Driver/Sales Workers
What Driver/Sales Workers Do
Drive truck or other vehicle over established routes or within an established territory and sell or deliver goods, such as food products, including restaurant take-out items, or pick up or deliver items such as commercial laundry. May also take orders, collect payment, or stock merchandise at point of delivery.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 6.9%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.2/5
- Food Productionimportance 3.6/5
- English Languageimportance 3.5/5
- Transportationimportance 3.5/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.2/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 3.0/5
- Mathematicsimportance 2.9/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions5.0/5
- Time Pressure4.9/5
- Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures4.8/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.6/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks4.4/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Parking Attendants96% skill match
- Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage95% skill match
- Log Graders and Scalers95% skill match
- Security Guards95% skill match
- Correctional Officers and Jailers95% skill match
- Animal Control Workers94% skill match
- Cutters and Trimmers, Hand94% skill match
- Couriers and Messengers94% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.8/5
- Negotiationimportance 2.8/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Computer Directions Route Sales Tracker
- GEOCOMtms A.Maze Planning
- IBM Domino
- MobiTech Systems Route Sales Trakker
- Regulussoft Route Accounting
- Route planning software
- Soft Essentials Vending Essentials
- bMobile Technology Route Manager
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Social Orientation
- Perseverance
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Self-Control
- Optimism
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- EnterprisingMedium
- SocialLow
- InvestigativeLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where driver/sales workers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Salisbury, MD3.04× national avg
- 2Jacksonville, NC2.97× national avg
- 3Minot, ND2.32× national avg
- 4Monroe, MI2.27× national avg
- 5Youngstown-Warren, OH2.23× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Couriers and MessengersCareer Change
- Stockers and Order FillersLateral Move
- Parking AttendantsLateral Move
- Flight AttendantsLateral Move