Finding work you enjoy isn’t always easy, and changing trends make it hard to know the best job to choose.
Couriers have long been used by businesses like law offices, banks, and even hospitals. Now, transitions like increased online shopping have made being a courier an attractive and more available option. Local and larger companies often rely on self-employed delivery drivers to get their goods out to customers.
So being a courier seems more viable than ever. If you’re considering being a delivery driver, here are eight reasons to love it.
1. Couriers Don’t Sit Behind a Desk All Day
If you’re the kind of person who likes to stay active, then being a courier driver fits the bill. Get away from a boring desk job, be outside, and be constantly active with pickup and delivery stops getting you out of the vehicle and moving around. You’ll get out of the office rat-race and won’t take the stress of your job home with you. When your deliveries are complete, you’ll feel the satisfaction of a job well done.
If you’ve watched The Office, you can imagine how bad it would be to sit beside Dwight, day in and day out. Instead, work on your own without anyone getting on your nerves. And as a bonus, you get lots of exercise as you’ll be walking, carrying and lifting parcels. Sure, you have to find a bathroom on your route, but that’s a minor inconvenience compared to a boring office job that could soon be defunct or a co-worker that’s a pain in the butt. Who wants to share the workplace bathroom with an annoying colleague anyway?
2. There’s A Demand For Delivery Drivers
The need for delivery drivers continues to grow, in the city, suburban and rural areas. While businesses in cities have always used couriers, there is more and more need for delivery to residential areas.
The trend to online shopping has grown, as many people prefer it to in-person shopping. In the last year, in particular, health concerns have meant more people choosing to shop from the safety of home. Some customers like the greater selection online. And with work-from-home arrangements growing, there are businesses that need couriers to make deliveries to workers in suburban and residential areas.
Best of all, you don’t need a degree, diploma, special training or education to get started, or to get ahead. You just need a driver’s licence and a vehicle.
3. Be Your Own Boss As A Courier
Here’s the deal with driving for a living: you don’t answer to anybody. Sure, customer service is important. But if you’re self-employed, there’s nobody to tell you what to do. Even if you do work for a company, you won’t have your boss breathing over your shoulder all day long.
Go for lunch when you’re hungry, stop for a nap in downtime, drive when you want. You can exercise right in your truck (yep, there are even yoga tips for drivers) whenever you feel like it. Being your own boss has its perks.
You also don’t have to rely on anyone else to be successful, unlike an office setting where teamwork means you get stuck with a deadbeat co-worker.
You don’t have to listen to watercooler gossip or get sucked into office drama.
You don’t have to sit through endless meetings. And to some extent, you can set your own hours, as long as you meet your delivery times. If you’re a good driver who plans a good route, your workday can even be over early, so you can get together with friends or pick the kids up at school.
4. Meet Lots of People Who Are (Mostly) Happy to See You
One of the benefits of being a courier is having lots of variety in the people you get to meet. You won’t be stuck sitting next to the same aggravating employee day after day, or listening to endless coffee room banter. And while there are troublesome customers in any line of work, you don’t deal with them every day, all day long.
Once you’ve left their doorstep, you leave them behind, too. Usually, people are happy to see you because you’ve delivered that parcel they’ve been eagerly expecting.
5. Explore the City or Area
You also get lots of variety in the scenery you get to explore, whether you have a city route, or you drive in suburban, residential or rural areas. Chances are, there will always be new addresses on the packages you have to deliver, adding to the diversity of your day.
As long as you have an accurate route-planning app, you can plug in your destination and simply sit back and enjoy the drive.
6. You Get To Drive. A Lot.
If you really like to drive, being a courier is a dream job. Some people just love the feeling of being behind the wheel.
There’s that variety of scenery and experiences. There’s the opportunity to listen to the radio, or podcasts, or whatever you choose. Roll down the window and enjoy the fresh air, if that’s your thing. And whether or not you’re an introvert, some people just like being alone, rather than working in a group setting.
And, instead of making a long (unpaid) commute driving to and from work every day, as soon as you leave home you make money while you’re driving.
7. All You Really Need is a Reliable Vehicle
To start your self-employment career, you don’t need to rent an office, buy a desk and computer, or spend money on other start-up costs and ongoing overhead expenses. You can run your business from home. Sure, you need to find customers, but to be successful, your first and only priority is a reliable vehicle. It doesn’t have to be a van, either.
Your second priority is a tool that helps you find your delivery destinations. It should also plan your routes to decrease time spent on the road, avoiding traffic and eliminating backtracking, for instance, which saves you time and money in the long run.
Chances are you already have a smartphone, so you can download Circuit Route Planner and use it free for routes up to 10 stops. Or, for only $20 per month, you can use it to optimize unlimited routes of up to 500 stops. That’ll get you to quitting time even sooner.
8. You Don’t Have to Do It Full-Time
Maybe you already have a job that you enjoy, but it’s seasonal, part-time, or has downtimes, and you’d like to pick up some extra work. Maybe your job involves shift work and you have stretches of days off that you could use to make some extra cash.
A courier doesn’t have to be a full-time job if that isn’t what you want. You can start a courier business while you’re at your current job, and eventually move to full-time when (and if) you want. You could work as much or as little as you like.
Reasons to Love Being a Courier: Driving It Home
Finding a way to make a good living while still enjoying your work isn’t as easy as it sounds. Some people can’t imagine sitting behind a desk every day or dealing with irritating co-workers or a boss that makes work even less enjoyable.
That’s why being a courier can be a great way to make a living. If you like driving, variety, and staying active, then becoming a delivery driver is an excellent option, either part-time or full-time. With recent trends in online shopping and more people working from home, it looks like demand for good couriers will only continue. Once you get started, you’ll find your own reasons to love your work as a courier.
If you’re considering becoming a courier, get a free trial of Circuit Route Planner now and save over an hour each day.