Couriers and delivery drivers play an important role in delivering mail and packages to people all over the UK. Particularly in the last couple of years, there’s been a dramatic increase in the demand for couriers and drivers who can help people get their deliveries in a timely manner.
All kinds of industries rely on courier services, from construction and manufacturing to pharmaceuticals and law. There has been a 239.8 per cent increase in the number of delivery driver job ads posted in the last year, and there are over 32,000 vacancies that need to be filled.
Are you thinking about working as a delivery driver or courier in the UK? If so, read on to learn everything you need to know about how to find a delivery driver job in the UK.
How Much Money Do Couriers or Delivery Drivers Make in the UK?
According to the article linked above, the average person working in a courier job in the UK earns £25,958 per year. However, there are a lot of variables when it comes to salaries for delivery drivers and couriers depending on the type of work you do and the specific industry you work in.
The table below provides more insight into how much you can earn working in a courier job in the UK:
Types of Couriers | Job Description | Average Salary |
Standard Courier Services | Standard couriers pick up deliveries and transport them to their intended recipient, typically within a few days of the delivery being placed. | £30,100 per year |
Same-Day Courier | Same-day couriers are responsible for making deliveries the same day they’ve been ordered. | £37,500 per year |
Overnight Couriers | Overnight couriers are responsible for making deliveries within one business day of the order being placed. | £21,137 per year |
Warehouse Courier Services | Warehouse couriers are responsible for picking up deliveries from the warehouse and transporting them to their final destination. | £21,500 per year |
Medical Courier Services | Medical couriers handle deliveries to hospitals and medical clinics. | £20,085 per year |
Pharmaceutical Courier Services | Pharmaceutical courier services handle deliveries to and from pharmacies throughout the country. | £38,465 per year |
Who Uses Courier Services?
The demand for courier and delivery services stretches across many industries and businesses. The following are some of the most noteworthy ones:
Hospitals and Clinics
Hospitals, clinics, and other businesses in the healthcare industry frequently rely on medical courier services to help them transport time-sensitive documents (lab results, medical samples, etc.), as well as medical supplies and equipment. In some cases, they even transport organs from one hospital to another!
Hospitals and clinics need to work with couriers that have a reputation for handling delicate deliveries with care. Medical couriers must also be fast since most medical deliveries are highly time-sensitive.
Pharmaceutical Companies
Businesses in the pharmaceutical industry also rely on couriers to assist with time-sensitive deliveries, including medication deliveries.
Pharmaceutical couriers must abide by strict and sometimes complex guidelines. They must also provide accurate and transparent deliveries to ensure that all clients get their packages on time.
Universities and Schools
Many primary schools, secondary schools, and universities work with couriers to ensure packages and important documents are delivered on time.
Courier services ensure students meet deadlines for transcript and application deliveries. They also handle the transportation and delivery of sensitive financial documents, including those related to tuition and scholarships.
Printing Companies
Lots of printing companies require help from delivery drivers and couriers to take care of last-minute orders. Courier services guarantee that shipments will make it to their destination on time and safely, so they’re great for assisting clients who place rush orders.
With the help of courier services, printing companies can provide customers with a better experience, and they may even generate more leads because they get positive responses. This allows for higher revenues and more long-term success.
Legal Offices
Law firms regularly partner with professional courier services to help them transport case reports, serve papers, and even deliver evidence so it can be examined. Law firms must abide by strict deadlines for their deliveries, so they often work with same-day couriers and overnight couriers to ensure everything gets done on time.
Accounting Offices
Accounting offices utilize courier services so they can obtain and send important and confidential tax forms, payroll forms, and audits with ease. The best courier services (especially same-day couriers and overnight couriers) will deliver documents promptly while also keeping information confidential.
Estate Agents
Estate agents often have to send and receive important documents, typically within a few hours. These quick turnaround times make all the difference for current and prospective homeowners.
