Delivery Driver Salaries
Delivery drivers drive trucks or other delivery vehicles to pick up and drop off packages or cargo. No education is required since most drivers are trained on the job. Lifting, carrying and walking is involved, and many who make food deliveries work long hours -- typically early in the morning or late at night.
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Delivery Drivers
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Delivery drivers, sometimes called pickup and delivery drivers, drive trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 26,000 pounds or under. They typically work in small regions or one city. Their median salary is $28,330 yearly, with a range of $17,370 to $51,700. This breaks down to $13.62 hourly, with a range of $8.35 to $24.86. Their biggest employers are couriers and express delivery services, with 16 percent of the available 834,780 jobs. They pay a mean 22.01 per hour or $45,780 per year. Their highest paying employers are wired telecommunications carriers at a mean $24.45 per hour or $50,850 per year. However, they only offer 250 jobs. The postal service also offers the same pay but more opportunities with 2,790 jobs. All figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as of May 2009.
Driver/Sales Workers
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Drivers/sales workers make deliveries on a specific route. Though they also pick up and deliver, they try to sell items, such as food, may take orders, and may collect payments. Their median salary is $22,740 yearly, with a range of $15,360 to $45,240. This breaks down to $10.93 hourly, with a range of $7.38 to $21.75. Their biggest employers are limited-service eating places, with 30 percent of the available 363,050 jobs. They pay a mean $8.93 per hour or $18,580 per year. Their highest paying employer is waste treatment at a mean $22.34 per hour or $46,470 per year, but with only 90 positions. Their salaries are typically a mix of a base wage plus commissions.
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Geography
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For delivery drivers, the state with the best paying jobs is Alaska, where the high cost of living pushes salaries to a mean $17.39 per hour or $36,170 per year. The state only offers 1,530 jobs, however. New Jersey, which is also among the top five for pay, offers far more opportunities with 24,380 jobs, at a slightly lower mean of $16.46 per hour or $34,230 per year. For drivers/sales workers, the District of Columbia is the top payer at a mean $16.88 per hour or $35,110 per year, but with only 310 jobs. Washington, also in the top five for salaries, has more positions at 8,060 but lower wages at a mean $16.08 per hour or $33,440 per year.
Outlook
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The BLS sees jobs for both delivery drivers and drivers/sales workers growing at four percent from 2008 to 2018, which is slower than average. Employment in this field is tied to the economy. Good times mean more jobs and bad time mean fewer. Competition will be strong, since delivery jobs are highly desirable among truckers because of the local routes and shorter working hours.
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