Courier driver & driver jobs - a whacky profession!

Jobs as a courier or driver are very popular as a part-time second job, since you usually only need a B-class driver's license to get started - and you're ready to hit the road! A job as a full-time driver, especially for parcel services, is also conceivable. In addition, there are many different jobs that offer different working hours and driving distances, from a quarter-hour delivery job within a radius of 20 km, to trips lasting several days, even abroad. So if you like to drive and know your way around traffic, this is the right place for you!

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These are the requirements and activities for courier driver jobs

Driver jobs are available throughout Germany in a wide variety of industries, because the speedy transport of goods is essential for large parts of the economy and the health industry. That's why there are so many different areas in this profession, from small part-time driver jobs in the neighborhood, to full-time courier drivers who travel all over Europe in long-distance transport, even abroad! The future prospects for a job as a courier driver are therefore quite good, as there are always many different job offers and you can also become self-employed.

Because the job opportunities are so varied, the prerequisites needed also vary depending on what the courier driver does. For example, as a courier driver for international trips abroad, candidates with English skills are often sought, which is usually not necessary for a pizza driver who does his job near his home. What other skills a driver or courier driver should have, we explain in more detail in the following paragraph.

Requirements - What you should be able to do as a driver

To be able to work as a courier driver, you should have various additional skills and soft skills in addition to a Class B driver's license, depending on the field of work or industry. These are for example:

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• Very good driving skills
• Experience at the wheel
• Very good local knowledge, good sense of direction
• Speed, work quickly
• Friendliness towards customers
• Service orientation
• Punctuality
• Reliability
• Organizational talent
• Problem solving skills
• Physical resilience
• Stress Resistance

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Additional driver's license classes such as C1 are also welcome, as is initial experience as a driver or delivery person, such as at the post office. Candidates with a forklift driver's license or knowledge of operating machinery are also gladly hired, as this allows the employee to independently prepare heavy loads for transport. Especially large companies with heavy deliveries are happy about such employees!

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This is what your job salary as a driver depends on

The salary of courier drivers can vary greatly and depends on various factors such as the federal state, industry, size of the company, position and the existence of professional experience or training. Less experience therefore also means less pay: the first salary for courier drivers working full-time is on average €2,540 gross per month. After more than 9 years of experience as a courier driver, earnings can rise to an average of up to €2,693 gross per month. This results in a general hourly wage of approximately €15 to €18 gross for courier drivers, provided they do not perform the job as a mini-job or part-time.  

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These tasks await you as a courier driver 

Most of the time, drivers do exactly what they are labeled: Driving. Whether in a car or a van, a courier driver should not be rattled on the road. After all, he is transporting valuable cargo to the destination or customer and is the one doing the handover, so he also takes any criticism! So talking to customers you have never met before should not be a problem for you. 

In addition to customer contact, the following tasks are part of the daily work routine:

• Delivery of goods to a recipient on behalf of the employer
• Partly regular operations with the same goal
• Possibly teamwork 
• Loading the delivery vehicle
• Secure goods for transport
• Sorting the goods / shipments
• Planning the routes
• Possibly obtain transport documents/receipt confirmation
• Eventual receipt of payment from the customer
• Pick up goods
• Possibly put away or clear out goods into the warehouse
• Keep a logbook
• Maintain and clean delivery vehicle

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These interesting jobs are available for drivers

There are many ways for courier drivers to make their job what they want, because working hours and industries can vary greatly. Many courier drivers, for example, only work on weekends or perform their driving duties only as a mini-job or part-time job. Nevertheless, they usually have to be very flexible, as they can be scheduled at very short notice or sometimes at night, especially when it comes to urgent delivery orders. Courier drivers for the pharmaceutical industry, for example, often have to work night shifts, as the quick delivery of medical samples or medications within a certain time frame can even be vital. That can get stressful!

In addition to specialized logistics companies and courier services, courier drivers naturally also have the option of becoming self-employed with their own car and driving mainly for private customers. This gives them complete freedom to decide how and when they work, but they also have to take care of attracting new customers themselves.

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Driving fancy sports cars as a vehicle transfer driver

The transfer of passenger cars is especially interesting for car enthusiasts, because such a driver job allows the employee to often drive luxury cars and new cars. The job usually requires only a certain minimum age and a class B driver's license, which is why especially career changers work as temporary drivers for overpasses. That's why there are also more part-time and part-time drivers or self-employed people than full-time employees. In addition, the job as a driver is often very flexible and offers a wide variety of working hours such as evenings, nights or weekends. But this also means that you have to be flexible, because sometimes a trip takes you across national borders into foreign countries, sometimes even over several days, which means that you then also have to be prepared to take on a night driving job. So in general, a driver is usually on the road for hours at a time, which can be very tiring!

