Is being a delivery driver, lorry driver, courier a career-ending profession? Is it the sort of job where professional drivers have trouble moving out of the driving industry?

It is common knowledge that many delivery drivers and especially lorry drivers will work their job up until retirement. Yet, is this because such driving jobs are highly secure and often well paid? Or is it because drivers have a hard time finding other jobs? Here are a few things that ex-drivers do for a living.

This article assumes that each driver doesn’t simply move to another driving job. For example, many professional drivers move from deliveries and lorries into ambulance driving, taxi driving, and security van driving. These varieties of careers are not mentioned in this article. This article focuses on what drivers can do after they end their careers as drivers.

Working as Bouncers and Security Guards

It sounds a little cliche and perhaps prejudiced to say that lorry and delivery drivers become bouncers and security guards. It seems to perpetuate this myth that drivers are butch, hard-drinking, hard smoking, tattooed bruisers, but that is not why many drivers become security guards or bouncers.

If a driver has few qualifications, then jobs like security are ideal because they do not demand many qualifications. Security guards have to be trustworthy and sensible, which is also a job requirement for being a driver.

Also, drivers and security personnel need a certain type of mindset. They need to be comfortable being vigilant for hours and hours on end, which is what drivers do all the time. They have to concentrate for hours on the road, just like security people and bouncers have to concentrate for hours as they look for problems. Many of the elements that make for good drivers will also make for good security personnel.

Car, Van and Truck Sales

This is where two stereotypes clash. We think of car salespersons as slick, with tailor-made suits, shiny shoes and a power tie. We don’t think of drivers selling cars and vans. Be they lorry or courier drivers, the image doesn’t match up, but in fact, some drivers are very good salespeople.

It is easier to believe a long-time professional driver when they say this van will give you 180K miles before any serious components need replacing. Like with all jobs, there is a large degree of personality involved in the decision. Some people are not born salespeople, but older and seasoned drivers do make good and reliable vehicle salespeople. Again, this is another situation where qualifications are not a barrier to entry, so they are suitable for ex-drivers.

Amazon Warehouse Workers

This is probably a sign of the times, but many drivers decide to work for Amazon as a driver. The jobs are sometimes seasonal and often turn into full-time jobs for people who are good at driving. However, over a few months or years, the drivers get friendly with admin staff and warehouse workers. They discover that warehouse jobs are better paid, have better hours, and have more perks. They apply for jobs in the warehouses, and they get the jobs because of their previous history with Amazon.

There are many functions within the warehouses where drivers are preferred. Most operating jobs are done very well by drivers. There are lollops that drivers are often comfortable operating. This is another job where qualifications are not needed, and there is enough job variety to keep drivers interested and invested.

Similar things happen with major grocery stores. Now that groceries are delivered to people with vans, there are plenty of drivers who have migrated over to working in this capacity. They too are often seduced by the perks, holidays, and easier life that comes with being a warehouse worker.

Some Drivers Retire

There are some drivers who don’t bother with their career after they finish driving. Some simply retire. If they have been doing the job long enough, then they have enough money saved, have enough investments, and have a big enough retirement fund to allow them to retire. They may take up part-time jobs while retired, but they are often far removed from driving jobs.

Transport Management and Logistics

Some drivers stay within the company they work for and move into the transport management and/or logistics department. As they work, drivers often gain a very good and deep understanding of how the system works. Companies often prefer to hire from within, especially when the drivers show knowledge and expertise on how the systems work.

On a similar note, some drivers move away from driving and become loaders and unloaders. This sometimes happens anyway when a driver loses their license and the company decides to keep them on. In other cases, drivers simply stop driving and become loaders/unloaders because they have lots of experience in that area and there is something about the job they like.

Mechanic or Vehicle Inspector

There are fewer and fewer drivers becoming mechanics these days, probably because the way vehicles are built and fixed has changed so much. These days, parts are custom built for each vehicle, and much of what is done is computerised.

Some drivers stay within a company and become vehicle inspectors or vehicle maintenance people. Just like the unloader/loader and logistics jobs, a driver often moves over to vehicle inspecting because there are available jobs within the company they work for. Many drivers of larger vehicles have to do their own checks before taking vehicles out, so the transition from driver to inspector/maintenance person is pretty smooth.

Machine Operator and Crane Operator

There are many varieties of machine operating that work in a similar way to a car. Some have described operating a crane like trying to drive two cars at once. Since the most skilled drivers are often very coordinated, they can take to crane training very well. Similarly, with the right type of coordination and spatial awareness, some drivers take to becoming machine operators very well. Not only are they good at the job, but they often find it far easier than other people do.

Do Drivers Go On To Higher Education?

In the 90s and 00s, drivers would have kept their jobs as long as they could, often moving up to bigger and better wages. These days, younger and middle-aged people are able to get driving jobs. They can start small with food deliveries and move all the way up to heavy goods driving. Young people can become bus drivers and work their way up to very good wages in whichever direction they wish.

