15 Delivery Driver Essentials: What You Need to Carry in Your Vehicle?

Driving on the roads and delivering goods is not an easy task. This work often means long hours on the road, lots of stops, and constant movement in and out of your vehicle.

If you are working with a delivery company, they’ll usually provide most of the basics you need to get through your routes. But if you’re an independent driver, you’ll need to gather your own delivery driver essentials to keep your workflow smooth and avoid unnecessary delays.

Either way, the list below covers 15 delivery driver must-haves. If you’re new to the industry, this will help you understand what’s actually worth investing in and what will make your deliveries easier, safer, and more efficient.

15 Essentials For Delivery Drivers To Smooth Up Their Work Experience

This delivery driver gear includes both physical and digital items that drivers should keep in their vehicle or carry with them to ensure smooth, hassle-free deliveries throughout the day.

1. Route planner app

The most important thing you must get at first is a digital route planning app. 

It will help you add multiple stops in a single automated route and will help you find the shortest path. You don’t have to go through manual paper routes or single-routed maps anymore. 

Upper Route Planner is one of the best in the business for you to try and implement in your delivery driving career. It also has optimization features to help you change or modify routes for priority deliveries.

This software solution will help you save fuel by driving down the shortest possible path. Moreover, it will also help you make faster deliveries, even possibly before the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA).

2. Power banks and phone chargers

When you’re driving around the city or across the state delivering dozens of packages, your phone becomes your lifeline. It’s how customers reach you, how dispatch shares updates, and how you navigate every stop. That’s why keeping it powered is non-negotiable.

Always carry a reliable charger and a backup power bank so your phone never dies mid-route. A fully charged device keeps your day running smoothly and prevents unnecessary delays.

3. Phone mount

Looking at the phone for routes or reading customer texts while driving can be a risky practice. Therefore, have a mount to fix it on your car’s windshield or dashboard. It will help you with easy navigation while attending calls/texts. 

4. Bluetooth headset

Using phones without a mount for navigating routes is risky, and attending to calls directly from your phone while driving is even riskier. 

So, along with the mount, get a Bluetooth headset to attend work calls directly by tapping your headset, rather than unmounting the phone. 

5. Dash camera

A dash camera will help you record everything throughout the day while driving and doing your job. It is more like your insurance policy to help you with evidence for any collision or road incident. 

Moreover, if you are late for making a delivery due to some unavoidable reason, such as a roadblock or accident, you can prove the same using the footage of your dash camera and save your job.

6. Flashlight

Your job as a delivery driver might lead you to work even after the sun sets. Therefore, to be able to read the street signs, make sure you have a quality flashlight in your car. 

If your delivery vehicle has high-power LED headlights, then you might not need this tool. But most of the vehicles don’t have it, for which this is an ideal recommendation. 

7. Sunglasses

Just like flashlights at night, you will need sunglasses during the daytime. Grab good-quality sunglasses that will make it possible for you to see the roads even in the scorching sun. You cannot expect to be sun-blind while on a long delivery route. 

Moreover, sunglasses will keep your eyes cool and comfortable for driving longer routes without any kind of irritation due to consistent staring at the road.

8. Air fresheners

Even though you are not offering any cab services, you still need air fresheners in your delivery vehicle to make sure you feel fresh every time you get into your car after completing a delivery. 

It will set your mood right to keep driving to the next destination. Turn on your vehicle’s air conditioners and activate the fresheners to leave a long-lasting aroma in your vehicle. 

9. Clothes, safety items, and helpful accessories

Delivery work puts you outside in every kind of weather, so carrying the right gear makes a huge difference. Always check the forecast and pack items that help you stay comfortable and safe throughout the day.

For rain, keep a waterproof jacket and a compact umbrella. For colder months, carry a warm jacket and even heated seat cushions to stay comfortable between stops. These small add-ons help you stay focused instead of battling the elements.

Hygiene is just as important. Keep a disinfectant spray or wipes, plus a few pairs of disposable gloves, so you’re not directly touching packages, something delivery drivers started taking seriously after COVID-19 to protect themselves and the people they deliver to.

Here are a few more comfort and productivity delivery driver accessories that can help you get through long shifts smoothly:

• Seat back massager
• Non-slip shoe grips
• Collapsible hand truck
• Seat organizer

All of this makes your day safer, easier, and a lot more manageable when you’re out delivering for hours at a stretch.

10. Back support pillows

Driving for a long distance and time can cause back pain at some point in time. Therefore, it is advisable for you to get a lower back support pillow to prevent soreness and give you a better sitting posture while driving. 

In this way, you won’t drain out your physical energy early while carrying out the delivery services. 

11. First aid kit

First aid is essential for delivery drivers to have in their vehicles at all times. It might be useful when you meet with any unfortunate accident, or you can offer help to someone on the street, if necessary. 

You must have antiseptic solutions, bandages, cotton, sickness medicines, ointments, and other such medical emergency essentials in your first-aid kit. Keep it close to you in the vehicle, mostly in the glove box of your vehicle.

12. Insulated delivery bags

It is a mandatory requirement, especially for the food delivery drivers. Insulated bags help maintain the temperature of foods or beverages. 

If you want to deliver customers’ food hot and with the best of its taste, then an insulated bag is a must. With this, you will provide excellent customer service in your food delivery career. 

13. Cup holders

If you are fond of drinking coffee or your favorite soft drink, or just want to store your water bottles, then you must have cup holders as a vehicle accessory in your car. 

Some vehicles do have their pre-installed holders, but if yours doesn’t have one, then get it as an add-on accessory and retrofit it in your car. 

14. Personal protection

If you usually drive through a part of the state that is unsafe and has high crime rates, then you must have pepper spray or tasers for your own protection. Check with the local city or state law to be sure of what protective equipment it is legal for you to carry in your vehicle. 

15. Vehicle kit

Keep a complete vehicle kit ready so small issues don’t slow down your entire shift. The standard company kit is a good start, but add your own essentials like a spare puncture repair kit, a compact tire inflator, a multi-tool, and a set of extra fuses.

As a delivery driver, being able to handle quick fixes like punctures or minor electrical hiccups means you spend less time waiting for help and more time staying on schedule. A solid vehicle kit keeps you moving and avoids unnecessary stress on busy days.

How is Upper Route Planner the Best Route Planner for Delivery Drivers?

Google Maps might work well for your delivery driving needs, only if you have a few stops on your list. Moreover, you will have to manually optimize the stops or locations in it. It doesn’t automatically find you the shortest possible route, which leads you to deliver your packages late. 

But this is not the case with Upper Route Planner. It is a dedicated software solution for hardcore delivery operations. It doesn’t matter how many stops you have on your delivery list; Upper Route Planner can optimize them all with the shortest route possible. 

You will not just save time but will also save a lot on your fuel expenses. It will help you make more deliveries in a day. As a result, you will be able to earn monetary rewards and tips for good service.

We understand that you are used to Google Maps, as it is installed by default on your phones. But, to help you experience the change and higher efficacy, we offer you a 7 days FREE trial of Upper Route planner. Come experience how we have a better edge than Google Maps for assisting you with optimal delivery routes. 

Summing Up

Now you are aware of what you must buy to make yourself complete as a delivery driver. 

Make sure you have the right equipment of good quality, without settling for the cheap ones.

By the time all of your other essentials get delivered, you can go ahead and take the trial for Upper Route Planner. If you find it intuitive and helpful in streamlining your delivery business, then go ahead and integrate it with your main operations.