By working with a reliable courier service, estate agents and their teams can ensure sensitive documents get delivered on time. This helps them to retain clients and build their businesses faster.
Manufacturing Companies
Manufacturing companies and warehouse managers regularly rely on courier services, too.
These companies need to get their deliveries shipped out and dropped off in the quickest way possible, and couriers can help them to make this happen. When deliveries are made fast and on time, it’s easier for manufacturers and warehouse managers to better meet their customers’ needs and maintain strong relationships.
E-Commerce Companies
E-commerce companies also use couriers and delivery drivers to help them deliver orders to customers on time.
These days, more businesses are offering online ordering and delivery services than ever before. As a result, there’s a growing demand for couriers throughout the UK (and the world, for that matter).
When e-commerce companies work with a great courier, it’s easier for them to build their business and provide a higher level of customer service.
What Do I Need to Be a Courier or Delivery Driver in the UK?
If you want to have a delivery driver job in the UK, you’ll need to make sure you have the right skills. Outlined below are the minimum requirements that everyone needs to meet if you want to make money as a courier:
Up-to-Date Driver’s Licence
The most important thing for a potential courier is a license. If you don’t have a license yet, you’ll need to take the following steps to obtain one as quickly as possible:
Check the Date
If you received your licence after January 1, 1997, you’re only allowed legally to drive vehicles that weigh up to 3.5 tonnes. If you received your licence before January 1, 1997, you are allowed to drive vehicles that weigh up to 7.5 tonnes without applying for a separate C1 licence.
Earn a C1 Licence (if Necessary)
If the date on which you earned your licence precludes you from driving a heavier vehicle, such as a delivery van, you’ll need to obtain some extra training to earn your C1 licence.
To earn a C1 license, you must first be at least 18 years old. You’ll need to pass a series of medical, theoretical, and practical tests, too.
The practical aspect of the test involves 5 parts:
- Eyesight checks
- General driving ability checks
- Reversing vehicle checks
- Answering a series of vehicle safety questions
- Independent driving checks
In most cases, this test takes about 40 minutes to complete.
Clean Driving Record
A clean driving record is needed for you to land a job as a courier driver in the UK, too. If you have been in many vehicle accidents, or if you’ve received a lot of driving penalties or fines, you might have a hard time getting hired.
Courier services might not want to risk hiring someone who could get in accidents on the job or damage their reputation, so there’s a chance they’ll pass over your application and select someone else’s instead.
Basic English and Maths Skills
To pass the C1 driving test and to work as a courier in the UK, you’ll need to possess basic English and maths skills. This includes being able to read and interpret instructions and directions, calculating the amount of time it takes to get from one place to the next, etc.
Good Communication Skills
Good communication skills are important for couriers and delivery drivers, too.
Couriers don’t need to do a ton of communicating with clients. However, they still need to take direction from managers and supervisors, provide information to customers, and engage with their colleagues.
If you struggle with this type of communication, now is a good time to start practicing. These skills can help you to stand out from other applicants and, after you get hired, qualify for raises and promotions sooner.
Ability to Lift Heavy Weights
Couriers often have to lift moderately heavy (and sometimes very heavy) packages when they’re making deliveries.
If you aren’t able to comfortably and safely lift up to 30kg or so, you may be disqualified from certain courier positions, particularly those that require a lot of heavier deliveries. This doesn’t mean you can’t work as a courier at all, but you may need to look for positions that don’t involve as many heavy packages.
Ability to Drive for Long Periods
Couriers spend a lot of time on the road, especially when they work full-time. They get in and out of the van to drop off packages, but they’re still sitting inside for the majority of the time.
If you aren’t able to sit in a vehicle for hours at a time and drive from place to place, you may struggle to work as a courier long-term. Be sure to factor this in when you’re deciding whether or not a career as a courier is a good fit for you.
How to Find Work as a Courier or Delivery Driver in the UK
If you want to find a courier job in the UK but aren’t sure where to look, a good starting point is to consider whether you want to work as a self-employed courier or get hired by a delivery driver company.