These days, if drivers are able to pass the various types of license required for the many types of driving, they are also able to pass exams on online courses and get real qualifications. Again, the move from driver to higher education and new careers is due to there being more younger and middle-aged drivers.

Getting into the driving profession is not as difficult as it used to be. Getting experience is far easier, so people can move up and carve out a good driving and trucking career. Thanks to the wide variety of distance learning online courses available, people are also able to get a higher education, take exams, and expand their careers in almost any direction they wish.

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Being a delivery driver has several perks and benefits, from the feelings of freedom, privacy and self-determinism, to perks like great pay, flexible shifts, and the ability to work extra hours for more money. Yet, this is a job that comes with several health problems. They are not specifically risks because you can avoid most of them with a balanced lifestyle and a careful work ethic. Nevertheless, here are a few of the most common health problems that long-time delivery drivers experience.

Obesity and Being Out of Shape

The notion of the bullishly strong delivery driver is fine for younger or newer drivers, but the fact is that delivery driving takes its toll on the human body. Not only are you stationary for most of the day, but the nature of your job encourages you to eat snacks and junk food. Many drivers also take stimulants such as energy drinks, which are loaded with calories. This is not to say that drivers are any more unhealthy than a programmer or online writer, but delivery drivers have fewer opportunities for healthy activity.</p>

Chronic Tiredness And Its Side Effects

Being tired is a common complaint for most delivery drivers. This is because you have to be aware and alert at all times when you are driving, and it can quickly sap your energy. After a while, a driver becomes accustomed and adapted to always being tired, which is bad enough on its own, but this condition comes with several side effects. These include a low mood, a negative outlook, being quick to anger, general fatigue, a lack of concentration, increased stress levels and a lowered immune system. These lead to a host of problems that include a higher susceptibility to illness, insomnia, and even mental breakdowns in some very serious cases of stress.

Back Injuries and Wrist Injuries

Though these may happen due to sudden braking, crashes, etc., they are more common during the delivery phase themselves. Back and wrist injuries happen when the load is being moved. Perhaps the other person drops their end and it sprains the driver’s wrist or causes a back injury. Other times, these injuries occur slowly over time as the driver handles loads that are a little too heavy or awkward to carry.

Repetitive Strain Injuries

These sorts of injuries are far less common these days thanks to things like better-designed chairs and power steering yet, back and wrist injuries are still a common occurrence. On the one hand, being sat in the same position for months after months and years after years is going to have a negative effect on the back if the driver doesn’t have a regular exercise regimen. As for wrist and hand injuries, there are several possible causes such as being sat too close to the wheel, being overly aggressive when steering, and so forth.

Depression and Low Mood Afflictions

Writers and delivery drivers suffer from very similar mental ailments because both jobs are often very solitary jobs. There is also a certain degree of repetitiveness about some delivery jobs that cause low moods and depression. However, the most common cause is that drivers are alone for large portions of the week, and it takes a toll on their mental health.

Hypertension

This is also known as high blood pressure, and it has several causes. Poor diet and a lack of exercise are common causes, but so are things like smoking, sugary drinks, and energy drinks will also cause high blood pressure. Plus, if a driver is of a volatile temperament, then incidents of road rage will also increase stress levels and blood pressure levels.

Dehydration and Kidney Stones

One of the most common reasons for dehydration in drivers is due to them purposefully not drinking fluid in order to avoid bathroom breaks. This is done for several reasons. Drivers may not want to stop, or they may drive fairly random routes where they are unsure if there is a place to stop. Drivers of larger vehicles like lorries may have a hard time getting to a stopping point in time, and no driver likes the feeling of needing to urinate and having to hold it (especially during traffic jams). As a result, many drivers will purposefully avoid drinking fluids unless completely necessary, which leads to dehydration. A common side effect of dehydration is the formation of kidney stones, along with higher chances of headaches and migraines.

Poor Circulation

This is another side effect of sitting in the same position for hours and hours. If you do not undertake a fairly good exercise regimen outside of work, then problems like poor circulation can creep up on drivers who have been doing the job for years. What is worse is that poor air quality can make the problem worse, and poor circulation will also increase a driver’s risks of deep vein thrombosis whenever the driver takes their next plane trip.

What About Other Common Health Concerns?

If you go online, you will see a lot of talk and statistics about delivery drivers having lung cancer, heart problems, diabetes and so forth. However, these are not directly linked to being a delivery driver. These are often the result of the lifestyle choices made by delivery drivers. Things like smoking, eating junk food, and such, are the biggest causes of health problems with the heart, diabetes, lungs, etc. These are lifestyle choices that are perhaps prompted by overwork and depression, but again, these are not directly linked to being a delivery driver. There are plenty of drivers who are not depressed, not overworked, don’t smoke, and lead a healthy and balanced diet. The eight health issues mentioned in this article are directly linked to being a delivery driver. Any further issues are the result of a driver’s life choices, genetics, or bad luck.

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