How to hire a delivery truck driver

How to hire a delivery truck driver, step by step

Here's a step-by-step delivery truck driver 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 truck driver job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new delivery truck driver
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a delivery truck driver do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the delivery truck driver you need to hire. Certain delivery truck driver roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A delivery truck driver's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, delivery truck drivers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents delivery truck driver salaries for various positions.

   Type of Delivery Truck Driver	Description	Hourly rate
   Delivery Truck Driver	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	$15-45
   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:

   • CDL
   • Tractor Trailer
   • Customer Locations
   • Groceries
   • Delivery Truck
   • DOT
   • Math
   • COD
   • Customer Service
   • Cleanliness
   • Pallets
   • Food Products
   • Hazmat
   • Shingles

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Operate trucks requiring on appropriate CDL license .!
   • Warehouse; utilize forklift, CDL truck driving/delivery and other relate duties.
   • Maintain order and cleanliness throughout interior and exterior of truck and trailer.
   • Maintain the cleanliness of the coke machine and program the machine as needed.
   • Read and interpret maps, GPS directions, schematics, blueprints and diagrams.
   • Truck driver-delivery associate, hauling hardware for assign customers, hazmat, doubles and triples.

   More delivery truck driver duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the delivery truck driver job description is a good way to get more applicants. A delivery truck driver salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a delivery truck driver in Florida may be lower than in Illinois, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level delivery truck driver. Additionally, a delivery truck driver with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average delivery truck driver salary

   $55,563yearly

   $26.71 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level delivery truck driver salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average delivery truck driver salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Illinois	$85,206	$41
   2	North Dakota	$75,284	$36
   3	New York	$73,050	$35
   4	Minnesota	$72,880	$35
   5	Maryland	$71,698	$34
   6	Colorado	$69,919	$34
   7	Michigan	$68,907	$33
   8	Georgia	$68,555	$33
   9	Massachusetts	$68,167	$33
   10	Indiana	$66,943	$32
   11	Pennsylvania	$64,546	$31
   12	South Carolina	$62,726	$30
   13	North Carolina	$62,170	$30
   14	Utah	$61,774	$30
   15	Wisconsin	$61,700	$30
   16	Montana	$61,113	$29
   17	Maine	$59,908	$29
   18	Washington	$58,391	$28
   19	Mississippi	$58,103	$28
   20	New Hampshire	$57,199	$28

   Average delivery truck driver salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sysco	$74,371	$35.76	364
   2	US Foods	$61,891	$29.76	180
   3	MJB Wood Group	$59,221	$28.47	2
   4	Denver Foundation	$57,668	$27.73
   5	Western Construction	$57,279	$27.54
   6	Ricoh	$55,780	$26.82	20
   7	Contract Lumber	$55,638	$26.75	7
   8	Golden Eagle Insurance	$54,734	$26.31	2
   9	PepsiCo	$54,494	$26.20	2
   10	Volt Systems LLC	$53,665	$25.80
   11	Sharkey Transportation	$53,633	$25.79	1
   12	EHE	$53,120	$25.54
   13	CHS	$52,633	$25.30
   14	Jefferson	$52,479	$25.23
   15	Chalk Mountain Services of Texas	$52,396	$25.19	6
   16	McLane	$52,296	$25.14	225
   17	The SYGMA Network	$52,174	$25.08
   18	Centerline Solutions	$52,084	$25.04	67
   19	McKesson	$52,076	$25.04	4
   20	Mel-O-Cream Donuts International Inc	$52,047	$25.02	1

4. Writing a delivery truck driver job description

   A job description for a delivery truck driver role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a delivery truck driver job description:

   Delivery truck driver job description example

   Delivery/Shipping/Warehouse Personnel (1+ year of experience)

   Essential Job Functions:

   Truck Driver / Delivery Person:

   Must be capable of operating various modes of transportation including a 26’ manual transmission cargo truck.

   Assist in the loading and offload of product in the SMW warehouse and at the job site.

   Products include cabinets, countertops, lumber, panels & specialty products (some products may weigh over 100lbs.)

   Responsible for protecting finish product during the load, transport, and offload process.

   Requires pick up of raw materials and delivery to SMW.

   Have customer sign paperwork to show receipt of goods

   Perform daily inspection of truck as required by DOT regulations. Report any issues or concerns to the Shipping & Delivery Lead.

   Conform to all federal, state, and local traffic laws and regulations.

   Shipping & Receiving Assistant:

   Assist shipping manager with offload and storage of incoming raw materials.

   Must be able to operate forklift.

   Inspect products being received at SMW and departing SMW.

   Alternate Duties as Needed:

   Shop clean-up

   Vehicle maintenance/cleaning.

   Assist on production floor.

   Physical Requirements:

   Must be able to load, unload, push, pull, lift, and carry up to 50 pounds on a consistent basis throughout the shift.

   Walking.

   Inside/Outside conditions.

   General Labor & Skilled Millwork Laborer

   Interested in learning a new trade, then this could be the job for you

   Willing to learn millwork/woodworking industry

   Assemble cabinet parts per drawing and or direction

   Ensure a safe, clean work environment

   Ability to use small tools/equipment

   Team player, self-motivated person

   Able to lift up to 30 Ibs.

   No experience required (will train the right person)

   Starting pay based on experience.

   Open Position #2: Architectural Millwork Operator

   Responsibilities and Duties

   Cut, Joint, Mill, & Sand hardwood lumber to desired specifications.

   Create Doors & Face Frames.

   Communicate with Shop Management as needed.

   Run the following equipment:

   Table Saws

   Jointer

   Shapers

   Various Sanders

   Typical Woodworking Tools

   
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   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right delivery truck driver for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with delivery truck drivers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit delivery truck drivers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting delivery truck drivers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 truck driver

   Once you have selected a candidate for the delivery truck driver position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new delivery truck driver. 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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