How to screen a delivery driver

Must-haves to check first

Decide these before you advertise. Keep the list short - every extra requirement narrows your pool.

• Full UK (or accepted) driving licence - category B covers vans up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (up to 4,250kg for some alternative-fuel vans) Possible knock-out
• Points within your insurer's limit Possible knock-out
• For owner-driver roles: own vehicle with hire-and-reward (courier) insurance - business-use cover does not cover carrying goods for payment - and goods-in-transit cover if you require it Nice to have

7 questions to ask every delivery driver applicant

Ask everyone the same core questions, in the same order, and follow up where their CV leaves a gap. That's what makes a screen fair and comparable.

1. How long have you held a full driving licence, and do you have any points?Listen for: Meets your insurer's rules. Ask for the exact number of points.
2. Have you driven a van before? What size?Listen for: Experience with similar vehicles, or confidence to learn.
3. How many drops a day did you do in your last role?Listen for: Realistic numbers for multi-drop. Useful for comparing experience.
4. How do you plan a route if the app or sat nav fails?Listen for: A back-up plan and local knowledge.
5. What would you do if a customer is not in and there is nowhere safe to leave a parcel?Listen for: Follows the process - neighbour, card, return - and does not leave it unsafely.
6. Which days and hours can you work, including peak season?Listen for: Clear availability.
7. How would you deal with a customer who is angry about a late delivery?Listen for: Calm, apologetic, solution-focused.

What not to ask

And for every role, avoid asking about:

• Age or date of birth - unless the law sets a minimum age for the task
• Health, sickness record or disability before a job offer (Equality Act 2010, section 60). The narrow exceptions include asking about adjustments for the recruitment process, and whether someone can carry out a task that is intrinsic to the job - ask about the task, not the condition
• Pregnancy, children, childcare or plans to start a family
• Nationality or "where are you from?" - instead, ask every applicant whether they have the right to work in the UK, and check documents before they start
• Religion, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, or gender reassignment

More on this in AI screening and UK law.

Screening delivery drivers at volume

If you get more delivery drivers applicants than your team can phone, the questions above are only fair if everyone gets asked them. BeCareers asks every applicant about your must-haves and these questions in a short conversation - in their own language, at any time of day - and gives you the transcript and a summary. You decide who to interview.

See also: AI screening for warehouse & logistics.