The most important expectation of a delivery job person is delivering the correct product to the customer within a designated time frame. Timeliness is especially important for newspaper delivery jobs. Newspapers report time-sensitive information that may interest the public, which typically reads the newspaper in the morning.
Responsibilities
Newspaper delivery jobs require you to drive and distribute newspapers to businesses, dealers or residences on a designated route. These jobs require a combination of sales, delivery and stocking capabilities. A newspaper delivery driver may also be responsible for sorting newspapers, discussing customers’ accounts, engaging in monetary transactions and distributing promotional items. Additional responsibilities include maintaining customers’ accounts and reaching newspaper drop-off locations according to schedule.
Preferred Qualifications
To land a newspaper delivery job, you most have a valid driver’s license. The vehicle you own or use to deliver the newspapers should probably be insured, especially since many states require drivers to have car insurance. A newspaper delivery driver must be responsible, organized, dependable and have time-management skills. These skills are the most desirable particularly for a newspaper deliverer who must keep records of customers’ payments, driving expenses and other delivery information.
Work Environment
A newspaper delivery job requires a substantial amount of travel. Driving to and from locations may become hazardous if the weather creates poor driving conditions. Since newspapers are available to the public in the early morning hours, a newspaper delivery job many require you to work very early hours. Unless you are responsible for a very large shipment or assigned a partner to work with, you may spend much of your time alone when you are not directly working with newspaper dealers or customers.
Wages
As of July 31, 2010, Pay Scale lists the average earnings of a newspaper delivery driver from $18,638 to $30,323 per year. The annual wage may seem mediocre when other factors, such as benefits, are considered. More than 88 percent of newspaper delivery jobs offer no benefits. Besides the modest wages, the lack of benefits may be a large enough factor to keep many from taking newspaper delivery jobs.
Considerations
A newspaper delivery position is ideal if you are interested in earning supplemental income. If deliveries primarily are made early in the morning, you will have ample time for another job that starts later in the day. A newspaper delivery job is also ideal for someone attending college, part-time or full-time. College courses are scheduled at different times throughout the day; a flexible academic schedule may provide you with the opportunity to work before class.
