Career Suggestion

Delivery van driver

Delivery van drivers collect parcels and other items from a warehouse and deliver them to customers.

Average salary (a year)

£20000.0 to £27000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

20.0 to 42.0 variable

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays away from home

You can get into this job through an apprenticeship or by applying directly.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an Express Delivery Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship or an Urban Driver Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

These apprenticeships take around 1 year to complete.

You may be able to do an apprenticeship with a freight transport company, courier firm, removals company or a retail chain.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Direct Application

You could apply directly to work as a delivery driver.

While it's useful to have experience of warehousing or other driving work, this is not always essential.

Employers will expect you to have:

  • a good driving record
  • good road network and geographical knowledge
  • basic English and maths skills
  • the correct driving licence for the type of vehicle in use

More Information

Career Tips

Your pay will depend on whether you're employed by a company or are self-employed. Self-employed drivers tend to be paid per delivery, so rates can vary from month to month.

Further Information

You can find out more about being a delivery driver from Generation Logistics.

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • the ability to organise your time and workload
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • the ability to operate and control equipment
  • knowledge of transport methods, costs and benefits
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

  • have a full driving licence
  • have a category C1 licence to drive a 7.5 tonne delivery lorry
  • have a good level of fitness

Your employer may supply you with a delivery van or lorry, but if you're self-employed, you'll need your own vehicle.

You'll also need to check what type of insurance is required for your vehicle and for the goods you transport, especially if self-employed.

Day-to-day tasks

As a delivery driver, you could:

  • collect items from a warehouse or a pick-up point
  • plan routes and arrange items in your vehicle in order of delivery
  • contact customers, update tracking systems and record any issues
  • make deliveries, issue invoices and get customer signatures
  • keep a record of mileage and fuel details and return undelivered items to the warehouse

Working environment

You could work from a vehicle.

You may need to wear a uniform.

With experience you could:

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