What are the Pros and Cons of Being Delivery Driver?

A delivery driver is needed by businesses to carry out their last mile delivery operations in many industries today.

In the last mile delivery operations, delivery drivers hold a major significance. As per a survey by the U.S. bureau of labor statistics, from 2021 to 2023, the employment of delivery truck drivers is projected to grow at 11%

With the increase in demand for delivery drivers, the applicants should also focus on the pros and cons of being a delivery driver to get a clear view of their career.

If you are one of them, this blog will be a stepping stone for you in the last-mile delivery business as it gives you a clear idea of the pros and cons of being a delivery driver.

Job Profile of a Delivery Driver

Before heading straight to the pros and cons, people need to learn what a delivery driver’s job demands from them. A brief job profile or description of a delivery driver is highlighted below:

Job overview:

Whether you apply for the post of food delivery driver, grocery driver, courier delivery driver, or pharmacy delivery driver, the job overview is pretty much the same for all. The job of a delivery guy will demand you to safely pick up the ordered product from the restaurant, seller, or package warehouse and safely deliver it to the specified address. 

Job duties:

The food delivery companies are very strict about their drivers following the mentioned duties and responsibilities. It is because food is something that cannot be delivered late as it would hamper customer satisfaction. 

Therefore, if you are signing up to be a delivery driver, you should clearly understand their specific duties. 

Apart from that, the other sectors that hire delivery drivers also have their job duties that you ought to fulfill. The common job duties of delivery drivers for all sectors are:

• Delivery driving skills in a bike, van, or truck, per the job post and requirement. 
• Ensuring timely delivery of the packages by properly following the given route schedules. 
• Accepting payments in cash and card. 
• Delivering exceptional customer services to get repeat business opportunities. 
• Cleaning and maintaining the company delivery vehicle as per the specified standards. 

Salary:

In the United States, delivery drivers earn an average salary of $29,000 annually. The highest-paid delivery drivers have earned the highest amount of up to $54,000 per year or more. 

As food delivery jobs are highly trending among delivery drivers, their average salary is higher than usual. In the United States, food delivery drivers earn an average of $39,978 annually.  

Skills required:

Some of the skills that you need to become a delivery driver are:

• Proper customer service
• Knowledge to use the navigation software
• Time management
• Physical endurance to work in the field
• Must speak the local language

Irrespective of whether you are a food delivery driver or just a usual delivery executive for some eCommerce company or a seller, most job duties remain the same. 

But, as the salary of a food delivery driver is higher than in any other sector, people mostly turn up to take that opportunity as their prime consideration.

Pros of Working as a Delivery Driver

It doesn’t matter if a higher salary is motivating you to join the pursuit of being a food delivery driver. The pros and cons are the same for delivery driving in all sectors. Let’s address the pros first. 

1. Increasing demand for online orders

The demand for online orders from eCommerce sites has increased since the COVID pandemic in 2020. The need for recruiting more delivery drivers arose soon after the pandemic struck the world, as more and more people wanted things delivered to their doorstep. 

The surge in this demand persists and is growing at a stable rate. But the online food delivery sector is the area that experiences peaks and drops in demand, depending on seasonal or periodic events. 

The food delivery drivers have the flexibility to take more orders at a time when the pay rate is high for deliveries at specific locations. It mostly happens when fewer drivers around the location handle the demand and deliver food orders. 

Many food delivery drivers constantly check for peak ordering hours or special events to multiply their earnings with minimal deliveries and avoid working extra hours. Some online delivery app pay additional money during busy hours and night deliveries.

2. Easy to get employed

Whether it is a food delivery or courier delivery company, they always need delivery drivers. They have lowered the educational requirements and are accepting even candidates pursuing college degrees. 

They offer part-time and full-time job opportunities to the candidates to pick the one that suits their time and availability. A full-time courier or food delivery driver would earn significantly more money than a part-timer. 

If you are studying for a college degree, you can easily get a part-time delivery job to become independent by earning enough money. Moreover, you can also opt to be a weekend food delivery driver to work just two days a week.

3. Guaranteed bonuses and tips

You just need to perform your duties, and if you are working beyond the expectations of a company, then they will reward you with bonuses. These bonuses get added to the total payout of your service for the month. 

The customers also have an option over their food delivery apps portal to tip your service. They will tip you a generous amount if they are happy with your behavior and service. It is not a typical bonus but still adds to your earnings. 

