How to hire a delivery driver/warehouse associate

How to hire a delivery driver/warehouse associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step delivery driver/warehouse associate hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a delivery driver/warehouse associate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new delivery driver/warehouse associate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The delivery driver/warehouse associate hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a delivery driver/warehouse associate to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a delivery driver/warehouse associate that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of delivery driver/warehouse associate salaries for various roles:

   Type of Delivery Driver/Warehouse Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Delivery Driver/Warehouse Associate	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 with a gross vehicle weight (GVW)—the combined weight of the vehicle, passengers, and cargo—of 26,000 pounds or less... Show more	$12-19
   Driver	Drivers are responsible for safely transporting people, packages, or goods from one destination to another. They should be familiar with the different routes that may be taken to reach the desired goal... Show more	$10-25
   Route Driver	A Route Driver is responsible for delivering and transporting supplies or goods within an allotted time. The tasks will vary upon the organization or industry that a Route Driver works for, however, most of the time, the duties will revolve around picking up and dropping off packages at particular destinations ranging from homes to establishments, and communicating with customers... Show more	$14-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • DOT
   • Safety Regulations
   • CDL
   • OSHA
   • Pallets
   • Safety Policies
   • Safety Standards
   • Pallet Jack
   • Good Communication
   • Warehouse Equipment
   • Customer Orders
   • HVAC
   • Customer Locations

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Load truck with appropriate product and deliver accordingly, return to warehouse for receiving and other warehouse duties including monthly inventory.
   • Sort packages by region, deliver packages to customers, handle cash-on-delivery payments, process business pickups, utilize DIAD board technology

   More delivery driver/warehouse associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your delivery driver/warehouse associate job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A delivery driver/warehouse associate salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a delivery driver/warehouse associate in Wisconsin may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level delivery driver/warehouse associate usually earns less than a senior-level delivery driver/warehouse associate. Additionally, a delivery driver/warehouse associate with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average delivery driver/warehouse associate salary

   $16.00hourly

   $33,281 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level delivery driver/warehouse associate salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average delivery driver/warehouse associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$41,026	$20
   2	Colorado	$38,042	$18
   3	Utah	$37,903	$18
   4	Oregon	$36,945	$18
   5	Illinois	$34,959	$17
   6	Idaho	$34,631	$17
   7	Virginia	$34,432	$17
   8	Arizona	$34,053	$16
   9	Maryland	$33,786	$16
   10	Indiana	$32,770	$16
   11	Michigan	$32,669	$16
   12	Nevada	$32,049	$15
   13	Kansas	$31,813	$15
   14	Texas	$31,228	$15
   15	North Carolina	$29,817	$14
   16	Missouri	$29,546	$14
   17	New Mexico	$28,678	$14
   18	Florida	$28,228	$14
   19	Nebraska	$28,010	$13
   20	Wisconsin	$27,616	$13

   Average delivery driver/warehouse associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Xerox	$38,904	$18.70	8
   2	Reyes Holdings	$36,816	$17.70	65
   3	Amarr	$36,211	$17.41	19
   4	Applied Industrial Technologies	$35,930	$17.27	9
   5	OHL Concesiones México S.A.	$35,912	$17.27
   6	CTS Connected Technology Solutions	$34,025	$16.36
   7	Amazon	$33,857	$16.28	207
   8	Iron Mountain	$33,786	$16.24	15
   9	Anixter	$33,615	$16.16	1
   10	Americhem	$33,478	$16.10
   11	Alumaline Corporation America	$33,343	$16.03
   12	Aerotek	$33,118	$15.92	228
   13	SKY CLIMBER	$33,014	$15.87	1
   14	GBT US, LLC	$33,013	$15.87
   15	Advance Holding Corporation	$33,013	$15.87	11
   16	WiZiX Technology Group	$33,013	$15.87	3
   17	Express Employment Indy South	$32,671	$15.71	18
   18	Arizona Office Technologies	$32,625	$15.69
   19	Johnstone Supply	$32,518	$15.63	52
   20	Helget Gas Products	$32,516	$15.63

4. Writing a delivery driver/warehouse associate job description

   A delivery driver/warehouse associate job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a delivery driver/warehouse associate job description:

   Delivery driver/warehouse associate job description example

   Job DescriptionAre you interested in joining an industry leader who is passionate about growth? Southern States Cooperative is a retail agriculture cooperative serving the agronomy, energy and farm supply needs of its members and customers across eight states in the Southeastern United States. At Southern States Cooperative (A Farmer Owned Cooperative since 1923); we serve a wide range of farm inputs including: fertilizer, seed, livestock feed, pet food, animal health supplies, and petroleum products, as well as other items for the farm and home.
   
   We are focused on helping our employees and our customers grow, by being the very best at offering challenging and rewarding career opportunities to our employees and providing superior products, services and growing solutions for our valued customers. We want to hear from you, so come grow with us!!!
   How you will impact Southern States Cooperative:
   
   Performs a variety of retail operations functions to ensure sales readiness and customer support at Southern States Cooperative, Inc. (SSC) service and cooperative locations. Job functions vary by location and generally include: receiving merchandise and maintaining warehouse inventory, stocking shelves and supporting merchandising efforts, maintaining showroom appearance, filling customer orders and providing loading assistance, and performing general facility maintenance. Effectively operates a forklift and other industrial equipment. Demonstrates excellent customer service skills.
   
   Maintain regular communication with store leadership to receive daily assignments and provide timely information regarding receiving and inventory supply, customer orders, showroom appearance, facility maintenance, safety, loss prevention, and other factors critical to daily operations.
   
   Provide prompt and courteous customer support. Assist customers with filling orders, lifting and accessing products, and loading merchandise into vehicles. Verify invoices to ensure proper merchandise and quantities are loaded. Effectively secure loads.
   
   What you need to succeed:
   Education: Requires a High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED)
   Experience: Prefer previous experience in a warehouse handling inventory and operating industrial equipment including forklift, front-end loader, pallet jack, and/or skid loader. Customer-focused communication skills, familiarity with agricultural industry, and/or previous Southern States work experience a plus.
   Some of the many benefits we offer: Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance 401(k) Plan with Company Match Health Care Flexible Spending Account Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Short Term Disability Long Term Disability Life Insurance Accident Death and Dismemberment Insurance Paid Time Office Vacation Buy-Back Company Holidays Tuition Assistance Employee Assistance Program Legal Services Long Term Care Insurance Pet Insurance Employee Merchandise Discounts Wellness Program Volunteer Program Employee Referral Bonus Program Southern States Cooperative, Inc., is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate against individuals based on their race, color, religion or belief, national or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, family medical history or genetic information, or any other status protected by federal, state or local laws, or regulations.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find delivery driver/warehouse associates for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any delivery driver/warehouse associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level delivery driver/warehouse associates with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your delivery driver/warehouse associate job on Zippia to find and recruit delivery driver/warehouse associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit delivery driver/warehouse associates, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new delivery driver/warehouse associate

   Once you've decided on a perfect delivery driver/warehouse associate candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new delivery driver/warehouse associate. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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