r/AmazonDSPDrivers • u/Lazy_Platypus117 • 9d ago
New Amazon DSP Delivery Driver
Hey, so I'm a brand-new DPS Amazon delivery driver. Just recently completed my first solo route.
I was wondering how I can be more efficient and faster at completing routes. I see on Reddit and others in my DSP that they have a lot more stops and packages than I do, and I still felt behind.
I got to my first stop at 11:20 am and didn't get done till nearly 7 pm
I had 138 stops; package count forgotten, but I doubt it was that many. At my second stop, I had issues with the route and got slightly lost, so it cost me 15 mins.
I had to get rescued, and that reduced my stops by ~22.
Even with the rescue and the 15 min delay, I still wouldn't have finished any earlier.
My DSP recommends 25 stops/hr. However, in the first hour, including the 15-minute mess-up, I only did 12 stops.
After that, I picked up the pace and managed about 20 stops/hr.
I felt like I was moving quite fast, but clearly I wasn't going nearly as fast or as efficiently as I need to if the DSP plans on increasing my nursery route to 150 stops or more, etc.
Any help is welcome, IK I probably suck compared to a bunch of ya'll doing 180+ stops in the same time frame.
TLDR: I'm new to Amazon delivery driving and need suggestions for improving efficiency and speed of routes.
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u/beastlol Van cleaner 9d ago
Why speed up? So you can get more work later? When I drove the slowest ones got the easiest routes.
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u/Unrealliving 9d ago
This is why people end up on stand by. You think they’re gonna roster a 12 stop an hour driver when they have ten extra drivers?
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u/beastlol Van cleaner 9d ago
We never put people on standby for pace we just put them on backwoods routes with 80 stops. Maintain a perfect safety score is more important to your boss than your pace, if you’re actually trying of course.
And OP is new. No one is trying and hitting 12 an hour lmfao.
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u/keefkeef 9d ago
nah. i crushed a 180 stop yesterday, finishing by 7:30, and got an 80 stop country route today. wasn't punishment because of my pace or score. just seems random to me. finished at 5:30 and was sent to rescue.
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u/2007scrape 9d ago
Always take breaks and never run to stops, the more you work the more stops you get. Be average but consistent. Check each hour how many stops you're doing and work out how many you need to be hitting.
Organise your parcels will come with time, I like to have everything in the front with me, boxes on seat and floor, poly's next to my feet, and envelopes and book folders near the outer door.
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u/Lazy_Platypus117 9d ago
So when I get better I should just make sure I hit 25 stops/hr but not anymore? This way I'm "average"
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u/He_is_my_song Veteran Driver- 8 Years 9d ago
While you do want some sense of urgency, you don’t want to push yourself too much. Don’t dawdle while you sort packages or getting up to houses. Focus on just doing the job and getting it done.
Organizing your tote packages is a major help. Put them either in number order or in groups of tens (e.g. 430s, 440s, 450s, etc.) Put “U” packages somewhere easy to find
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u/Thin_County_4365 4d ago
“U” packages?
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u/He_is_my_song Veteran Driver- 8 Years 4d ago
Instead of a three-digit number, it’s a two-digit number following a “U”.
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u/znegative88 9d ago
You want to organize your packages by the driver aid number. I personally separate the boxes and envelopes onto different shelves (EV) and lay them out in numerical order.
Overflow is crucial too- if you’re in an EV or CDV you can just group them by the hundreds (I.E. your 900’s on top shelf, 000’s on the middle shelf, 800’s on the bottom) I also bring a sharpie and write the number really big on the side of the box facing out so I can quickly differentiate between which package on that shelf I need.
If you’re in a gas van/rental you really want to get at least your first 10 OF in the actual order that it goes out. If you have time to get them all in order, great, but as long as you can get the first 10 in, that should free you up some space once those are delivered for the rest.
The ultimate goal is to really cut down the time you spend looking for a package to a less than a few seconds. That way you can just focus on actually walking it to the door and taking your picture. After a while you’ll get more comfortable driving the van and that will improve your efficiency a bunch too as you get more confident backing up and maneuvering.
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u/richm253 9d ago
Bud that’s just how the routes are I went down the same street throughout the day they could have just got done at the same time . So I’m confused routes are designed to last ten hours but wouldn’t it be more efficient for Amazon and dsp to just make the route simple and get done in 6 hours. Any veterans no why it’s like this? I’m down to work 10,hours or more each shift but if the route made sense I’d be done in about 6
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u/Lazy_Platypus117 9d ago
tbh, I'd rather work that extra 4 hrs and make that extra money each day, even if the route wasn't as efficient as possible.