Moreover, faster food deliveries will eventually impress the customers, and they might just leave a tip for you over the app or give it to you directly.

4. Be your own boss

Delivery drivers are not just abided by the rule to work for the company on paper, they can be individual drivers as well. Hence, this allows you to decide your agreement with the company and be your own boss on the job.

Cons of Working as a Delivery Driver

Along with all the perks of being a delivery driver, there are some cons and negatives. Individuals who want to join a delivery company or want to be individual drivers should be aware of the downsides that they might face. 

1. Less/No rest time

The delivery drivers who transport the packages and orders from one city or state to another get deprived of rest. Even though they have flexible work hours, they still have to meet the delivery deadline to get paid.

The delivery drivers within the city also work extra hours throughout the day to get good pay at the end of the day. And in the pursuit of making extra cash, they compromise on their rest and leisure time.

2. Achieving targets in less time

The individual drivers who are appointed by local restaurants, sellers, or delivery warehouses are asked to use their own vehicles to deliver the food and packages. 

Using your vehicle for the delivery job will increase the maintenance cost over time. Some companies reimburse the fuel costs, but the vehicle still needs to be your own.

3. Possible health issues

Irrespective of whether you are delivering goods in a car, van, truck, or motorbike, driving any vehicle for a long time without rest will trigger physical issues, especially postural problems. 

You will experience serious backaches and muscle sprains. If you don’t treat such symptoms, they will eventually worsen over time and cause you much distress.

4. Individual drivers get no employee benefits

Apart from flexible working hours, the individual delivery drivers do not get any employee benefits that they would get if they worked full-time with a reputable company. 

They do not have health insurance benefits and no paid leaves with their employment. They are just like freelancers who get paid for their gigs. They need to insure their health and vehicle by themselves before taking it out for delivery, which is a downside.

5. Delayed delivery due to bad routes results in the poor repo 

Delivery companies often miss out on availing of proficient software to ensure proper route planning and optimization for their deliveries. As a result, the drivers get the wrong and lengthy routes to complete the delivery requests, which creates significant time pressure for them. 

When the routes are not planned digitally through software, there is a possibility of risky traffic maneuvers that might delay the delivery. Therefore, delivery companies need to train their employees and drivers to use route planner software. 

The company will set the delivery points over the map, and the update will be sent to the driver to complete the request. With a planned route, the delivery time can eventually be reduced.

Industry	Pros	Cons	Average pay (salary per annum)	Earning scope (High, medium, low)
Food delivery	Get more orders compared to other industries	Delays are not bearable as food needs to be delivered before it gets cold	$42,900	High
Courier delivery	It is a highly demanding niche as courier is the fastest way to deliver parcels inside and outside the city	Sometimes it is costly to deliver some couriers bearing unaffordable traveling cost	$36,420	Medium
Flower delivery	It is a hassle-free and simple business that depends on daily deliveries	Need to carry out deliveries as fast as possible to keep flowers fresh	$29,250	Low
Grocery delivery	High demanding business as groceries are life essentials of humans	Responsibility to keep groceries and vegetables fresh and complete delivery on time	$42,900	High
Pharmacy delivery	Contributes highly in health care industry by delivering medications to the patients	Limited resources may not cope up with multiple orders	$29,250	Medium

Get Driving Routes Instantly on Upper Route Planner

Upper Route Planner is the perfect software for delivery companies and drivers to carry out their jobs seamlessly. You can add stops and addresses over Upper Route Planner’s portal and automatically plan the shortest route for faster deliveries.

In the case of a food delivery business, the routes will be planned instantly when the company’s sales team receives the order request. After the order is processed, the route will be sent to the appointed delivery driver. 

The companies can ease their back-office workload as they can archive and use the regular delivery routes created by Upper. To learn more about the features and potential of Upper, take a 7-day FREE trial of the software and get used to its functionalities.

Summing Up

Now that you are classified with pros and cons of being a truck driver, you can decide better while choosing your career path.

Being a delivery driver is both, full-time or part-time job option. So, depending on your requirements, dedication, and availability, you can choose either one.

Most companies offering delivery services are now using Upper Route Planner to schedule their deliveries with a planned route. Our software helps them find the shortest route to ensure customer satisfaction and save business time.

Upper Route Planner gives a 7-day FREE TRIAL to know its usage better. So, why take one good decision when you can take two? Start your delivery business and opt for Upper Route Planner today!