If you’re new to the delivery biz or you’re coming over from one of the old dinosaur pizza companies here are some tools you’re gonna need…
Whether you’re going to drive full time or take a few deliveries a week for anyone other than the pizza companies there is a handful of tools you are absolutely going to need. The following is your go-to guide for the essentials you will need to make your life infinitely easier, more productive, and more profitable. Without further delay and with the assumption that you already have a vehicle or a mode on transport that your contractor has ok’d, here it is.
1. A Smartphone
Why didn’t I say cell-phone? I had a friend I was grooming to start driving for UberEats. He passed his background check and submitted all of his ID, insurance requirements, and his MVR. The day we were to begin learning the actual app on the road he showed up with a cell-phone…you know, one of those flip phones that we use to call home from the Blockbuster Video to let the fam know that the movie we agreed on had already been snagged? Y e a h. Of course that was a deal-breaker for him. Lesson: Make sure you have a true smartphone. That is to say, a phone that has the adequate memory to run a multitasking app, or two, or three at the same time.
2. A Mount For Your Smartphone
This may sound trivial but it is number two for a reason. Don’t believe me? Try to do the job without one for a few days…nuff said. Get one that suctions on your dash or your window and has a device on said suction to lock it on. DO NOT get the “too cheap to resist” phone holder that is all the rage these days…the dreaded vent mount. Common sense along with me saying the name again (VENT mount), followed by a few seconds of actual thought about how that would work will be enough to dissuade you from such folly. Make sure you mount it in a place that you can see the road and glance occasionally an inch over and see the navigation screen. I do a review that I will post on the Youtube channel to save you money on these but if you don’t really care then just know that you will spend anywhere from $10-$60 on these, with a good price point around $25.
3. A Power Cord With Cigarette Lighter Adapter
No…really. Think your phone has a bad-ass battery and you don’t need a charger cable? Think again bucko. These apps go through more juice in a few hours than a classroom full of pre-schoolers. If you have the kind of car that already is equipped with the USB ports built-in then you’re good to go with just the cord (and you really shouldn’t be using a car like that to be delivering anything, but that’s another post).
4. A Mileage Tracker
I wrote a whole post on the subject already. It’s that important. You can get anyone you want but you need SOMETHING. These apps are super handy and they save you boatloads of money. You can click on the Stride logo and download the app or do your own research. The Stride app is free and they do give me a small gratuity if you actually use it. It is my preferred mileage tracker app and I use it religiously.
5. A Permanent Marker
Yup. I know…how low tech of me. There’s a good and simple reason why this one rounds out the top five. Many times you will be picking up multiple orders from the same restaurant or different contractors. Many restaurants just want the food gone and this delivery thing is new to them – that being said – whether it’s new to you or not, you need a way to identify what is going to whom and this is a fail-safe method. This is part of the growing pains of a new concept. Everything is a priority and nothing gets done. One of the most basic things should be to have a standard for printing and attaching receipts to orders but it isn’t done with the delivery companies, so bring your own marker to class kids!
That rounds out the list folks. It is a small and inexpensive list, but a powerful one. There are other things that I discuss in training videos you will find on the drivebydriver Youtube channel but these are really your staples. Know them. Embrace them. Thrive with them. Happy trails all!
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