After ten years as a stay-at-home-mom, I wanted to ease my way back into the workforce. I spoke with a woman at a Halloween party about a job she used to have as a seasonal driver for UPS where she delivered packages out of her own car. For some reason I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It would be short-term, it would provide extra cash around the holidays, it would be active and keep me moving, I’m super organized, and I love to drive. It kind of sounded perfect for me, so I applied and quickly became a SSD (seasonal support driver). It didn’t take long to learn that while it’s not a hard job, it is tedious, time-consuming, and exhausting. I have definitely acquired a newfound appreciation for those drivers out there, no matter what form they come in.
Read ahead for some easy tips to help out your drivers be more efficient and get your packages to the correct doorstep on time.
- Whether you’re shipping something to yourself or someone else, please enter as much information as possible. We only need the address, but a name is still helpful. Also, if there is a gate, PLEASE include the code. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to get you your packages, but not being able to get into your neighborhood or driveway.
- If you have a gate to your actual driveway and you don’t want to include a code, I’ve seen bins or pool boxes outside the gate for delivery drop-off. This is extremely helpful as we don’t feel like we are leaving your boxes exposed outside the gate for potential porch pirates or to get ruined by natural elements.
- During the busy holiday season, delivery drivers may show up as many things: DHL van, UPS truck, FedEx truck, Amazon van, USPS truck, UHaul/Penske truck, or personal vehicle. And the people coming up to your door may be dressed in official company clothes or their plain clothes. Be cautious of strangers, but don’t assume we’re bad, especially if we’re holding a box and walking TOWARDS your door.
- If you have dogs that like to go above and beyond to protect their property, please keep them inside or fenced in. The last thing we want is to get attacked by a dog. Some homes I deliver to are secluded in the woods, so if no one is home and a dog attacks me, I have no one to help me.
- Have your address posted very clearly. Place the number on both sides of the mailbox. I have bypassed so many houses because the address was only listed on the other side of the box from the way I was approaching. Having it posted on your home is helpful too if a row of mailboxes are clumped together and the corresponding homes are scattered behind them. If you live very off-road, have the number in additional places so the driver knows the way to your house. Just make it obvious please. I’ve reached driveways that I think are just that — a driveway to a house in front of me — when in reality, it’s actually a road that continues behind seen house and continues up a hill half a mile to another completely hidden house. If you want your packages, help us deliver them to you. I can’t fit a box into your mailbox, so I need to know which house is actually yours.
- Illuminate your address. Deliveries happen well into the evening. Once it’s dark, it is extremely hard to see addresses unless a spotlight is shining on them or they have reflective numbers on the mailbox. Keep your address viewable at all hours.
- If you feel so inclined, put out a little basket of goodies for your drivers. The day feels like a ridiculous marathon that includes driving in circles when we get lost and sometimes going back to the beginning several times to get more boxes. We’re just trying to cross the finish line (aka last package). A water or mini bag of chips along the way fuels us up and makes the day a little brighter.
