Same-Day Courier Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Green Delivery Service > Company > Experienced Courier Driver

Experienced Couriers

This page is intended for inidividuals with prior experience specifically working as an IC driver for a courier service. Interested individuals without experience may find more useful information on this page. If you have not worked as a courier, but have driven for Uber, Lyft, etc., see this page for helpful information for you.

About Green Delivery Service, Inc.

Green Delivery Service is a small, family operated company, in business for over 25 years. Unlike some larger companies, we look out for our drivers, and accordingly we have extremely low turnover. In fact, aside from three new positions added over the past two years, all of our drivers have been with the company from 7-22 years, and an average tenure around 10-12 years.

We pay above average commissions and, relative to most area courier companies, we have work that is generally desirable for drivers.

In summary, long term (career) courier drivers tend to stay with Green once they are brought in. Generally the only loss of drivers occurs when someone moves or in the event that the individual planned from the start to do driver work temporarily.

Another reason for our very low turn-over rate is that we are a bit more picky when it comes to new additions. We look for individuals that will likely be with the company long term, and will represent the company well when around our customers.

After being founded in 1989, the business grew slowly but steadily through 2006, at which point the company would be considered mid-sized by most, having over 30 drivers, 4 dispatch/operators, and 2 additional inside employees. Between 2007 and 2010, however, the company was downsized several times, as were most businesses, as a result of the economic recession. Since 2011 we have been growing again, but would still be considered a small courier business, having 10 drivers and with most of the day to day inside operations handled by the two business owners.

Driving for a Small vs. Large Courier Company

It is not uncommon for experienced courier drivers to have worked for many different companies over the years. The larger companies, in particular, have generally high turn-over rates. Most drivers who have "been around the block" prefer working for a small-to-mid sized company, but there are some exceptions to this.

The main advantages of working for a larger company are the flexibility of work hours and availability of part-time hours. If you want to work as an IC and come and go as you please, the biggest companies are your best option and can usually work with drivers that have no fixed work schedule but just check-in and are added to the driver pool whenever they want to be available. The smaller the company, the less likely this will be possible, as smaller companies must rely on having all drivers available at all times during normal hours of operation.

Other than flexible work hours, smaller courier companies have many advantages. Experienced couriers looking for full-time work and wishing to maximize earning potential with one position are better off with small to mid-sized companies. Smaller businesses offer a much more personal work experience, where each driver is not just a "number" or a resource, but part of the family and team. Where a large company may just be looking to get the jobs done with whatever resources possible, a smaller business actually cares about each individual driver, and their well-being and success is a top priority.


"More work / more jobs" Myth

Some may argue that a larger company has more jobs, and of course every driver is looking for as much work as they can get while available. This theory breaks down quickly however when you realize that the larger companies also have a much larger number of drivers available. In many cases the job/driver ratio is actually lower on most days, especially if the company overhires.

In some cases, the job/driver ratio may actually be higher at certain large couriers. The companies usually make their money on volume and excessive fees charged back to drivers, while cutting their rates to customers, which is why they have so many jobs in the first place. Drivers working for these companies often feel frustrated that they are doing so many jobs but not making enough money.

What We Are Looking For

• Individuals with long term objectives and goals.
• Positive, upbeat personalities. These idividuals assume the best, have an open mind, and trust that the company is doing something right if other drivers are staying with it long term.
• Candidates who understand that the end customer is the one putting the food on their table, and thus their real boss and whom must be satisfied with their work.
• Highly motivated individuals who understand that, as with any job/employment, compensation is directly related to the amount of work performed, and that in this business, the amount of work performed is directly related to hours available and desire to be out driving as much as possible.

What We Are NOT Looking For

• Grumpy courier verterans who believe they can judge a company by working for it for two weeks.
• Negative, confrontational, or defensive personalities. If this is you, you are better off with a large company that does not interact regularly with it's drivers.
• Daily job counters. We don't have time to deal with drivers that want to know (in advance) the rate billed for each job. Our drivers don't worry about each job, each day, or even a full week. Some are better than others and they know they will be fine when they view their earnings over an entire year.
• Specific job cherry-pickers. This may be fine at larger companies that have several drivers in the same area, especially those that overhire. We tend to underhire in order to ensure we can keep all dirvers busy on an average day. For that reason, we may not have options and need drivers to take the work assigned to them without question. This is part of the team-work atmosphere.
• People that don't like to drive or get overly annoyed by traffic and other common problems encountered by all professional drivers every day. It seems obvious that someone who does not want to be out there on the road would not apply for a driving job, but many do, and the result is job dissatisfaction, reduced hours, and the resulting reduced income. Their earnings goals are not met because they are sitting on the couch instead of in the driver's seat.

For more information, and answers to common questions, click here for the FAQ page.

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