The Guide to Courier Driver Jobs
There are several different types of courier and delivery services in the United States and around the world. Delivery drivers who work for large or local courier companies have the responsibility of both delivering packages and picking up packages from customers.
If you are considering working as a driver for a courier service, it a good idea to have knowledge about the different kinds of delivery services and what the expectations are for drivers. In most cases, drivers are expected to both pick-up and deliver packages from and to customers.
Same Day Delivery – Same day delivery services operate in large cities and in geographical areas throughout the United States and around the world. In large cities like New York and London, couriers and drivers often drive motorcycles or ride bicycles. The expectation is that delivery personnel will have extremely good riding abilities and encyclopedic knowledge of streets and major buildings in their city. In geographic areas where it is not realistic to use motorcycles or bicycles, delivery drivers usually driver other types of vehicles like small trucks or vans.
Next Day Delivery – Next day delivery services are companies that accept packages for delivery within no more than 36 hours from time the package is picked up or accepted from the customer. Many larger courier services have an entire fleet of vehicles and transportation services to ensure deliveries arrive around the country and world in time to be delivered by the guaranteed time to their destination. Delivery personnel usually drive small trucks or vans to provide delivery services for these packages and are expected to meet delivery deadlines without problem. In most cases, delivery drivers have a designated delivery territory and are assigned deliveries within that geographic area.
Overnight Delivery – Overnight delivery couriers offer delivery of packages usually with a guaranteed delivery time (i.e., 3 p.m., 10 a.m., etc). Delivery drivers usually drive small trucks or vans and are usually assigned a delivery territory and are expected to make deliveries and pick up packages within that designated area.
Driver employees of courier services are expected to be in good physical condition, since they are constantly lifting packages and getting in and out of their delivery vehicle. It is almost universal that courier services require potential employees to pass a pre-employment physical and drug screening before they secure employment.
Also, drivers are subject to Department of Transportation regulations that require random drug testing. Drivers who fail a drug test may be at risk of losing their job. Additionally, most courier companies require a drug test if a driver is involved in an accident on the job.
Drivers are also expected to have and maintain a good driving record. Since they will usually be driving a company vehicle, the courier company will be providing the vehicle insurance and any changes to a driving record can impact the cost to insure an employee driver, so they have a vested interest in drivers with good driving records.
Finally, courier services expect drivers to be able to make all of their deliveries and pick-ups within a set time schedule. Drivers are expected to deliver and pick-up all of their customer packages, no matter how many hours it takes during the day. This can be particularly challenging during high delivery times, such as end of the year holidays.