Top Skills for This Career
BLS identifies these as the three highest-rated skills for this detailed occupation. TrustInEd adds the plain-language explanations so visitors understand what each skill means.
Paying close attention to accuracy, quality, instructions, and small but important details.
Adjusting effectively when priorities, conditions, tools, or expectations change.
Identifying problems, considering possible solutions, and choosing appropriate actions.
How Do You Prepare for This Career?
BLS describes the typical preparation for this occupation. Requirements can vary by employer, state, licensing rules and individual circumstances.
How to Become One
How to Become a Delivery Truck Driver or Driver/Sales Worker Drivers need to maintain a clean driving record and be able to navigate city streets. Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers typically need a high school diploma or equivalent to enter these occupations. However, some opportunities exist for those without a high school diploma. Workers undergo 1 month or less of on-the-job
Education
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers typically enter the occupation with a high school diploma or equivalent. Training Companies train new delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers on the job. This may include training from a driver-mentor who rides along with a new employee to make sure that the driver is able to operate a truck safely on crowded streets. New-driver training also covers company policies about package dropoffs and returns, taking payment, and what to do with damaged goods. Driver/sales workers must learn detailed information about the products they offer. Their company also may teach them proper sales techniques, such as how to approach new customers.
Training
. They must have a driver’s license from the state in which they work and have a clean driving record.
Licenses, Certifications & Registrations
All delivery drivers need a driver’s license. Other Experience Some delivery drivers begin as package loaders at warehouse facilities, especially if the driver works for a large company. For more information, see the profile on hand laborers and material movers.
Your Next Step
Review training, certifications, apprenticeships, or employer-based preparation that may support entry into this career.
Pay
the median annual wage for all workers was $50,980.
Job Outlook
Job Outlook Overall employment of delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 152,700 openings for delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. Employment Continued growth of e-commerce should increase the need for deliveries, which is expected to create jobs for light truck drivers. In addition, more of these workers will be needed as consumers increasingly demand faster and more convenient delivery services. Growing demand for local delivery services also is expected to create jobs for driver/sales workers. The use of mobile ordering apps for groceries, takeout food, and other goods should increase demand for these workers to deliver purchases to consumers. Moreover, demand for delivery services from businesses is expected to remain strong, sustaining the need for driver/sales workers to deliver products to stores and other enterprises. Delivery Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers Percent change in employment, projected 2025–35 Driver/sales workers 8% Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers 7% Light truck drivers 6% Motor vehicle operators 5% Total, all occupations 3% Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.
What They Do
What Delivery Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers Do
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers pick up, transport, and drop off packages and small shipments within a local region or urban area. They drive trucks weighing less than 26,001 pounds total for vehicle, passengers, and cargo. Delivery truck drivers usually transport merchandise from a distribution center to businesses and households.
Duties
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers typically do the following:
- Load and unload their cargo
- Communicate with customers to determine pickup and delivery needs
- Report any incidents they encounter on the road to a dispatcher
- Follow applicable traffic laws
- Report mechanical problems to the appropriate personnel
- Keep their truck and associated equipment clean and in working order
- Accept payments for delivery
- Handle paperwork, such as receipts or delivery confirmation notices
Most drivers generally receive instructions to go to a delivery location at a particular time, and it is up to them to determine the best route. Other drivers have a regular daily or weekly delivery schedule. All drivers must understand an area’s street grid and know which roads allow trucks and which do not.
The following examples are types of delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers:
Driver/sales workers are delivery drivers who also have sales responsibilities. They recommend products to businesses and solicit new customers. These drivers may have a regular delivery route and may be responsible for adding clients who are located along their route. For example, they may make regular deliveries to a hardware store and encourage the store’s manager to offer a new product.
Some driver/sales workers use their own vehicles to deliver goods to customers, such as takeout food, and accept payment for those goods. Freelance or independent driver/sales workers may use smartphone apps to find specific delivery jobs.
Light truck drivers, often called pickup and delivery or P&D drivers, are the most common type of delivery driver. They drive small trucks or vans from distribution centers to delivery locations. Drivers make deliveries based on a set schedule. Some drivers stop at the distribution center once only, in the morning, and make many stops throughout the day. Others make multiple trips between the distribution center and delivery locations. Some drivers make deliveries from a retail location to customers.
Work Environment
Work Environment
Driver/sales workers held about 442,900 jobs in 2025. The largest employers of driver/sales workers were as follows:
| Food services and drinking places | 39% |
| Wholesale trade | 25 |
| Retail trade | 9 |
| Self-employed workers | 7 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 6 |
Light truck drivers held about 1.1 million jobs in 2025. The largest employers of light truck drivers were as follows:
| Couriers and messengers | 37% |
| Retail trade | 17 |
| Wholesale trade | 14 |
| Self-employed workers | 7 |
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers have physically demanding jobs. When loading and unloading cargo, drivers do a lot of lifting, carrying, and walking. Driving in congested traffic or adhering to strict delivery timelines can also be stressful.
Injuries and Illnesses
Light truck drivers have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. Injuries can result from workers lifting and moving heavy objects, as well as from automobile accidents.
Work Schedules
Most drivers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Those who have regular routes sometimes must begin work very early in the morning or work late at night. For example, a driver who delivers bread to a deli every day must arrive before the deli opens. Drivers often work weekends and holidays, and their schedules may vary.
Important Qualities
The following are examples of qualities that are important for these workers to perform their duties. For more information, visit the Employment Projections (EP) skills data page. Customer-service skills. When completing deliveries, drivers often interact with customers and should make a good impression to ensure repeat business. Hand–eye coordination. Drivers need to observe their surroundings at all times while operating a vehicle. Math skills. Because delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers sometimes take payment, they must be able to count cash and make change quickly and accurately. Patience. When driving through heavy traffic congestion, delivery drivers must remain calm and composed. Sales skills. Driver/sales workers are expected to persuade customers to purchase new or different products. Visual ability. To have a driver’s license, delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers must be able to pass a state vision test.
More Information
More Information, Including Links to O*NET
Learn more about delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
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Start with ED →Career data and occupational profile text are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections program. Education requirements are typical entry-level requirements and may vary by employer, state, occupation or individual circumstance. View the official BLS profile.