How-To: Delivery Driver Performance Evaluation + Free PDF Checklist

Updated on May 23, 2024 by Alisa Cvilij

Rapid expansion in the e-commerce sector has meant increases in delivery driver jobs.

After many hours on the road without a break, drivers become tired and distracted and are at risk on the roads. Bad driving due to inexperience or haste also presents a risk.

It is essential for managers to monitor rest periods and poor driving skills and remedy the situation.

Managing a team of delivery drivers—big or small, in-house or outsourced, full-time or part-time—is always a challenge. Managing delivery drivers consists of:

1. Planning schedules.
2. Dispatching jobs.
3. Navigating driver shortage.
4. Tracking staff in the field.
5. Getting customer feedback.
6. Managing returns.

These are essential parts of delivery driver management that translate into daily tasks for the supervisor. 

In this blog post, we examine delivery driver performance evaluation:

1. What is delivery driver performance evaluation?

2. What should a driver's performance evaluation example look like?

3. What are must-have tools for delivery driver performance evaluation?

What is delivery driver performance evaluation?

You either excel at or lack in driver performance evaluation based on how well you're handling delivery driver management. A poorly done performance assessment creates tension and oftentimes means losing money and customer trust.

Make sure your drivers are proficient at using the relevant apps and that their driving skills are up to speed. Part of the drivers' induction process could include delivery driver training. Training is also a useful tool for informal evaluation of their skills and work ethics.

First, what exactly is delivery driver performance evaluation and what does it look like?

When we talk about driver performance evaluation, we usually refer to the overall driver assessment that serves the purpose of making sure the person is fit for driving, i.e., able to operate a vehicle on the road.

This includes physical health, reaction time, decision-making, and other factors, and it involves filling out a driver evaluation form.

Meanwhile, delivery driver performance evaluation is based on business KPIs and performance analytics.

This can be as simple as looking at DIFOT - Delivery In Full, On Time - or assessing a wider range of metrics, including hours, mileage, customer feedback, and many other factors. More on that below.

Driver performance evaluation example

Now that we've pinpointed, that delivery drivers' strengths and weaknesses are measured in business KPIs, let's examine them.

The most important factor to take into account is the safety of your driver, the vehicle, and the cargo.

• Drivers need to be alert and in good health.
• A customer-friendly attitude is essential in maintaining good customer relationships.
• Delivery drivers need to be aware of fuel efficiency and the effects that speeding has on fuel consumption. Check our cost-per-mile calculator here.
• Drivers must know that deviations from their routes or excessive idling also affect fuel consumption.
• Responsible drivers will alert the vehicle maintenance crew when there is a problem with the vehicle.

Delivery driver evaluation can vary according to the type of cargo being carried. For example, in the fresh produce market, the sooner produce is delivered, the fresher it will be. Many retailers set very high standards for the freshness of their products.

In this chapter you will see the following performance evaluation criteria:

1. Delivery in Full
2. On-time delivery
3. Total time
4. Total mileage
5. Total closed routes
6. Total completed orders
7. Average service duration
8. Customer feedback

We also recommend downloading our Free Driver Performance Checklist PDF

Delivery in Full

Delivery in Full is the cornerstone metric of any logistics workflow. In terms of evaluating delivery driver performance, it's a top-level way of looking at how good of a job the person is doing.

Delivery in Full refers to the completeness of the order:

• Correct products delivered.
• Correct quantities delivered.
• No rejections by the customer.

Of course, it's important to look beyond the numbers and into specific reasons for rejected or partially delivered orders, especially if you're not doing contactless delivery and the customer is there to reject the goods in person.

The driver cannot be penalized if the customer rejects the goods based on quality.

But with careful load planning and load checks in place, it's largely up to the driver to ensure that a package arrives at the customer's doorstep intact.

On-time delivery

"On-time delivery" is another important metric of delivery driver performance.

Customers don't like waiting for their orders past the ETA (estimated time of arrival) or delivery time slot, especially when you use a system that offers live vehicle tracking to customers at home.

On-time delivery is a simple way to determine whether your buyers get their packages on time. The beauty of this metric is that you define "on time" and set your own number for it.

Total time

The total time spent delivering and collecting orders is not telling by itself unless you put it into perspective. When you can see hours of service (HOS) for several drivers, you can compare and reward efficient team members.

