Occupations · Transportation and Material Moving
Driver/Sales Workers
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 53-3031.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 82% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $43,480 | 23,350 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $43,410 | 14,130 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $36,960 | 14,040 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $39,500 | 9,500 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $29,290 | 9,180 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $35,360 | 9,100 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $32,970 | 7,780 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $34,380 | 7,370 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $40,630 | 6,970 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $31,620 | 6,740 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $37,480 | 6,060 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $46,600 | 5,360 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Drive trucks to deliver such items as food, medical supplies, or newspapers.
- Arrange merchandise and sales promotion displays or issue sales promotion materials to customers.
- Collect coins from vending machines, refill machines, and remove aged merchandise.
- Inform regular customers of new products or services and price changes.
- Record sales or delivery information on daily sales or delivery record.
- Listen to and resolve customers' complaints regarding products or services.
- Collect money from customers, make change, and record transactions on customer receipts.
- Maintain trucks and food-dispensing equipment and clean inside of machines that dispense food or beverages.
- Write customer orders and sales contracts according to company guidelines.
- Review lists of dealers, customers, or station drops and load trucks.
- Sell food specialties, such as sandwiches and beverages, to office workers and patrons of sports events.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2020-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2020-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 1
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| delivery driver | 8322.2 | exact |
| cargo vehicle driver | 8332.2 | close |
| bicycle courier | 9331.1 | close |
| motorcycle delivery person | 8321.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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