Career Explorer Transport and logistics
Human edge, growing
Light truck drivers
Drive a light vehicle, such as a truck or van, with a capacity of less than 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), primarily to pick up merchandise or packages from a distribution center and deliver. May load and unload vehicle.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 75% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by +6.3% by 2035, faster than average.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $44,860
- Job growth to 2035
- +6.3%
- Openings a year
- 107,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 1.1 million
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
- Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Operate transportation equipment or vehicles
- Notify others of emergencies or problems
- Maintain vehicles in working condition
What the work looks like
- Obey traffic laws and follow established traffic and transportation procedures.
- Report any mechanical problems encountered with vehicles.
- Verify the contents of inventory loads against shipping papers.
- Inspect and maintain vehicle supplies and equipment, such as gas, oil, water, tires, lights, or brakes, to ensure that vehicles are in proper working condition.
- Read maps and follow written or verbal geographic directions.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as demand from e-commerce growth results in greater volumes of home delivery, which requires more drivers relative to other occupations.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Taxi driversHuman edge, growing, Index 81, +11.5%
- Animal caretakersHuman edge, growing, Index 77, +12.1%
- Grounds maintenance workers, all otherHuman edge, growing, Index 84, +3.7%
- Transportation workers, all otherHuman edge, growing, Index 83, +4.0%
Also known as: Delivery Driver, Driver, Package Car Driver, Truck Driver, Bulk Delivery Driver, Light Truck Driver, Package Delivery Driver, Route Driver.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.