How To Make $170,000 A Year As A UPS Driver

Thanks to a historic win by the UPS driver’s union, the pay and benefits of driving for the package delivery service have never been better. If you’re looking for a sweet (and very demanding) gig, you might be wondering what Brown can do for you.

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Like any job, you of course will need to apply on the company’s website. You can either go for a purely package-delivery job or a combo of warehouse work and driving. There are seasonal gigs listed as well. There are some requirements for getting the gig, according to Insider:

The ability to lift up to 70 lbsPossession of a valid driver’s license — no CDL is requiredSuccessful completion of a US Department of Transportation physical examThe legal ability to work in the US Compliance with UPS appearance guidelines, including wearing the company-provided uniform

That UPS appearance guidelines are pretty straightforward for folks working in a warehouse or public facing setting — no loose fitting clothes, no loose jewelry (critical when working around heavy equipment,  no clothes with offensive themes or logos and black or brown shoes.

Then you need to pass a background check and an interview, pretty much like any gig. If you make it through those hurdles, next comes the physical exam, which is paid for by UPS. Keep in mind, you aren’t getting this cherry pay to sit around all day. Being a UPS driver requires a great deal of hard work and long hours. Some work in inhumane conditions, like trucks with no A/C resulting in folks working in trucks above 120 degrees.

If you make it through the application, interview, background check and physical, you attend a UPS driving school where you learn not only how to handle the big truck (called a Package Car in UPS lingo) how to manage your route, drag packages across ice and exit the vehicle safely.

After that, you’re put on a 30-day probation, but then the job is yours and well worth the extra work. Thanks to the new contract, UPS Teamsters are now some of the best paid workers in the U.S. delivery biz with an average top rate to $49 per hour. Part timers also got a nice raise to $21 an hour to advance to $23 per hour by the end of the five-year contract. The Teamsters also addressed those ridiculously danger hot package cars by requiring vehicle air conditioning and cargo ventilation. So while you’re hauling 70-pound packages over black ice, you at least won’t be cooked alive in the summer.

These are the folks who kept America humming during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when record numbers of folks were buying everything online. This led to record profits for the company. And these workers certainly deserve a slice of that pie. Even from just reading the requirements for UPS drivers, it’s clear this is a difficult, physically demanding and even dangerous job. UPS drivers have been attacked by dogs, members of the public, and fellow co-workers. All while having to beg to even have fans installed on their death trap cars. After coming extremely close to a strike, UPS drivers are no longer begging to be treated with dignity. As the old song goes, there’s power in the union.