Driver Helper Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
A driver helper rides with a delivery or moving driver and does the physical half of the route: loading the truck, carrying everything to the door and getting the truck back on the road. No license is needed to ride along, which widens the applicant pool; keeping people past the first hard week is the harder problem. This page has a driver helper job description template you can copy, the duties by setting, and what the work pays.
What a driver helper does
A driver helper rides with a delivery or moving driver and does the physical half of the route: loading the truck, carrying freight or packages to the door, unloading, and getting the truck back on the road. The driver is responsible for the vehicle; the helper is responsible for getting everything off it quickly and undamaged. The job has three common versions:
- Parcel and package delivery helpers run packages from the truck to the door so the driver can keep moving, often hired for the holiday peak.
- Furniture, appliance and freight delivery helpers carry heavy or bulky items into homes and businesses, and may unbox, assemble or connect them and take away packaging.
- Moving helpers pad, wrap, carry and load household or office goods, and unload and place them at the destination.
BLS does not track driver helpers as a separate occupation. Their work falls under laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand (SOC 53-7062), the occupation for people who manually move freight, stock or other materials; its O*NET task list includes moving freight to and from delivery vehicles. The pay and outlook figures on this page describe that whole occupation, which also includes warehouse workers, loaders and material handlers. If the job is mostly driving, you are hiring a delivery driver, not a helper.
Driver helper duties
O*NET’s task list for 53-7062, filtered to the work a driver helper does:
- Move freight, stock or other materials to and from storage areas, loading docks and delivery vehicles, by hand or with hand trucks and dollies
- Read work orders or take verbal instructions to determine the assignment
- Sort cargo before loading and unloading
- Install protective bracing, padding or strapping so items do not shift or get damaged in transit
- Attach identifying tags or mark containers
- Pack containers and re-pack damaged ones
- Record the number of units handled on production sheets or work tickets
- Inspect products for damage or leaks
- Carry tools and supplies from the truck and return them after use
On a delivery route, add the customer side: confirming the address, scanning or getting a signature on delivery, placing items where the customer wants them, and reporting damage or a refused delivery to the driver. On a moving job, add disassembly and reassembly of furniture and protecting floors and door frames.
The work context is the part to be honest about:
| Working conditions (53-7062) | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| Wear protective or safety equipment | 80% every day |
| Outdoors, exposed to all weather | 76% every day |
| Using hands to handle objects or tools | 74% continually or almost continually |
| Work week longer than 40 hours | 62% |
| Very hot or cold temperatures | 58% every day |
BLS notes that hand laborers and material movers have some of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations, mostly from moving heavy objects and repeated bending. A driver helper job is hard physical work in the weather, and a posting that says so up front loses fewer people in the first week.
Driver helper job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields and delete what does not apply. It works for parcel, furniture and appliance delivery, and moving; the customization section covers the differences.
Job title
Driver Helper [/ Delivery Helper / Moving Helper / Delivery Associate], [Shift or season], [Company name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Company name] is hiring driver helpers to ride with our [delivery / moving] crews out of [location]. You will load the truck, carry [packages / furniture / appliances / household goods] to the customer, and help the driver finish the route safely and on time. No license required to ride along [unless the job includes driving]. We train you on everything else.
[Start time, days and typical route length]. [Pay range, and whether pay is hourly or per stop or per job]. [Season dates if seasonal].
