the state in which they work and have a clean driving record.
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers typically enter the occupation with a high school diploma or equivalent.
Companies train new delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers on the job. This may include training from a driver-mentor who rides along with a new employee to make sure that a new driver is able to operate a truck safely on crowded streets.
New drivers also get training to learn company policies about package drop offs 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 new customers.
All delivery drivers need a driver’s license.
Pay
The median annual wage for driver/sales workers was $25,860 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,060, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $48,970.
The median annual wage for light truck drivers was $34,730 in May 2019. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,060, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $65,400.
Job Outlook
Overall employment of delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. Employment growth will vary by occupation.
Continued growth of e-commerce should increase demand for package delivery services, especially for the large and regional shipping companies. More light truck and delivery drivers will be needed to fulfill the growing number of e-commerce transactions.
Self-employed or independent contractors, who sign up with smartphone-based food delivery companies, may be needed to deliver food from grocery stores and from restaurants that previously provided only takeout services. In addition, robotic driverless vehicles may replace some workers in food delivery.
Similar Job Titles
Driver, Driver Salesman, Pizza Delivery Driver, Route Delivery Driver, Route Driver, Route Sales Driver, Route Sales Representative, Route Salesman, Sales Route Driver, Bulk Delivery Driver, Delivery Driver, Driver/Merchandiser, Package Car Driver, Package Delivery Driver, Route Supervisor, Service Provider, Truck Driver
Related Occupations
Couriers and Messengers, Postal Service Mail Carrier, Fence Erector, Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators, Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector, Counter and Rental Clerk, Shipping-Receiving-Traffic Clerk, Stock Clerk-Sales Floor, Taxi driver and Chauffeur, Parking Lot Attendant
More Information
The trade associations listed below represent organizations made up of people (members) who work and promote advancement in the field. Members are very interested in telling others about their work and about careers in those areas. As well, trade associations provide opportunities for organizational networking and learning more about the field’s trends and directions.
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters - The Teamsters are known as the champion of freight drivers and warehouse workers, but have organized workers in virtually every occupation imaginable, both professional and non-professional, private sector and public sector.
- American Trucking Associations - American Trucking Associations is the largest and most comprehensive national trade association for the trucking industry.
Magazines and Publications
- Teamster Magazine
- Truck Driver Magazines (TMP)
- American Trucker Magazine
- Overdrive Magazine
- The Trucker Magazine
Delivery Truck Driver:
Driver/Sales Worker:
Video Transcript
Delivery Truck Driver:
The day starts early for the delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers who ensure local businesses open with stocked shelves, and may continue late into the night as drivers ensure that customers receive their products and services throughout the day. These drivers’ vehicles are lighter than semis, weighing less than 26,000 pounds. Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers need a thorough knowledge of their local street grid to plan their routes —especially which roads allow trucks. Light truck drivers drive small trucks or vans from distribution centers or stores… to homes and businesses, following an established schedule. Most work for retail and wholesale trade companies, or couriers. Driver/sales workers usually have a regular delivery route, and also visit potential clients to expand their sales. They might deliver an order to a hardware store, then promote a new product to the store manager. They also deliver and receive payments for goods such as take-out food or pizza. These drivers generally work full time. It can be physically demanding work —driving for long periods, lifting, and carrying boxes. Injury rates are higher than for most jobs. Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers usually have a high school education, and must have a driver’s license and clean driving record. A few weeks of on-the-job training is typical.
Driver/Sales Worker:
The day starts early for the delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers who ensure local businesses open with stocked shelves, and may continue late into the night as drivers ensure that customers receive their products and services throughout the day. These drivers’ vehicles are lighter than semis, weighing less than 26,000 pounds. Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers need a thorough knowledge of their local street grid to plan their routes —especially which roads allow trucks. Light truck drivers drive small trucks or vans from distribution centers or stores… to homes and businesses, following an established schedule. Most work for retail and wholesale trade companies, or couriers. Driver/sales workers usually have a regular delivery route, and also visit potential clients to expand their sales. They might deliver an order to a hardware store, then promote a new product to the store manager. They also deliver and receive payments for goods such as take-out food or pizza. These drivers generally work full time. It can be physically demanding work —driving for long periods, lifting, and carrying boxes. Injury rates are higher than for most jobs. Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers usually have a high school education, and must have a driver’s license and clean driving record. A few weeks of on-the-job training is typical.
Content retrieved from: US Bureau of Labor Statistics-OOH www.bls.gov/ooh,
CareerOneStop www.careeronestop.org, O*Net Online www.onetonline.org