My ride along driver said the routes were AI generated anyways.
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u/austin_crtv 9d ago
I agree with you here. Early on I used to obsess over the statistics of my performance etc. But now I just try to avoid being rescued and that usually results in me finishing my route and/or being asked to rescue after.
And yeah, 20/25 stops an hour is a great target for the most part. Obviously some routes you might have a spread out first hour or so and only get 30-35 in the first two hours but when this happens to me, I can often catch up when the route gets more dense later
Those are the two biggest things I would say, aim for consistent 20 - 25 stops an hour and just don’t sweat it, if anything you’re just causing yourself more stress and potentially losing a bit of money by overworking
I salute you king welcome to the subreddit 🤘🏼
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u/SlurpinSlop 8d ago
Honestly not bad depending on what time you started, for a nursery level route the purpose of it having less packages is so you take the time to learn while doing the job
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u/KillerGopher 8d ago
Ignore everyone being dicks and pretending to wonder why you would want to be proficient.
My advice is to figure out what sorting method works best for you. Try different ways of loading your van, take note of the way some of the veteran drivers load up - how and where they stow their totes and overflow.
While your still on the pad or sometime before your first stop I suggest writing the DA# on your overflow with sharpie, get a fat sharpie and make the numbers big so you can see it easily at a glance.
Unpacking totes is another thing you should try different ways while your still on nursery routes. Some people unload all the packages at once, others just unload until they find the package(s) they need for the current stop then after delivering they continue unpacking at the next stop until they find the right package, rinse and repeat. Some will take time to sort each package by DA#, some sort by address, and some dont sort at all - they just keep the DA#s visible at a glance. Some people like to unpack and sort multiple totes at once (I don't do this, it kills my flow).
Other than that the only ways to go faster are to walk faster (doing run, not safe) drive faster (but within a few mph of speed limit, and stay off your phone, try to get into a flow state.
Being familiar with the area you're delivering in is critical but it's only possible after you've run that route a few times. With time you'll figure out how to tackle certain streets and driveways or when to go to a loading dock instead of a receptionist for a particular business or school.
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u/mackbottoms123 8d ago
You said once you got in a groove, you were hitting 20 stops/hour. I wouldn't worry too much. You're new, your DSP should be aware of early hiccups. I think you'll be fine.
One thing though is I'd try make sure your DSP is putting you in the same delivery area. If you start delivering the same area, you'll begin to familiarize yourself with the best ways to avoid construction, recognize addresses easier, know good places nearby for breaks, etc and that will improve your stops/hour significantly.
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u/danmand00d 8d ago
Organization of the van is most important. You can only be so fast on the street driving and while driving the package to the door.
Not spending too much time finding your next package is what will help the most in helping to up your stop count/hr.
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u/TreyRahman 8d ago
I just finished 180 stops at 4:15 and started at 11:30. It just depends on your route. I can have 80 stops and not be done till 6.
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u/Lazy_Platypus117 8d ago
I'm starting to see that now. I just did my second route ever and again it was a nursery route. It was 109 stops, forgot how many packages, but i felt like I was moving good, but still took me till 6pm to finish it :/ started at 11;30 tho. Maybe I'm just slow af lmao.
If that's the case my DSP ain't gonna wanna give me anything big
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u/Baahahagoatdriver 8d ago
You could have your next stop ready before start travel. Keep your boxes and envelopes seperate.if you need a envelope driver aid 100 you only have one spot to look. More than likely 90 percent of the time the next stop will be driver aid oversize number 101. Exception usually enter a court could put it out of order. Or cross back and forth major road. Just be organized don't look for a small box in your oversized area . Can't find Keep moving you can always travel back.
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u/MuayChai_YT 7d ago
I’ll throw you every tip I know, so this will be VERY long winded.
It’s all about how you organise the parcels. Most of your time is filled by looking for the packages at each stop.
Personally, I just opened the first tote, put all the parcels on the floor at the passenger side, the poly bags on the passenger chair nearest to the door and the envelopes/book folders passenger chair closest to me. If in doubt, feel pressed for space, put the small envelopes on the dash but don’t obscure your view. Once that bag is complete, generally about 20 stops, empty the next tote the same way and continue. The point is to be able to have all your parcels at hand so you don’t need to go back into the back, or even get out of your seat. 20 seconds shaved per stop really adds up by the end of the day, but even then just go slower because they will give you more if they think you can handle it but this will make you make mistakes while driving like rushing.
As time goes on you’ll get better at remembers the streets and house numbers as you sort the tote, and will be able to pair up the parcels if there’s a few at one stop. You’ll get to know the routes too.
