If you are considering becoming a delivery driver, you will understandably want to know whether it is a profitable career.
Get started by checking out the following insightful information and tips for earning more tips.
What is the average wage of a delivery driver?
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, delivery drivers in the US earned a median annual salary of $34,340 in 2020. That works out at $16.51 per hour.
You can find details of how US delivery driver salaries compare to salaries in other countries on this page.
While the US average salary for couriers is less than the median annual salary of all workers in the country, which is around $51,400, the salary of a delivery driver is still competitive compared to many other occupations in the nation.
Furthermore, as a delivery driver, you can often work flexible hours and get tips. Speaking of which, here are four tips on how to earn more in addition to your basic pay.
Tip 1: Provide Quality Customer Service
While tipping is standard practice for food takeaway delivery drivers, it is not always so for all kinds of couriers, so whether you should expect tips partially comes down to the type of items you are delivering and the company you are delivering for.
If you become an independent delivery driver, you could more easily command tips, too.
Regardless, the way to get a good tip is to consistently provide excellent customer service. That means smiling, being polite, asking if you can help with anything, and answering any questions that the customer might have.
Delivery driving is not just about the driving aspect. If you want to earn more via handsome tips, you need to provide quality customer service.
Tip 2: Send Customers Updates
Going above and beyond the call of duty is a surefire way of getting tips. So, send text updates to your customers so that they know their items are on the way.
Send a text when the item is out for delivery and send any updates as necessary, such as when there is an unavoidable delay because of traffic.
Customers will have peace of mind and be happy with your service. In turn, they are more likely to tip.
Furthermore, updating customers is beneficial to you in that it helps to ensure customers are in when you arrive at their homes or workplaces, thus eliminating the need to redeliver.
Tip 3: Compare Different Companies
Monetary tips will not be much help if you are not already on a good hourly rate, so it is worth spending time comparing the pay rates of different companies that you are considering working for. You can then apply for the one that offers the most.
However, you should also bear in mind other factors. You need to ensure that enough hours are available and look at things like whether you need to have your own vehicle. If you do, then you need to know whether things like fuel are paid for.
Tip 4: Work for Multiple Companies
The majority of delivery companies offer flexible hours, so you could benefit from working for more than one company.
For instance, if you can only get a few hours each week with one company that pays highly, you could work those few hours and top up your income by working for other delivery companies at other times.
When you provide quality customer service as well, you can gain additional tips to boost your income.