How to hire a route sales driver

How to hire a route sales driver, step by step

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

What does a route sales driver do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your route sales driver job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a route sales driver for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A route sales driver's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, route sales 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 shows salaries for various types of route sales drivers.

   Type of Route Sales Driver	Description	Hourly rate
   Route Sales 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	$16-31
   Driver/Merchandiser	A driver/merchandiser's role in society is to directly deliver products to customers on time, bearing good communication skills to interpret and relay messages and instructions. A driver/merchandiser is also tasked to check on the truck's condition, repair or replace damaged parts, and deliver it to reliable auto shops if the damage is severe... Show more	$7-27
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CDL
   • Customer Service
   • DOT
   • Customer Locations
   • Customer Complaints
   • Pallet Jack
   • Routine Maintenance
   • Develop Leads
   • Straight Truck
   • Customer Accounts
   • Inventory Control
   • Product Delivery
   • Drive Trucks
   • Cleanliness

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage 100 stores as a DSD vendor, entailing presales, delivery and basic account management.
   • Obtain and keep current CDL.
   • Train new drivers and teach company procedures and if CDL need give written and road test.
   • Use effective communication and interpersonal skills when interacting with customers during pickup and/or delivery of packages.
   • Meet with customers, sales team to develop premier marketing, advertising and POS programs.
   • Distribute product to small business and large retail outlets using POS material and FIFO inventory techniques.

   More route sales driver duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your route sales driver job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A route sales driver 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 route sales driver in Virginia may be lower than in Oregon, and an entry-level route sales driver usually earns less than a senior-level route sales driver. Additionally, a route sales driver 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 route sales driver salary

   $47,257yearly

   $22.72 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level route sales driver salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average route sales driver salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Oregon	$59,170	$28
   2	Washington	$53,703	$26
   3	New York	$52,457	$25
   4	Pennsylvania	$49,996	$24
   5	California	$49,658	$24
   6	Texas	$47,272	$23
   7	Florida	$47,269	$23
   8	Massachusetts	$46,636	$22
   9	Illinois	$45,210	$22
   10	North Dakota	$45,059	$22
   11	West Virginia	$43,855	$21
   12	Minnesota	$43,490	$21
   13	Tennessee	$43,274	$21
   14	Colorado	$42,433	$20
   15	Arizona	$41,823	$20
   16	Ohio	$41,025	$20
   17	South Carolina	$40,729	$20
   18	Missouri	$38,446	$18
   19	North Carolina	$38,102	$18
   20	Kansas	$37,242	$18

   Average route sales driver salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Culligan	$55,635	$26.75	7
   2	Dietz & Watson	$54,147	$26.03	4
   3	PepsiCo	$53,787	$25.86
   4	Dairy Farmers of America	$53,424	$25.68	16
   5	Prairie Farms Dairy	$53,224	$25.59	6
   6	Airgas	$53,022	$25.49
   7	Safety-Kleen	$51,656	$24.83
   8	Clean Harbors	$50,372	$24.22	17
   9	Auto-Chlor Services	$49,390	$23.75
   10	HCSC	$49,195	$23.65	4
   11	The Next Level	$48,494	$23.31
   12	Virginia Linen Service	$47,838	$23.00	1
   13	Schwan's	$46,945	$22.57	49
   14	ICEE	$46,354	$22.29	3
   15	Farmer Brothers	$45,482	$21.87	35
   16	Saf -Gard Safety Shoe	$45,352	$21.80	1
   17	AmeriPride Services	$45,279	$21.77
   18	Alpha Baking Co.	$45,216	$21.74	6
   19	Aramark	$44,388	$21.34	87
   20	Packard Culligan Water	$44,289	$21.29	16

4. Writing a route sales driver job description

   A route sales driver 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 route sales driver job description:

   Route sales driver job description example

   Admiral Beverage believes in investing in its people, business partners, and communities, to continually grow and offer the best products and services in the region. With the strength of a large company combined with a small-town, friendly, family-driven mindset; we are here to grow with you. Admiral offers: competitive wages, a full-scale benefit program including health, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) and retirement programs, paid leave and holidays, and much, much more!
   
   Current Admiral Beverage Employees (excluding Contractors): Please apply via your internal Workday Account.
   Job Description
   
   Primary Location:
   Rawlins, Wyoming
   
   Candy Route Sales: Sells candy vending machine placements to retail food stores, wholesale grocers, restaurants, hotels, businesses, or institutions and stocks these vendors with products. Loads and unloads materials onto or from trucks, pallets, trays, racks, and shelves by hand, forklift, hand truck and/or electric pallet jack, as appropriate.
   
   Calls on prospective customers to solicit new business. Prepares order forms and sales contracts.Drives truck to deliver beverage product to customer's place of business in highway, rural and city street conditions in compliance with federal and state regulations.
   Works without direct supervision, effectively resolves customer complaints and presents effective sales presentations.Quotes prices and credit terms and coordinates sales contracts for orders obtained.Places stock on shelves or racks and ensures venders are clean, properly labeled and fresh.Informs regular customers of new products or services.Sets up merchandise and sales promotion displays or issues sales promotion materials to customers.Collects or picks up empty containers and rejected or unsold merchandise.Estimates date of delivery to customer, based on knowledge of own firm's production and delivery schedules.Operates computerized inventory and invoicing system.Issues or obtains customer signature on receipt for pickup or delivery.Prepares and maintains current reports of business transactions.Promotes and cultivates good customer relationships through professional, courteous, and quality service.Collects money from vendors and balances truck inventory and cash collected.Keeps assigned company vehicle clean and performs daily inspection and routine fluid, air, and oil maintenance and record keeping procedures.Wears and utilizes appropriate safety equipment.Wears Company provided uniform and presents a professional image to customers and the work place.Other duties may be assigned by the immediate supervisor or other supervisor at any time.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right route sales driver for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting route sales 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.

   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 route sales driver

   Once you have selected a candidate for the route sales 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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How much does it cost to hire a route sales driver?