How to Hire a Delivery Driver

Drivers talk to each other, so a referral scheme paid promptly to your existing team is the highest-yield channel available. Beyond that, target locally: community boards, driver groups, and the mobile job platforms people scroll between routes. Former commercial drivers looking for shorter days convert well to last-mile work, as do retail and hospitality staff for van roles where customer contact matters as much as driving. Seasonal returners are worth calling before you advertise anything, since they already know the depot and the handheld. Keep the application short enough to finish at a kerbside. A [careers page](/careers-page-builder) built for phones, carrying the full [delivery driver job description](/job-descriptions/delivery-driver), collects far more completed applications than a corporate portal.

Everything a driver needs to judge whether the route suits them. Name the vehicle type and the licence class required, because entitlement rules differ by jurisdiction and vehicle weight, and applicants should not have to guess. State whether a vehicle is provided or they use their own, and what insurance arrangement applies. Describe the route area, start time, typical finish and whether the day is urban multi-drop or longer distance. Be honest about load handling, since many candidates assume driving only. Say what technology they will use for navigation, scanning and proof of delivery. Explain how routes are allocated and how expenses work, because perceived unfairness in route allocation is one of the most common reasons drivers leave.

Verification comes first and cannot be delegated to instinct. With the candidate's consent, confirm licence entitlement and driving record through whatever official route your jurisdiction provides, check the categories they hold against the vehicle they would drive, and confirm they meet your insurer's requirements. Take advice locally on what you may lawfully check and how long you may keep it. After that, screen for availability, start times and any endorsement history they are willing to discuss. Ask one scenario question about a delivery that went wrong. Move quickly, because drivers rarely wait; the practical measures in [reduce time to fill](/reduce-time-to-fill) matter more in this role than in almost any other hourly hire.

A supervised ride-along on a real route, with a transport supervisor scoring against a checklist. Watch the vehicle checks before departure, mirror and observation discipline, reversing into a tight space, urban junction decisions, how the load is secured and whether they lock up at every stop. Then watch the doorstep: greeting, handling a customer who is annoyed about timing, and whether proof of delivery is captured correctly rather than rushed. Follow it with a short structured interview about incidents, hours and vehicle defects, using consistent [delivery driver interview questions](/interview-questions/delivery-driver) so every candidate is judged on the same criteria. Never skip the road assessment because the paperwork looked clean. A couple of hours in the cab is the cheapest protection available anywhere in this process.

Demand in delivery is seasonal and predictable, so build the pipeline before the peak rather than during it. Keep a rehire list of previous seasonal drivers, contact them early, and treat agency cover as a supplement rather than a plan. Retention comes down to fairness and equipment. Drivers leave when route allocations feel arbitrary, when drop counts are set at a level nobody can finish safely, when vehicles are poorly maintained, and when pay arrives late or wrong. Fix those before spending anything on recruitment advertising. Debrief every leaver honestly and check whether the route design, not the driver, was the actual problem. Recruiting harder rarely rescues a round nobody could finish on time, and drivers who trust the allocation stay long enough to refer their friends.