JOB THAT REALLY DELIVERS
Put your career in the driver’s seat. Cara Jenkin reports
SWAPPING a dead-end white collar career for a growing blue collar job does not have to mean four years of retraining or climbing up and down a building site.
Demand for drivers continues to outpace other often more favoured career choices, such as web developers, bricklayers, solicitors and special education teachers.
The Employment Department forecasts 4900 more workers to be employed nationally by May, 2022.
Employment Department data shows 2500 more jobs for delivery drivers, up 5.3 per cent, and 2400 more jobs for couriers and postal deliverers, up 6.3 per cent, to bring the total workforce to 89,900 in the next five years.
It is a job that provides lifestyle as well as great working conditions, says Ontime Delivery Solutions ownerdriver Peter James.
James, a qualified accountant, was working as a bank manager when a restructure caused his role to be made redundant in 1993.
He scouted newspaper advertisements for a new position and applied to the national specialist delivery transport firm and is still in his role 24 years later.
“While I am a qualified accountant, I was looking for something different,” James says.
“I did some odd jobs for a while before seeing the opportunity to become an owner-driver.
“I wanted a job which was permanent, and allowed me to pick up the kids every day.
“Family-friendly hours were the main thing, and Ontime told me this was possible as an owner-driver.”
He did not own a delivery vehicle but once he secured the job, he purchased his van.
“Because I had previously taken a redundancy I was able to arrange good finance terms,” he says.
“My accounting experience tells me that it’s best to have some money behind you before taking the leap into owner-driving – ideally you would cover half the cost of the vehicle.
“Otherwise, you are working hard just to pay off the vehicle, and you never know when you may need to undergo repairs.”
He has a regular start and finish time each day, and works 38 hours a week, but can do more work if he wants to.
“I could earn more as an accountant, working longer hours stuck behind a desk, but I don’t want to sit behind a desk any more,” James says.
“Being with Ontime also allows me the ability to take a month off, which is not always easy with delivery driver work. Ontime will cover me, putting in a replacement driver.”
He says it is important to plan ahead if considering a career change.
“You need to be careful not to be starting with nothing, to avoid owing 100 per cent of the vehicle’s value,” he says. “It’s ideal for people who already have a little bit behind them and want to do something reliable.
“Your ability to do well in this industry and enjoy the work comes down to work ethic and attitude.”