Typical duties of an overpass driver include:

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• Drive car to customer without damage 
• Adhere to specified time window
• Possibly clean and refuel the vehicle at the destination
• Possibly explain the operation of the vehicle to the recipient at the time of delivery
• When handing over the car, check it together with the recipient and document any damage by photo 
• Record handover
• Return by public transport or arrange for overnight accommodation 

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Vacancies for transfer jobs for drivers are offered by car dealerships, rental car companies, leasing companies, car banks, car sharing providers, large fleets of companies or car repair shops, so there is always a driver job in the near vicinity. Drivers with a truck driver's license can also work for freight forwarding companies. However, the easiest place for drivers to find jobs and assignments is with a vehicle logistics company, as such a service company specializes in transfers for various customers and is always looking for new drivers.

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On the move: courier drivers for laboratories, pharmacies & co. 

Courier drivers in the medical field have a very responsible job, because they sometimes bring vital and very sensitive medicines, medical samples or even organic material such as blood reserves, plasma, tissue, stem cells or donor organs to the clinic, practice, laboratory or pharmacy. Since this is a very valuable cargo, the laboratory driver must observe special regulations and international rules and be very careful. At the same time, speed is of the essence, especially when transporting donor organs, for example, as they should reach the patient as quickly as possible. The situation is similar for delivery drivers for medicines, who sometimes have to drive spontaneously at night. Courier drivers should therefore be well acquainted with the region in which they are delivering so that they do not lose their bearings at night and know the fastest route. In contrast, courier drivers for dental laboratories have a somewhat more relaxed time of it, as it is usually less hectic here. More rarely, the police also look for courier drivers to transport evidence, for example.

Requirements for a job as a courier driver in the medical field are at least a class B driver's license and some driving experience, and preferably experience as a delivery driver. For some transports, a driver with a class C1 license is also required. 

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Typical duties of a courier driver are:

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• Transport of medical material in specially compacted packaging
• Before the journey check after proper preparation for transport
• Flexibly take over spontaneous trips, e.g. in case of medical emergency
• Transport medical personnel, if applicable
• Partially assumes simple medical tasks such as measuring blood pressure or processing blood units
• Customer contact
• Possibly administrative activities
• Complete training courses and driver safety training courses

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With them, everyone gets their package: Driver for delivery of mail and parcels‍

Post and parcel drivers are a system-relevant profession for which new staff are always being sought, even though fewer and fewer written letters are being sent due to digitalization. The Internet means that we are sending more parcels than ever before, and parcel delivery staff have their hands full. In addition to the classic two-year apprenticeship, there are therefore also many career changers or part-time employees who take advantage of the low requirements, which usually only consist of a B driver's license.

In the internal service of the post office, couriers are directly involved in the acceptance of letters and parcels. In addition, they deal with undeliverable items and advise customers on various shipping options and issue invoices. They also accept complaints and initiate follow-up on shipments that have not arrived at the recipient's address and manage the cash register. Many of these activities are performed using software on a computer.

The main duties of a parcel delivery clerk / mail carrier are: 

• Deliver letters and parcels, by car, bike or truck
• Empty mailboxes
• Sort shipments 
• Prepare deliveries before shipment
• Complete and forward delivery bills, receipts, etc.
• Plan delivery sequence
• Customer advisory service
• Pick up and receive shipments
• Receive payments
• Accounting 
• Billing and documenting shipments
• Transport shipments between postal centers
• Process undeliverable shipments
• Receive complaints
• Protect data privacy and postal secrecy 

Most job openings for courier drivers for mail and parcels are with mail and parcel services, courier and express services, freight forwarders, and inside sales.

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‍FAQ

Courier driver - what is it?‍

The meaning of "courier" is messenger, so by definition a courier driver is someone who transports and delivers things by vehicle for a customer, usually on behalf of a courier service.

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Are there any driver jobs near me?‍

Drivers for overpass jobs or for the courier service of the post office or for laboratories are wanted almost everywhere. In larger cities such as Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart or Berlin, there are actually always open jobs for drivers. Particularly for delivery jobs, drivers sometimes even have to travel to cities in neighboring countries, such as Zurich in Switzerland or Vienna in Austria.

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‍Whatis the salary of a driver?‍

The salary level depends on the industry, the location and size of the employer, and the driver's own education (if any) and work experience. Normally, drivers receive an entry-level salary of approximately €1,500 to €1,700 gross per month.