Whichever route you choose, broken down below are the steps you’ll need to take to find a delivery driver job in the UK:
Self-Employed Courier Jobs
If you work in a self-employed courier job in the UK, you can often earn more money than you can when you’re employed by another delivery service. If you want to work as a self-employed courier, you’ll need to do the following to build up your clientele and earn a good living:
Get a Vehicle
As a self-employed courier, you’ll need your own van or another type of delivery vehicle. If you don’t already have access to a van, you’ll need to find one that you can buy or rent at an affordable price.
When determining what you can afford, keep in mind that you’ll also need to factor insurance costs, fuel costs, and repair costs into the total price of the van. This will save you from running into unpleasant surprises later.
Determine Your Rates
How much are you going to charge for your courier services?
Use the table above that breaks down average courier salaries as a starting point. Then, figure out what you’ll need to charge for deliveries (and how many deliveries you’ll need to make per day/week) to earn somewhere near that amount.
Keep in mind that you may need to charge lower-than-average prices at the beginning as you work to build your clientele. If your prices are too low, though, you’ll have a hard time making ends meet.
Advertise Your Services
Next, your job is to advertise your services and get people interested in working with you.
There’s a high demand for couriers and delivery drivers in the UK right now, so you’ll likely have an easy time attracting clients. Don’t be discouraged if it takes a while to build up a consistent client list, though.
Factor in Taxes and Insurance Costs
Make sure you’re subtracting a portion of your income to cover taxes, the cost of insurance, and other expenses related to running a courier business. This saves you from facing government penalties or unexpected fees later.
Build Your Business
It takes time to build a successful courier business and earn a good living as a delivery driver. It’s okay if you work for a few months (or even longer) before you start earning a consistent income.
Be patient, continue promoting your services, and be willing to accept feedback from other professionals along the way. This will help you become a better courier and attract more clients in the future.
Get Hired by a Courier in the UK
If you want to be employed by an established company and land a delivery driver job in the UK, you’ll need to take a slightly different path. Here are the steps you’ll take to get hired by a courier company:
Look for Jobs in the Right Places
There are lots of online platforms you can use to look for courier jobs in the UK. One of the best ones to utilize, though, is GrabJobs.
GrabJobs is an easy-to-use platform that lets you narrow down your job search based on a variety of factors, including salary, part-time vs full-time, experience requirements, and more. If you want to work as a courier but have specific needs that must be met, GrabJobs helps you find a position that checks all your boxes.
Update Your Resume
Once you’ve made a shortlist of courier jobs that you want to apply for, set aside some time to update your resume. This will help you create a resume that is appealing to potential employers and shows off your skills and experience.
Be sure to proofread your resume, too, and ensure it’s free from spelling and grammatical errors. This will make a better impression on hiring managers and will increase your chances of landing an interview.
Nail Job Interviews
Speaking of interviews, be sure to practice before the big day arrives.
Rehearse your answers to questions like “Why do you want to work as a courier for our company?” and “Do you have any experience as a delivery driver?” This helps you to feel more confident when you step into the interview room and sets you up to make a better impression on the interviewer.
Start Delivering
After you’ve nailed the interview and get hired by a courier service, you’ll be ready to hit the road and start making deliveries.
There may be a brief training period where you partner with another driver to learn the basics. However, you’ll soon be on your own and making deliveries by yourself.
Over time, you can start handling more complex responsibilities, too, such as delivering delicate packages or earning your C2 licence so you can drive larger vehicles.
Find a Courier Job in the UK Today
Are you ready to find a delivery driver job in the UK? Whether you want to work as an overnight courier, a self-employed courier, or anything in between, the steps outlined above will help you establish yourself and make money as a courier.
If you need help finding courier positions in the UK, be sure to check out GrabJobs, too. Our easy-to-use search tool will help you find an opening that aligns with your needs and helps you earn a good living.
