Delivery Drivers Checklist To Consider While Hiring One

More and more people are embracing online buying due to the proliferation of e-retail establishments and online payment systems. By 2021, online buyers will account for 2.14 billion people or 28% of the world’s population.

With the growth in online retailing, consumer expectations for same-day or next-day delivery are growing in tandem. Companies such as Amazon are always looking for ways to improve their delivery times to keep up with the competition.

So, to compete in the market, remain one step ahead of the competition, meet client demand, and ensure customer happiness, you’ll need a delivery driver with extensive knowledge and a high level of expertise.

Thus, to help you, we have compiled a significant delivery drivers checklists that will help you hire the best delivery driver for your business.

Why Hire Delivery Drivers?

Hiring the right delivery driver can help your business grow in many ways. Here are some benefits that hiring a delivery driver will provide:-

• By delivering food in a timely and friendly way, you can provide great customer service and build customer loyalty.
• Make sure orders are delivered on time and in good condition.
• Communicate any problems or delays that happen, and solve problems quickly.
• Driving safely, making good decisions, and treating customers respectfully are the best ways to demonstrate your company’s excellence and professionalism.

5 Things To Consider While Hiring A Delivery Drivers

1. Check Driver’s Credential

Any driver who works for you must have a clean driving record and adequate vehicle insurance. A good rule of thumb while hiring a delivery driver is to look for current insurance and no moving violations on the driver’s record in the last 12 months. Remember that if your driver is involved in an accident, it will negatively affect your business.

2. Must-Have Driving License

Anyone who works as a delivery driver must have a driver’s license. Forget degrees and formal education. As long as they have a driver’s license, they’re good to go. 

When hiring a delivery driver, you should look for a driver with a legitimate license. It’s critical to confirm that your driver is authorized to drive heavy motor vehicles (HMV) before allowing them to operate any apparatus. In these instances, it is best to look for a truck driver as a candidate.

Delivery vans, on the other hand, are considered LMVs and only require a basic driver’s license to operate.

3. The Driver Appearances

Like personality, a driver’s appearance also matters a lot. You want a delivery driver who is clean-cut so that you can send your driver to your customers and talk with them confidently.

4. Excellent Interaction Power

Customer interaction is a vital part of the delivery drivers’ job, and they must speak with customers regularly if they want to provide excellent customer service. The driver must be able to answer any questions that the customer may have about their delivery to maintain consistency in politeness,

 The delivery driver should know how to deal with the situation and provide an appropriate solution if a customer is unsatisfied with the purchase.

5. Vehicles’ Ownership

The delivery drivers who have their own bikes are a boon. A driver who uses his or her own vehicle must decide how to ensure that the business logo and brands are attached to the vehicle. For instance, placards, magnets, and car-top signs are all options. 

However, before commencing to slap your brand onto the car, check its condition. Is the condition of the car good for representing you and your company? You have to keep all these things in mind before hiring delivery drivers.

Delivery Drivers Training: Train Your Driver To Set A New Example Of Success

Once you have confirmed that the candidate is a good fit for you, it’s time to put them through training. So, send them the relevant paperwork to sign, which will vary depending on if they’re an employee or an independent contractor. Training a delivery driver is one of the critical parts of the business to ensure your company’s success. 

Your business will expand and succeed if you train your driver appropriately. When your driver gains proficiency through training, you’ll be able to provide service more quickly, saving you money and time while also pleasing your customers. Most importantly, the driver understands the value of performing their duties to the best of their abilities.

Here are the four main things to consider for your delivery driving training checklist programs:

• Customer Service Training
• Software Training
• Process and professional training
• Health and safety training

Let’s understand these points individually and uncover what you can do to deliver better delivery training courses.

1. Provide Them With Excellent Customer Services

One of the most important things for drivers to learn is to provide excellent customer service. The value of the freight being delivered is one of the most vital aspects of delivery training knowledge (regardless of what that is). They are your client’s last link.

So, they should think about how they create relationships while on the road. They should also avoid obstructing driveways and dress professionally.

Your most effective drivers will treat their route as their own. Those who are considerate of their packages and their interactions with visitors.

Everyone loses when drivers treat customers like simple messengers rather than integral parts of the experience. So, through your delivery driver training program, establish a sense of accountability.

2. Software Training

The next step in training your driver is using delivery management platforms. Most delivery businesses want new drivers to utilize certain delivery management apps, but not all drivers are tech-savvy.

A good delivery driver training checklist includes time to learn navigation software. Managing all drivers and routes with a single software is hugely beneficial at a time when gig workers have different navigation preferences.

Supervisors should frequently ride with drivers and recruits to check that the program is working properly. Getting from A to B becomes much more difficult while on the road.

Set up all delivery drivers with an easy-to-use internal route optimization tool. Drivers at many delivery services are provided with GPS and location-tracking equipment to use while on the road.

The best software is one that doesn’t require hardware support and can be operated using the driver’s mobile phone.

However, it is not enough that the software is used for optimizing routes correctly; it must allow you to

• Schedule deliveries for months in advance;
• Navigate using platforms like Google Maps or Apple Maps
• Send delivery notifications to customers using SMS or email, and
• Record proof of delivery.

This is where a route planning solution for courier delivery drivers comes in to help last-mile delivery businesses. It not only provides optimized routes but supports your business in providing a good customer experience and streamlining your delivery processes.

3. Train Them To Think Like A Professional Driver

It is crucial to teach new drivers how to use delivery tools, but it’s equally important to instill in them a professional courier’s mindset. 

Professional drivers don’t drive like everyone else. They don’t just get in the car and follow the GPS until they arrive at the destination. There’s much more to it than that.

Thus,  without adopting a role as a professional delivery driver, the drivers will make subtle but significant mistakes. Delivery drivers are making dozens and possibly close to a hundred daily stops. This means a relatively small 2-3 minute error per stop can significantly delay deliveries overall.

These 2-3 minutes of error can prevent the driver from providing the customers with the best experience. So, to reduce the risk of time-draining mistakes, teach the driver how to load and unload their vehicles and how to navigate routes in real time. 

4. Health And Safety Training

In any delivery driver training program, personal and safety training are the cornerstones of success. In the sophisticated and fast-paced world of deliveries, you won’t be a good fit. As a result, hiring the best drivers is the first step in educating drivers about safety.

Your delivery driver training checklist may involve classes in safe driving, driver safety, and defensive driving. This portion of your delivery driver training will always differ based on the size and quality of your company’s operations.

For instance, long-haul truck drivers on the Sydney to Melbourne route and courier drivers who circulate through the Sydney CBD will receive distinct safety training.
When it comes to educating drivers about health, there is something we all can learn from UPS driving programs. UPS stands for United Parcel Service, and its drivers are responsible for delivering packages to customers in a timely and professional manner.

So now you are aware of the delivery driver checklist and also the tricks on how to train them. Make use of these tips and tricks to increase the reach of your business.