What you will do
• Load and secure the truck in route order, using [pads, straps, dollies, hand trucks]
• Carry [packages / furniture / appliances] from the truck to the customer’s door or room of choice
• Scan or confirm each delivery and collect signatures in [app or handheld]
• [Unbox, assemble, connect or install items and remove packaging]
• [Disassemble, pad, wrap and reassemble furniture for moves]
• Protect customer floors, walls and door frames
• Check items for damage and report problems to the driver right away
• Follow safe lifting and [lift gate / ramp] procedures
• Keep the truck clean and organized at the end of the route
What you need
• Able to lift and carry [weight] [alone / with a partner] repeatedly through the shift
• Able to climb in and out of the truck, use stairs and work outdoors in all weather
• Friendly and respectful in customers’ homes and businesses
• Reliable at [start time]; routes leave on time
• [Valid driver’s license, if you may ever drive]
• [Background check, because you will enter customers’ homes]
Nice to have
• Delivery, moving, warehouse or construction experience
• [Appliance hookup or furniture assembly experience]
• [Second language your customers use]
What we offer
• [Pay range], [overtime policy], [tips if customers tip]
• [Schedule and how routes are assigned]
• [Work boots, gloves, uniform, weather gear]
• [Benefits and eligibility date]
• [The next job: driver, with paid license training if you offer it]
How to apply
[One step. A short form and a start date this week.]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Driver’s license | Not needed to ride along. Ask for one only if the helper may drive, and say which vehicle. If you want helpers to become drivers, say you will train them instead. |
| Lifting | Name the real weight, how often, and whether it is a two-person lift. “Must lift 75 lbs” with no context scares off people who carry that weight every day with a partner. |
| Education | BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for hand laborers and material movers. Drop the diploma requirement. |
| Experience | Training typically lasts a month or less. Experience is a plus, not a filter. |
| Background check | Reasonable when helpers enter customers’ homes. Say so in the posting. |
| Availability | Start time and route length matter more than anything else to candidates. State them. |
Customizing it by setting
Parcel and courier delivery
Couriers and express delivery services employed 334,430 laborers and freight movers in May 2025. Volume, speed and walking distance dominate. If the role is seasonal, give the dates and say whether strong helpers get offered permanent or driver roles.
Furniture and appliance delivery
Heavier lifts, stairs, two-person carries, and often installation. Name the products, the tools and whether helpers connect water, gas or electric; if so, say what training and certification you provide.
Moving companies
Padding, wrapping, disassembly, and long days during peak moving season. Say how pay works on long-distance jobs and overnight trips. See also our mover job description.
Staffing agencies and warehousing
Employment services (440,730) and warehousing and storage (433,060) are the two largest employers of the occupation. If a helper splits time between the dock and the truck, say so.
What driver helpers earn
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, the BLS occupation that includes driver helpers, had a median wage of $40,240 a year, about $19.35 an hour, in May 2025.
| Percentile (May 2025) | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $15.03 | $31,270 |
| 25th | $17.35 | $36,090 |
| Median | $19.35 | $40,240 |
| 75th | $22.56 | $46,920 |
| 90th | $26.51 | $55,140 |
BLS publishes industry pay for the wider hand laborers and material movers group rather than this occupation alone. For that group, transportation and warehousing had the highest median of the industries listed, $44,710, followed by wholesale trade at $41,600 and manufacturing at $41,370; administrative and support services paid $36,200 and retail trade $36,090. Read it as the shape of the market these jobs sit in.
There were 2,940,300 laborers and freight, stock, and material movers in 2025. BLS projects employment to grow 1.8 percent through 2035 and about 340,500 openings a year, nearly all of them replacing people who leave. That turnover is the hiring reality for driver helpers: you will post this job often, so the posting and the first week are worth getting right.
What it costs to reach a driver helper
We benchmark driver helpers in the warehouse / production role family, the closest match for hourly material-moving work. Those campaigns ran a median cost per applicant of $9.83 on Meta, with the middle half between $3.15 and $18.72, a blended figure of $4.44 and a 20 percent apply rate. The all-role median is $13.88. Driver helpers do not need a CDL, so they should not be budgeted like our CDL truck driver family, which runs a $26.86 median.
Across the whole benchmark, applicant conversion explains about 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant between campaigns. For a helper role, a three-question form (start time, lifting, can you start this week) is all you need before a phone call.
