The days when people walked (or drove) to shops are gone. Except of groceries, we tend to buy everything online. And we need someone to deliver the goods to our doorsteps. Considering the trends in eCommerce and in business in general, career of a delivery driver will remain on the rise. You will find many job openings for drivers on all major job boards, and now we will look at the questions you may face in your interview.
But before we start, here’s good news: Transport and delivery companies struggle to hire enough drivers. You won’t face tough competition in your interview, and often they will pray that you do well, that you give them good interview answers, simply because they need good new drivers–and they do not have enough applicants. Let’s have a look at the questions.
Table of Contents
Why do you want to work as a delivery driver?
Try to show some enthusiasm. They shouldn’t get an impression that this job is your last choice, or a temporary solution–until you manage to find a better one. You can say that you enjoy driving and talking to all kinds of people (because that’s what drivers typically do).
But you can also emphasize your strong communication and customer service skills, saying that you believe yo have an excellent personality for this job.
How do you imagine a typical day in work?
In a good answer to this question you should show two things:
- That you expect to be busy, and often work long hours.
- That you like to be organized in whatever you do.
Tell them that you imagine to have a route plan for each day, going through certain streets, areas, or cities (depending on your delivery area), calling the customers and delivering the goods to their doors. You can even say that you plan to call all customers in the morning, ensuring about their location during the day, in order to plan your routes more effectively.
Say that you understand that at some days you won’t manage to deliver all goods until 4pm, and may work overtime.
* May also interest you: Taxi Driver interview questions.
How would you describe an excellent customer service?
Try to refer to the job of a delivery driver. In this case, an excellent customer service (at least in my view) consists in notifying the customer in advance about your expected time of arrival (by a call or by a message), staying polite and friendly in your communication–regardless of their reaction, carrying parcels right to their doors whenever possible (and not asking them to find you on a parking lot or to go downstairs to pick the stuff), and so on.
Ensure the interviewers that you understand an impact your daily conduct in work can have on their brand, and that you would always try your best to deliver an excellent customer service.
How do you feel about working on weekends?
If they ask about working on weekends (or in the night), you can be almost certain that such shifts belong to the job–at least once or twice a month. Try to show some collegiality. When you go to work on Saturday it means that some of your colleagues can stay at home, and it is simply fair do distribute the shifts evenly.
Ensure the employer that you read the job description carefully, and count with a Saturday shift here and there…
* Special Tip: You can also download the list of questions in a simple, one page long PDF, and practice your interview answers anytime later:
Tell us more about your driving experiences.
Tell them that you have a lot of experience with driving in high traffic, in big cities, in suburb areas. You can again stress your love for driving. Say that you never had an accident–if true, of course. And if you had one (they would find out anyway), explain that you learned your lesson, and that the experience made you a more responsible driver.
You can also tell them how many miles/kilometers you’ve spent behind the driving wheel in your life (especially if it is a big number, at least 50,000). They should get the impression that you are confident about your driving skills, that they can entrust you with the parcels for their customers.
* Do not forget to check: Amazon Delivery Driver interview questions.
What are your salary expectations?
This is a tricky question because most delivery companies pay their drivers based on the number of parcels delivered (you’ll get a few bucks, or just $1 or even less for each parcel delivered), and in many cases you’ll have to pay for fuel, or even use your own car (all of that results in a growth of your expenses, which indirectly lowers the amount of money you can realistically make each month).
This information may or may not be advertised on their job description. Read it carefully to see for yourself.
Anyway, you can say that you understand your daily or monthly income will fluctuate. You can also say that you believe that once you get the groove on the job, and become more effective in your route planning and in communication with the customers, you’ll be able to earn more.
Another, rather unorthodox approach to this question, is saying that things aren’t entirely clear from the job description, and that you prefer the employer to explain how it works with the salary, bonuses, and with everything related to it.
In the current state of affairs (delivery companies struggle to find enough drivers), you can definitely afford to go with such an answer. You can even ask them for an average figure their existing drivers earn per month (they may not share it with you, but you cannot lose anything by asking the question).
Why should we hire you as a driver?
You may face this one when applying for a job with one of the most popular companies and retail giants, such as Amazon or Home Depot for example. You have two ways of making a great impression. First one is focusing on your strengths. Say them that you are a super responsible driver, that this opportunity means a lot to you, and that you can bring onboard a level of enthusiasm and motivation other job candidates can hardly offer.
Second option is betting on humility. In this case, you say that you believe to have what it takes to become a great delivery driver. At the same time though, you know that you have some weaknesses you have to improve on, and lack experience. Perhaps some of the other job candidates are even more qualified for the job than you are. And you certainly wish them the best. At the same time though, you are eager to learn and do well, and hope that they will hire you and give you a chance to prove your words.
Some other questions you may face in your delivery driver interview
- Have you ever had a car accident? If you have had one, please describe the details.
- How long do you want to have this job?
- Where do you see yourself in five years time?
- Why do you want to work for us, and not for another delivery company (almost all of them advertise job openings for drivers right now)?
- What do you consider the toughest aspect of this job?
- How would you deal with an angry customer?
- Do you have any preference when it comes to the area of delivery?
- Imagine that a customer takes a parcel but refuses to pay. What would you do?
- Imagine that you have a parcel for the customer, they have to pay for it, but claim that they did not order anything. What would you do in such a situation?
- When are you able to start?
- Do you have any questions?
Conclusion and next steps
Interview for a job of a delivery driver belongs to easier interviews–especially because companies struggle to hire enough new drivers–which makes your position stronger.
However, you should still read the job description carefully and prepare for the questions, because if you end up replying their questions with silence (not knowing what to say), they won’t hire you.
Read the questions from our article once again, and practice your interview answers. Come in with right mindset, and show some enthusiasm for the job of a delivery driver. If you do that, you should succeed. We wish you good luck!
May also interest you:
- Truck driver interview questions – Another interesting job for people who love to drive–especially long distances.
- School Bus Driver interview questions.
- Uber interview questions.
