A Guide to Delivery Jobs (No Experience Necessary!)

Getting A Courier/Delivery Job in America

Several decades ago, postmen were the most popular delivery agents. However, the rise of the internet and emails reduced our need and use of post offices to communicate, even across continents. Nowadays, courier and delivery service jobs have taken on a new look. Food, groceries, wearables, gadgets, and even cars can now be ordered and delivered to your home without you having to leave the house. All thanks to the internet.

The importance of courier services in our day-to-day activities has now soared as more businesses and stores move online. Today, we explore how to start a courier service career in America and the requirements for employment.

What Is A Courier Service Job?

A courier service job involves picking up packages, such as documents, clothes, gadgets, etc., and delivering them to the intended recipients. The primary role of the courier service job is to ensure the pickup and safe delivery of packages to their recipients. The courier service industry is primarily private and cuts across a range of service options, including;

• Same day delivery
• Luggage delivery
• Standard delivery services, and
• Parcel Services

These services are rendered within specific states, across different states of the country, and sometimes internationally. The major advantage of courier services is the expedited delivery time, making it more appealing than regular postal services. Institutions such as law firms, governments, and hospitals engage courier agencies to ensure the fast and secure delivery of their parcels.

In addition to being timely, courier services also reduce the number of people (and bureaucracy) involved in package deliveries. The reduced interaction and ease of sending/receiving packages via courier services came in handy during the covid lockdown as businesses and pharmaceuticals relied on couriers to deliver vaccine doses across the country. Courier drivers earn between $20-30/hr, which amounts roughly to $41,000 annually, with a possibility of making more if your job involves handling sensitive packages and information.

What Are The Requirements To Become A Courier Driver?

Different courier companies list varying requirements for individuals seeking employment as courier service drivers. However, we have browsed through some of the job requirements of major courier service companies in America to identify the essential factors. The key qualifications you need to qualify for a courier service job are:

Age: Courier service jobs require a minimum age of 21 for all drivers. Thus, the primary consideration for a driving position at a courier service company is that you are 21 years or older by the time of application.

Driving License: You must possess a valid commercial driving license as evidence of your safe driving skills and qualification to drive courier vehicles under the relevant state law.

Education: This is just as important as your driving skills. Courier service companies require applicants for their driving positions to have at least completed high school or possess a GED certificate. While some courier drivers have college degrees, it is enough for you to finish high school as an applicant.

Customer Relations: As a courier service driver, you’ll be meeting and interacting with lots of customers while discharging your duties. This makes you the face of the company (your employer); as such, courier companies require their drivers to be highly skilled in customer relations and service delivery.

Physical and Medical Fitness: Courier service drivers also need to take physical and medical examinations to ensure they are fit for the job. Sometimes, you may need to lift heavy packages or go up several flights of stairs to make deliveries, and the company needs to know you’re capable of these.

Other requirements include background profile checks to ensure you have clean financial, driving, and legal records. Prior experience working in customer relations or the transportation industry is also beneficial when seeking employment as a courier service driver.

Can Senior Citizens Work As Courier Service Personnel?

Age sixty is an essential milestone in the American workforce. It’s the age at which you become an elderly member of the society and usually retire. However, life as a senior can be boring, especially when you really enjoy your job. Also, you may need the regular exercise that working a job offers you.

Luckily, becoming a senior doesn’t put an end to all of your employment chances. Seniors can still gain employment as courier drivers so far they have relevant experience in the transportation or delivery business. Some job listings specifically encourage seniors to apply. Such roles are usually for seniors with experience in the courier service to train, supervise and oversee younger staff.

Other courier service jobs open to seniors include food delivery, available to seniors include food and parcel delivery, and transport handling for pharmaceutical companies.

What Is A Commercial Driving License?

A commercial driving license (CDL) is a driving license issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that allows you to drive commercial motor vehicles (CMV) or heavy trucks designated as hazardous material vehicles.

The CDL is mandatory to drive work or commercial vehicles (such as a courier service truck) in America and differs from the regular driving license, which only qualifies you to drive private vehicles. CDLs are essential due to the higher standards of skill, fitness, and expertise in driving commercial vehicles.

The CDL is divided into three classes, each conferring different driving qualifications on the holder of such license;

Class A: The Class A license allows the holder to drive commercial vehicles with a Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) of 26,001 pounds or more such as trailer buses and tractor-trailers.

Class B: Class B licenses confer the legal right to drive heavy commercial vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 26,001 pounds or more. Examples of such vehicles include buses, box trucks, garbage, and cement trucks.

Class C: A Class C license qualifies its holder to drive single vehicles weighing not more than 26,000 pounds when such a transport plan includes 16 passengers or contains packages classified as hazardous materials under federal law.

Commercial Driving Licenses are territorial, meaning you can only use them in the issuing state. Applicants must also be at least 18 years of age to qualify for a commercial license unless you reside in New York or Hawaii, which requires a minimum age of 21 for commercial driving licenses. It is essential to note that states reserve the right to impose additional age requirements, especially when hazardous materials are involved.

How To Apply For A Job In The Courier Service?

Openings and vacancies for courier service jobs are usually advertised online via job recruitment websites like Indeed, Jobberman, and Ziprecruiter. Courier service companies like UPS also issue vacancy notices on their websites, inviting qualified candidates to apply.

Consequently, your application for a courier service job begins with an online search for such openings. Courier service companies usually require candidates to attach soft copies of their driver’s license, educational qualifications, and a resume detailing their experience and suitability for the role to their applications.

If your application is accepted, you will be invited for an interview, which involves the lifting and lowering of packages weighing between 25-40 lbs to ascertain your physical fitness.

Conclusion

Getting a courier service job in America requires you to have a valid commercial driver’s license and high physical fitness standards, and customer relations. Most of these roles operate on an hourly basis and let you work between eight to ten hours per day. You can also reach shift agreements with your employer, provided you meet the requirements.

The increasing nature of eCommerce adoption means the demand for courier service personnel is unlikely to dwindle, making it a financially rewarding career choice, even for seniors.