Distribution jobs are rising in the wake of the corona virus crisis. There is a huge growth in delivery jobs – where you can earn extra money if you are excited, fired or self-employed.

The fact that everyone stays home and the essential shops are closed signifies one factor is shopping online! From food to clothes, the stuff we normally go out and buy are now centered online. Delivery drivers can’t keep up with demand – which means there are a lot of jobs.

First Check The Driving License Restrictions

One obvious thing you need for this job is a driver’s license. Generally, if you do not have one, you can take a serious driving school course and get a license quickly. However, driving instructors and testing centers are closed, so currently only those with a full driver’s license can apply for delivery driver jobs.

Also check your vehicle controls. If you do not take your truck license, you will have a Type B license. This means it can drive a transparent vehicle weighing up to 3.5 tons when empty. For example, if you want to work as a delivery jobs for a supermarkets like Tesco, the vans they use to deliver orders to customers may be operated under a normal Type B license. Large trucks carrying food and drink to supermarket require a special license.

If you have your car license before February 2001, you can ride a moped up to 50cc without taking your Compulsory Basic Training (CPT). If you have obtained your license after February 2001, you must first complete your CPD (this is not possible as all testing centers are currently closed). Check out your license type here to find out what you can and cannot drive.

Renew Your Car Insurance

Renew your car insurance as a delivery driver

Many delivery driver jobs require you to use your own car. If so, you need to make sure your car insurance policy is up to date. It should include business objectives rather than ‘social’ or ‘social and travel’. If you do not upgrade your card and you are in an accident, your insurance policy will not be valid and you may be out of pocket for repairs and legal costs.

Decide Where You Want to Work On Your Own

Delivery drivers are paid employees or self-employed in the PAYE pay system. For example, if you were hired by a retailer to deliver their products to customers, you would be a paid employee. This means that you will receive a certain salary and employee benefits such as automatically joining the workplace pension plan.

If you are a courier or driver who delivers food, you may be self-employed. Drives who are Self-employed are usually paid more than the prescribed wage for a successful delivery. Depending on the business you work for, you may receive a base hourly rate and a package delivery amount.

You must register as a self-employed person at HMRC and register your income and expenses in the self-assessed tax return by January 31 of each income year. So, for example, if you become self-employed in May 2020, your first tax return will be paid by January 31, 2022.

If you are a self-employed driver, or if you are an employee you can claim the fuel costs and the small cost of using your personal car through the company’s cost system.

Where You Can Find Delivery Driver Jobs?

When we are all stuck at home, the first and easiest place to look for a delivery driver job is online. Try important work boards like:

– Reed

– Fish 4 jobs

– Indeed

– Monster

– Total Jobs

Create a separate email account for work applications to make tracking easier (and avoid getting a lot of spam). Write down your CV and upload it to your account so employers can find you.

You can find the same vacancies listed on many job boards. Write a list of each application to avoid losing track of where you applied. This means you will not waste time applying twice for the same role!

 

Try local documentation and websites

Online job sites are great for finding a lot of roles in one place – but you are competing with a lot of people who applied. So make sure you are in the local documentation and local jobs part of websites like Gumtree. Here you will find job advertisements for small local companies that do not have big budget to pay for advertising on big job websites.

If you have specific stores or restaurants in your area that you know offer delivery service, check out their social media and website.

 

Look around your area

When you go to your hourly allowable gym or essential stores, look for notices in the windows or takeaways and restaurants that offer take-out service often place a note on the window ad for drivers. Fewer people will see these ads than viewers online, so you have a better chance of getting a job through one of these window announcements.

 

Sign up for delivery operators

If you want to be a delivery driver or courier, you can always go directly to the companies that offer these roles. Amazon

– Deliveroo

– Just Eat

– UberEats

– Yodel

– My Hermes

– DHL

– Parcel Force

– UPS

What Does the Delivery Driver Get Involved With?

Although some of the tasks of being a delivery driver depends on what you are able to offer, the key features remains the same. Since you are carrying a lot of parcels throughout the day, you need to be in good health and physically fit! If you work as an employee at a company that supplies large items (such as kitchen appliances), you need to be particularly strong and have the tolerance to make multiple heavy deliveries in a day.

You need to pick up your parcels from a depot and scan everything using the handheld scanner provided. It sends customers automatic updates that the parcels is now in the van and will be delivered on that exact day. If you have large equipment or a delivery driver job for a supermarket, you may find that your vehicle is ready when you arrive – you should check the paperwork to make sure everything is in order before you leave the depot.

You load your vehicle with your packages, and also the GPS.  This takes you to the most logical order for each delivery stop, saving as much time and fuel as possible. At each delivery stop, you must deliver the package or leave it at the specified location, and then register the delivery successfully before proceeding to the next location.

You will have to return to the depot to pick up more parcels.

 

Don’t Have Care? No Need to Worry

If you do not have a driver’s license, you can still issue one! Work with groceries in your area or on delivery, for example, can be done on a bicycle (if you ride fast!). It is also the best way to be relevant when making money!

You can find local delivery services that you can do livestock in your local area. For example, you may have to provide people with doors for local documents because fewer readers go to the store to get their daily paper.

 

Be Safe

Since social distance rules are in effect, it is very important to prioritize your health even when you are working. When you deliver a parcel, it is OK to place it on the doorstep, stand 2 meters behind and wait until the recipient opens the door. Check their name and sign on their behalf rather than handing over your delivery cap to them. This reduces the need for communication between you and those in your supply chain, which helps protect you and your customers.

Wash your hands when you are at the depot and keep hand sanitizer in your vehicle at all times. To be on the safe side, regularly wipe your vehicle with disinfectant.