How long does it take to become a Route Driver?

It takes 6 years of professional experience to become a route driver. That is the time it takes to learn specific route driver skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How do I become a good route driver?

To become a good route driver is primarily based on your driving skills, performance, and people skills. There are five steps you can take today to help improve your effectiveness as a route driver.

How much do route drivers make?

A route driver makes $33,717 a year ($16 an hour). However, the range can start from as low as $19,000 a year to as high as $46,500 a year. Factors such as the location of the potion and company type impact how much a route driver can earn.

What is a multi-drop driver?

A multi-drop driver means that the driver is delivering to more than two locations. A multi-drop driver, on average, stops at about 20 to 30 locations a day. As you can imagine, the logistics of this all can be intense. For example, a company might receive an order from customers that must be delivered within 24 hours. As many different orders come in from varying locations and are destined for multiple other locations, these companies are presented with a logistical challenge.

What is a route sales support driver?

A route sales support driver is a field sales role that includes additional responsibilities such as delivering and merchandising the products ordered by a client. Route sales drivers typically follow a specific and routine route to deliver goods to the grocery, convenience, or liquor stores and ensure the product is adequately stocked and well displayed.

How To Become A Route Driver: What It Is and Career Path

What is a route driver and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A route driver delivers goods or products to various locations on a scheduled route. They operate company vehicles, such as trucks or vans, and must have a valid driver's license and a clean driving record. Route drivers must also be able to read maps and follow specific delivery instructions. They are responsible for loading and unloading their vehicles, keeping accurate records of deliveries, and maintaining the condition of their equipment.

ScoreRoute DriverUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,492

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.82%

Asian 3.79%

Black or African American 12.19%

Hispanic or Latino 18.21%

Unknown 4.76%

White 60.24%

Gender

female 9.43%

male 90.57%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.8

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a route driver?

Pros

Opportunity for overtime pay
Meeting new people and building relationships
Developing a strong knowledge of the local area
Access to employee benefits like health insurance and retirement plans
Driving new or well-maintained vehicles

Cons

Risk of accidents and injury on the job
Dealing with difficult customers or traffic situations
Potential for increased stress due to time-sensitive deliveries or traffic delays
Constant pressure to meet delivery deadlines
Possibility of being held liable for lost or damaged goods

Key steps to become a route driver

Explore route driver education requirements

Most common route driver degrees

High School Diploma

47.0 %

Associate

18.1 %

Bachelor's

15.6 %

Start to develop specific route driver skills

Skills	Percentages
CDL	24.83%
DOT	17.92%
Pickup	3.99%
Customer Locations	3.65%
Cleanliness	3.33%

Research route driver duties and responsibilities

Manage 100 stores as a DSD vendor, entailing presales, delivery and basic account management.
Inspect vehicle and load for safety and HazMat regulations being meet.
DOT, local, state (provincial) and federal requirements.
Train new employees to read and follow route sheets, as well as prepare them for CDL testing.

Prepare your route driver resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your route driver resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a route driver resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable route driver resume templates

Build a professional route driver resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your route driver resume.

Apply for route driver jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a route driver job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do route drivers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Route driver reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023

Pros

Flexible hours, you can kind of control your income, even travel to high demand areas (while traveling) to make bigger money. It’s just nice to be able to go almost anywhere and have an opportunity to make money.

Cons

The pay, benefits, and low tips.

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2022

Cons

Cinema

Pros

Experience 8 year GCC county almost work driving responsibility passenger drop location and food delivery timing driving delivery I am work hope

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021

Cons

I don't like laziness or bad behaviour or any controversy

What is a route driver and how to become one

What are the pros and cons of being a route driver?

Route driver career paths

Key steps to become a route driver

Explore route driver education requirements

Most common route driver degrees

Start to develop specific route driver skills

Research route driver duties and responsibilities

Prepare your route driver resume

Choose from 10+ customizable route driver resume templates

Apply for route driver jobs

How did you land your first route driver job

Average route driver salary

How do route drivers rate their job?

Route driver reviews

Route driver FAQs

How long does it take to become a Route Driver?

How do I become a good route driver?

How much do route drivers make?

What is a multi-drop driver?

What is a route sales support driver?

Search for route driver jobs

Route driver jobs by state