WORK REALLY DELIVERS
This job will take you places, writes Cara Jenkin
IT is the job most Australians already are licensed for that also allows them to choose their own hours and not be stuck in an office. Employers of courier drivers are craving more workers to meet demand for deliveries ranging from small personal packages to large construction materials.
Aceit Couriers managing director Darren Geddie says the sector has experienced growth in the past four years but it has been hard to source drivers to do the work.
“Because you need a vehicle, that’s one aspect of it,” he says. “In the old days, drivers would work Monday to Friday, and work a certain number of hours, but now it’s nonrestrictive, you can work the number of hours you want – it’s your own business.
“It’s similar to what Uber has done, in some aspects.”
Job Outlook reports minimal growth in the national workforce in the five years to May, 2023, but job openings in the same period – created through turnover and retirement –
are substantial, at 28,000 of the 44,000 people now employed.
Geddie also predicts it is not a job that can be automated any time soon.
“You’ll always need someone to pick it up and do manual handling – unless they get really clever, and have robots to drive the car and take the parcel out,” he says.
Couriers receive training such as in manual handling and customer service when they are employed.
Allied Express managing director Michelle McDowell says it is a great career for “someone who doesn’t like sitting still”.
“If I could get double the drivers we have, that would be fantastic,” she says. Both companies report staff turnover but also have drivers pursuing long-term careers in the role.
Couriers can use one of myriad vehicles for deliveries, ranging from a bicycle to a semi-trailer.
While they need to purchase their own vehicle, and work as subcontractors for most companies, they can get guidance and support from their employer.
SEEK reports the average advertised salary for couriers is $59,256 but Geddie says some can earn up to $2000 a week.