How to increase the amount of tips you earn as a courier service driver in Dallas

Within the past couple of years, the courier gig economy has seen an explosion in part thanks to social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders.

However, even as those restrictions were lifted around the world, courier jobs have remained a popular option for many.

While courier drivers in some countries are paid an hourly wage in-line with minimum wage, in the US, they’re treated as a tip-based service. This means that if you don’t have enough tips, you won’t earn any money.

Fortunately, there are several ways to increase the amount of tips you earn as a courier service in Dallas. In this article, we’ll share some helpful tips for you to increase the tips you earn as a courier service driver.

Why earning tips as a courier driver is difficult

Earning tips as a courier driver essentially depends on the types of deliveries you make, and public awareness. Most people know that you should tip the pizza delivery guy – but not many know that package couriers should be tipped as well.

For example, if someone orders takeout from Uber Eats, they’ll most likely associate ‘food delivery’ with ‘tipping’ in their brain, because that’s just how it’s done.

However, things become confusing when it’s small parcels being delivered. For example, if someone wants to quickly send an iPhone across town, who tips the courier driver? The person sending the iPhone, or the person receiving it?

Most people believe that the driver’s earnings are already factored into the final cost of the package. But in reality, they’re not. In many local courier services, you’ll earn a set wage for a job, which means that your earnings are based on how much you deliver.

In other words, if you deliver the package and you don’t get a tip, you’re essentially only making minimum wage.

1) Make it known that tips are appreciated or even expected

As mentioned above, many people think that parcel couriers already earn a full-time wage, like their FedEx counterparts, so tipping is unnecessary.

If you want to increase your tips, you have to make it known that you’re expecting tips. That doesn’t mean you should demand tips from customers, but you can hint at it by “waiting” for a tip after successful delivery – though it might seem a little awkward.

2) Include tips in your delivery fee

If you’re an independent contractor, you can negotiate delivery fees with your clients. It makes sense to charge a flat rate for things like distance and item weight, but also factor in a small tip for yourself. This assumes that you’re an independent contractor with the freedom to negotiate your own delivery rates.

If you work for a courier company that establishes uniform rates, you likely won’t be able to negotiate a delivery fee independently.

3) Build a reputation as a reliable courier for local businesses

One of the best things you can do is invest in working relationships with local vendors. For example, if a local business regularly sells products that can be delivered locally, and they know you can be counted on for on-demand delivery, they’ll be more likely to ring you up first when they need to ship something across town.

Once you have a working relationship with local businesses, let them know that you survive on tips as a courier driver – and ask them to factor in a delivery tip into the final cost of their sale, to be given to you.

Photo by Victória Kubiaki