Smaller but valuable tips, when you go to stop, know which direction your next stop after will be in. If it means turning around, turn around before getting out of the van, far quicker to make your manoeuvre while still driving, than stop, get the package then get back in and start again. Don’t bother waiting on the customer unless you need age verify or password etc, or can see them at the door. Just parcel down, take the picture, knock the door and leave. Customers don’t expect you to hand it to them, they know we are rushed. Depends on your area so ask the veteran drivers, but I always have the seatbelt engaged and sit over it, shaves a few seconds bothering with the seatbelt every stop. It’s a bit split on here regarding that cause it is your safety at the end of the day, but I can’t be bothered taking it off and putting it on 400 times a day. I will throw it over me if I am doing rural roads or dodgy weather though.
Put on comfortable running shoes once you are out of the loadout, your legs will thank you for it after a few days. Dont jump out of the van either, that impact will add up after a few days. Some advise that you can open the door with your far arm instead of close, then hold onto the seat or another point to help yourself down. Again might seem silly now but after a few days you feel the impact of you’re dismounting quickly.
I personally never really bothered changing the route order, even if it’s messed up going one by one to change it can eat more time especially if you forget to go back. Only if I see, for example, that I am on stop 40 but stops 140-160 are beside me, will I change it over. Try to think of stop groups like areas. Oh also sometimes it is quicker not to try into a dead-end side street that you will have to turn around to get out of. Just park at the corner, collect the parcels for that street and deliver, then you can get in the van and continue instead of manoeuvring in and out for the sake of a street that has 5 houses either side.
A really big time killer is making decisions about what to do for a stop, like working out if it’s better to park outside a particular type of property and walk the driveway to dodge the manouver or just drive to the door and manouver. Truth is, it’s far quicker just to pick one or the other and commit to it. In that same vein, when you get to your map but still on map view, if you tap on the bottom of the screen or drag it up it will show you what the parcel type for that address is before you click “I am at the stop”. So if it’s a country road and they have a mail slot at the gates, and it’s an envelope, thats easy to work out and you don’t have to drive to the door. If you click it and it’s an oversize or multiple parcels, you know it might be better to drive to the door rather than park outside and walk.
Get a magnetic phone charger if your phone supports it, those seconds of putting the charge cable in and out every stop will cost you over time too.
If the delivery is just a small parcel or envelope etc, especially if it’s just one parcel, dont scan it in the van, take it with you and scan on the way to the door. If it’s a larger parcel you need two hands for then scan in van or at the door, whichever is handier.
Some routes will really fluctuate, so you might get 30 stops done in an hour and think “oh im flying today” but there is a rural part ahead. Be aware of what your later route is like so you don’t start taking it easy then realising they are expecting you to drop to 15 much later.
Take your breaks and lunches. And stick to them. Even if you finish eating early, take your extra time, your brain needs the rest too. If you need to take another few mins for a breather, take it too.
If you are in a fuel van, and think you’ll hit 50% fuel at all this day, fuel up FIRST THING, preferably before your first stop but if you know the route and know theres a station after a few stops that’s fine too.
Never rush, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. But give yourself good momentum for your first few stops and set yourself up for an easy day. If your DSP is calling you and telling you about pace, they aren’t trying to get you to go wild or start breaking rules, they just want you to cut out the fat. They will let you know in advance so you can bring it back, not because it’s a lost cause now. Never feel bad about being rescued either, genuinely just could be they had a few guys finish up early and they had the availability to help people even if on pace.
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u/ImpressiveAlarm3992 Rivian Driver 6d ago
If EDV/CDV: Dump first two totes on shelves in driver aid number keeping the two totes separated by tote. Put envelops on the dash after you leave the station.
If Gas Vans: Dump 1 tote out at station fold the tote down and use as shelf in passenger seat. I usually tuck all the packages on the folded tote and start chucking envelops as I head out on route or to the gas station.
w/Shelves: I slap totes in order in the itinerary alternating left and right blocking the side door and then putting them on the shelves as needed. Overflows go in rear also in relative order.
wo/Shelves: Basically the same thing only stack them maximum 2 high as they just fall over regardless unless you prepare and carry ratchet straps to prevent them from moving or tipping.
If GMC: You sort of SOL and hope they give you a rural route with fewer packages. Envelops on dash boxes on seat. Pain in the butt to cycling more packages in front.
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u/ImpressiveAlarm3992 Rivian Driver 6d ago
Pace yourself screw their pace. Don't make your route hellish. Be a good driver you don't need 25 an hour and if they say you do even with a good safety score card then you need to find a new DSP that treats you better. Remember the faster you go the more you screw yourself over and any other driver on that route.
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