U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration https://www.onetonline.org 12m 2,926 #insights
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Drive truck or other vehicle over established routes or within an established territory and sell or deliver goods, such as food products, including restaurant take-out items, or pick up or deliver items such as commercial laundry. May also take orders, collect payment, or stock merchandise at point of delivery.
Sample of reported job titles:
Delivery Man, Driver, Driver Salesman, Pizza Delivery Driver, Route Delivery Driver, Route Driver, Route Sales Driver, Route Sales Representative, Route Salesman, Sales Route Driver
Tasks
Drive trucks to deliver such items as food, medical supplies, or newspapers.
Inform regular customers of new products or services and price changes.
Record sales or delivery information on daily sales or delivery record.
Listen to and resolve customers’ complaints regarding products or services.
Collect money from customers, make change, and record transactions on customer receipts.
Maintain trucks and food-dispensing equipment and clean inside of machines that dispense food or beverages.
Arrange merchandise and sales promotion displays or issue sales promotion materials to customers.
Collect coins from vending machines, refill machines, and remove aged merchandise.
Write customer orders and sales contracts according to company guidelines.
Review lists of dealers, customers, or station drops and load trucks.
Call on prospective customers to explain company services or to solicit new business.
Sell food specialties, such as sandwiches and beverages, to office workers and patrons of sports events.
Technology Skills
Communications server software — IBM Domino
Data base user interface and query software — MobiTech Systems Route Sales Trakker; Regulussoft Route Accounting; Soft Essentials Vending Essentials
Inventory management software — Computer Directions Route Sales Tracker
Map creation software — GEOCOMtms A.Maze Planning; Route planning software
- Office suite software — Microsoft Office
Project management software — bMobile Technology Route Manager; bMobile Technology Sales
- Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel
Hot Technologies are requirements frequently included in employer job postings.
Work Activities
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment — Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Detailed Work Activities
Operate vehicles or material-moving equipment.
Sell products or services.
Collect payments for goods or services.
Provide transportation information to passengers or customers.
Record sales or transactions data.
Record details of deliveries or shipments.
Resolve issues affecting transportation operations.
Clean machinery or equipment.
Collect fares or payment from customers.
Maintain vehicles in good working condition.
Load shipments, belongings, or materials.
Review customer information.
Work Context
Outdoors, Exposed to Weather — 100% responded “Every day.”
Time Pressure — 92% responded “Every day.”
Very Hot or Cold Temperatures — 82% responded “Every day.”
Face-to-Face Discussions — 77% responded “Every day.”
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — 76% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
Duration of Typical Work Week — 81% responded “More than 40 hours.”
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks — 76% responded “Extremely important.”
Deal With External Customers
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — 64% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 23% responded “Important.”
Spend Time Bending or Twisting the Body — 59% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Equipment — 78% responded “Every day.”
Structured versus Unstructured Work — 29% responded “A lot of freedom.”
Spend Time Walking and Running — 24% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting — 56% responded “Every day.”
Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable — 14% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 35% responded “Very important results.”
Frequency of Decision Making — 39% responded “Every day.”
Spend Time Standing — 18% responded “More than half the time.”
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets — 27% responded “Never.”
Exposed to Contaminants — 40% responded “Every day.”
Freedom to Make Decisions — 43% responded “A lot of freedom.”
Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance — 26% responded “About half the time.”
Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People — 19% responded “Every day.”
Responsible for Others’ Health and Safety — 30% responded “Very high responsibility.”
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling — 18% responded “Less than half the time.”
Work With Work Group or Team
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Consequence of Error — 32% responded “Extremely serious.”
Letters and Memos — 28% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
Level of Competition — 21% responded “Extremely competitive.”
Job Zone
- Title
- Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
- Related Experience
- Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
- Job Training
- Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
- Job Zone Examples
- These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, tellers, and dental laboratory technicians.
- SVP Range
- 3 months to 1 year of preparation (4.0 to < 6.0)
Training & Credentials
- State training
- Local training
- Certifications
- State licenses
- Apprenticeships
- Have a career path or location in mind? Visit Apprenticeship.gov
external site to find apprenticeship opportunities near you.
Skills
Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Time Management — Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Knowledge
Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Food Production — Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Transportation — Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Public Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Education
How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:
- High school diploma or equivalent required for some jobsmore info
- Less than high school diploma required for some jobs
Abilities
Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.
Finger Dexterity — The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Static Strength — The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Trunk Strength — The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without “giving out” or fatiguing.
Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Interests
Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Enterprising — Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Work Values
Support — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Work Styles
Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Self-Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Independence — Job requires developing one’s own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others’ needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Social Orientation — Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Innovation — Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Wages & Employment Trends
- Median wages (2021)
- $14.08 hourly, $29,280 annual
- State wages
- Local wages
- Employment (2020)
- 458,200 employees
- Projected growth (2020-2030)
Much faster than average (15% or higher)- Projected job openings (2020-2030)
- 62,500
- State trends
- Top industries (2020)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2021 wage data
external site and 2020-2030 employment projections
external site.
“Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2020-2030). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.
Job Openings on the Web
- State job openings
- Local job openings
Sources of Additional Information
Disclaimer:
Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries.
Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.
Actively assisted with the O*NET data collection, helping to identify occupational experts who can be surveyed about their work in the occupation.
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