The reason total time spent is possible to calculate in the first place is thanks to delivery management systems that feature a mobile app for the driver.

When the driver logs in and starts their first route for the day, the manager can see their activity in real-time and contact the driver via the app. Having a clear driver time record is a must for efficient logistics operations.

You can set a time limit on the driver app to indicate the gap between the ETA (estimated time of arrival) and delivery time.

Deliveries can be between one and five minutes outside the ETA. Setting a five-minute limit per delivery is acceptable. Anything over that will indicate an overdue delivery. The parameters can be extended for no-contact deliveries that do not require the customer to be present.

Below is an example of Track-POD's delivery management analytics dashboard that produces an automated report on the time drivers spent versus the planned time. 

Total mileage

Total mileage is another metric best viewed in perspective. By benchmarking total time spent vs. total mileage, you can identify patterns in driver over/underperformance or see who's been ignoring the speed limit.

Even more so, mileage translates into fuel costs, which means keeping track of it is important and needs to be done continuously.

Some routes are problematic due to traffic congestion or bad roads. The ETA calculations can incorporate a pattern of excessive idling or lengthy time spent on sections of the route, helping to avoid driver penalties.

Total closed routes

While not all delivery drivers will be doing multiple routes a day, it's important to track the number of total closed routes on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis.

Analytics tools like the Track-POD Route Manager app can even provide these insights on mobile, with the option to sort total closed routes analytics by the driver and compare performance across the team.

Total completed orders

Total completed orders is another important metric because most delivery drivers go on multi-stop routes and the number of stops will vary depending on the area and type of services the business provides.

Tracking total completed orders is how you know how many orders have been fulfilled by each of your delivery drivers over a period of time.

This may not be an accurate measurement of delivery driver performance. Distances between deliveries will impact the statistics.

Average service duration

Route planning and optimization is not only about the time it takes from point A to B. It's also about the time spent providing the delivery/collection service or even a field service.

Because most businesses offer similar types of delivery services across the team, you can compare the average service duration for different team members and reward those who get the job done faster.

Customer feedback

Of course, delivery success is much more than providing speedy service. Customer satisfaction and delight are probably the biggest and most important metrics for evaluating delivery driver performance, although they're not easy to measure.

The best way to get customer feedback on driver performance is to ask for it in a way that creates zero friction.

For example, Track-POD allows you to send a notification to the customer asking them to rate the delivery service. They can respond privately on their tracking link after receiving the delivery.

Then, you can compare delivery drivers' performance based on the feedback they receive over time.

Must-have tools for delivery driver performance evaluation

With a full overview of performance metrics to be tracked for evaluating delivery drivers, we need to know the tools that make tracking possible.

Tools for delivery driver performance evaluation, that will be covered in this chapter:

Analytics and reports

Delivery driver app

Route manager app

Monitoring driver performance is essential. Bad driving affects safety on the roads, as well as vehicle performance.

Many countries require companies to monitor drivers’ rest breaks. Fatigue is a main cause of truck accidents.

Managers can track driver behavior using mobile driver apps and digital tracking devices. This data can be stored for further use in statistics and reporting.

Analytics & reports

No delivery management system is perfect unless it provides shipment analytics and reports, including reports that have driver performance stats.

Pro tip: look for a system that offers historical data (1+ years) and dedicated reports on driver activity. This way you can track all important metrics and KPIs in one place.

Delivery driver app

You can't know what your delivery drivers are up to at every point during the workday. However, you can use technology to sync up with them for real-time data exchange, instant communication, and reliable tracking.

Make sure your software solution for delivery planning features a driver app that works on iOS and Android devices and in offline mode.

See Track-POD's example of the driver's app below:

Route manager app

Logistics managers also need mobile solutions, which need to extend beyond real-time tracking and into performance insights.

Explore software solutions that feature a mobile app for route managers. Pay special attention to mobile analytics to monitor and analyze delivery driver performance on the go. 

Recap

Evaluating delivery driver performance is a complex task that can make or break your delivery management. When done right, it doesn't waste your time and provides valuable insights for team management and optimization.

I hope this guide gives you food for thought on streamlining and improving your delivery driver performance evaluation. Book your free demo now if you'd like a tour around Track-POD solutions for driver management.