Staffing the rest of the route and the dock? See the delivery driver, mover, courier, dock worker and material handler job descriptions, and delivery driver recruiting for the hiring side.
The job description is not the job ad
The template is the document for your ATS. The ad has a different job: getting someone who is not looking to stop scrolling.
- First line is pay, start time and whether it is seasonal.
- Say “no license needed” if that is true. It widens the pool at once.
- Name the path to driver if you have one. It is the strongest retention message you can give a helper.
- Hire fast. Helper candidates usually take the first job that calls back.
More on writing the ad is on job ad copywriting, and mass hiring covers staffing a seasonal peak.
Frequently asked questions
What does a driver helper do?
A driver helper rides with a delivery or moving driver and handles the physical work of the route: loading and securing the truck, carrying packages, furniture, appliances or household goods to the customer, unloading, confirming deliveries, and reporting damage. Some also assemble or install items or pad and wrap furniture for moves. The driver is responsible for the vehicle; the helper keeps the stops moving.
What are the main driver helper duties?
The core driver helper duties are loading the truck in route order, securing items with pads and straps, carrying items to the door or room, scanning or confirming deliveries, protecting customers’ property, checking items for damage, following safe lifting procedures and keeping the truck organized. Furniture and appliance helpers may add assembly or installation; moving helpers add disassembly, padding and wrapping.
What is the difference between a driver helper and a delivery driver?
The delivery driver operates the vehicle, plans the route and is responsible for the truck; the helper handles loading, carrying and unloading. A helper who never drives does not need a driver’s license. BLS counts delivery drivers as a separate occupation. See our delivery driver job description for that role.
Does a driver helper need a driver’s license?
Not if they only ride along. Ask for a license only if the helper may drive, and name the vehicle so candidates know whether a standard license or a commercial license is involved. Many employers use the helper role as a path to driver and train strong helpers for it; saying so in the posting is a strong recruiting message.
How much do driver helpers make?
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, the BLS occupation that includes driver helpers, had a median wage of $40,240 a year, about $19.35 an hour, in May 2025. The middle half earned between $17.35 and $22.56 an hour. For the wider hand laborers group, transportation and warehousing paid the highest industry median listed, $44,710.
How physically demanding is a driver helper job?
Very. In O*NET’s work context survey for the occupation, 76 percent reported working outdoors in all weather every day and 74 percent reported handling objects with their hands continually or almost continually. BLS notes that hand laborers and material movers have some of the highest injury and illness rates of any occupation. State the real lifting weight, stairs and weather in the posting.
What qualifications does a driver helper need?
BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for hand laborers and material movers, and training typically lasts a month or less. What matters is reliability at the start time, the ability to lift and carry safely, and courtesy in customers’ homes. Experience in delivery, moving or warehouse work is a plus, not a requirement.
What should I ask a driver helper in an interview?
Ask what time they can reliably start, how they lift something heavy safely, how they would handle a customer who is unhappy with where an item was placed, what they would do if they noticed damage while unloading, and whether they want to become a driver. Keep it short and offer a start date quickly.
How much does it cost to recruit a driver helper?
On Meta, warehouse and production roles, the closest family in our data for hourly material-moving work, ran a median of $9.83 per applicant across our managed campaigns, with the middle half between $3.15 and $18.72 and a 20 percent apply rate. That is below the $13.88 all-role median and well below CDL drivers at $26.86. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
Related job descriptions
Hiring driver helpers?
The description is the document. Putting it in front of people nearby who can start this week is the part we do.
Employment, projection and wage data for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand (SOC 53-7062), the occupation that covers driver helpers: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, hand laborers and material movers, last modified 27 August 2026 (occupation median, group industry wages, work environment, training), Employment Projections table 1.2 (2025–35) and May 2025 OEWS national estimates and occupation profile (percentiles, industry employment). Tasks and work context: O*NET OnLine 53-7062.00. Read at source 24 September 2026. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.