Delivery Driver Efficiency Tips: How to Save 2 Hours a Day with Route Optimization

Why Efficiency Matters More Than Ever

Whether you drive for Amazon Flex, Intelcom, FedEx, or any other carrier, your earnings are directly tied to how many deliveries you can complete per hour. Route optimization alone can reduce delivery times by up to 35% and cut fuel costs by 20-30%. (Source: NextBillion.ai)

That translates to real money: drivers using route optimization tools report completing 40% more deliveries per day with the same hours. (Source: Upper) Here are the most impactful strategies to maximize your efficiency on the road.

1. Use Route Optimization Software

This is the single biggest efficiency gain you can make. Stop following routes in the order you received them — let an algorithm calculate the optimal sequence.

What the Data Shows

• Optimized routes are 15-23% shorter in total distance than manually planned routes (Source: Routific)
• Drivers save 30-45 minutes of drive time on a typical 100-mile daily route
• Fleet studies show 15-30% total cost reduction through optimized routing (Source: Locus)
• One study found drivers increased capacity by as much as 55% with optimized routing (Source: Onfleet)

What to Look For

Choose a route planner that handles your actual workload. For package delivery drivers running 50-200 stops per day, you need an app that supports high stop counts, imports addresses quickly (spreadsheet or barcode scanning), and integrates with your preferred navigation app.

2. Load Your Vehicle Strategically

Poor vehicle loading wastes more time than most drivers realize. Truck drivers spend as much as 30% of their working hours loading and unloading cargo. (Source: Joloda)

The LIFO Method

Use Last-In, First-Out loading: packages for your first delivery should be the last ones loaded and placed closest to the door. This eliminates mid-route digging and rearranging. (Source: Routific)

Zone-Based Loading

Group packages by delivery zone. Load all packages for the same neighbourhood together. As you complete each zone, the remaining cargo is already organized for the next area.

Quick Tips

• Label or colour-code packages by zone before loading
• Keep oversized boxes in the back, small envelopes up front
• Never load packages you will need to dig past to reach earlier stops
• Take 5 extra minutes to organize at the depot — it saves 20+ minutes on the road

3. Minimize Idle Time

Idling is one of the biggest hidden costs for delivery drivers.

• A delivery vehicle wastes approximately 3.2 litres per hour when idling, or 4.2 litres per hour with a load (Source: Detrack)
• Every 10 minutes of idling wastes 300 mL of fuel for a 3-litre engine (Source: Natural Resources Canada)
• A delivery truck idling 25% of the working day wastes roughly $3,600 CAD in fuel annually

The rule: If you will be stopped for more than 10 seconds, turn off the engine. Restarting uses less fuel than 10 seconds of idling. (Source: NRCan)

4. Drive Smoothly to Save Fuel

Fuel typically consumes 18-34% of gross gig earnings for delivery drivers once idling, short trips, and traffic are factored in. (Source: FuelShine) Here is how to cut that significantly:

• Avoid hard acceleration and sudden braking — aggressive driving raises fuel consumption by 10-20%
• Maintain steady speed — use cruise control on highways where possible
• Reduce unnecessary weight — every 45 kg (100 lbs) of extra weight increases fuel consumption by ~1%
• Keep tires properly inflated — under-inflated tires increase fuel consumption by up to 3%
• Use fuel price apps — GasBuddy or Costco gas stations can save $0.05-$0.15/litre

Combined, eco-driving habits can reduce fuel costs by 20-30%. (Source: Upper)

5. Master Canadian Winter Deliveries

Winter driving is unavoidable for Canadian delivery drivers. Here is how to stay efficient and safe:

Winter Tires Are Mandatory (In Some Provinces)

• Quebec: Mandatory December 1 to March 15. Fines of $300-$600 CAD for non-compliance. (Source: The Car Guide)
• BC: Mandatory October 1 to April 30 on designated highways. Fines starting at $368 CAD. (Source: JIT Truck Parts)
• Ontario: No mandate, but insurers offer up to 10% discount for winter tires

Winter Efficiency Tips

• Allow 10-15 minutes extra per day for vehicle warm-up and clearing snow/ice
• Keep a winter kit in your vehicle: ice scraper, small shovel, sand or kitty litter for traction, warm gloves
• Plan routes to avoid steep hills and unplowed side streets when possible
• Reduce speed by 20-30% on icy roads — arriving 5 minutes late is better than not arriving at all
• Check weather forecasts the night before and adjust your route plan accordingly

6. Scan and Process Waybills Faster

Manual address entry is one of the biggest time sinks for package delivery drivers. If you are typing 80+ addresses by hand, you are wasting 30-60 minutes before you even start driving.

Modern Solutions

• Barcode scanning: Most delivery apps now support barcode scanning — barcodes verify in under one second (Source: OptimoRoute)
• OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Advanced tools use AI to read text directly from shipping labels and waybills, extracting addresses without any typing (Source: Klippa)
• Batch scanning: Scan multiple packages at once instead of one by one

If your current route planner does not support waybill scanning, you are leaving significant time on the table every day.

7. Handle Failed Deliveries Efficiently

A good first-attempt delivery rate is 90-100%. Every failed delivery costs you time on reattempts and eats into your earnings. (Source: eShipz)

Prevention Tips

• Double-check addresses before departing — flag any that look incomplete or ambiguous
• Call or text the customer 10-15 minutes before arrival when you expect access issues
• Note apartment buzzer codes, gate codes, and safe-drop preferences for repeat addresses
• Take a clear delivery confirmation photo for every drop-off

When Delivery Fails

• Leave a delivery notice immediately — do not circle back hoping the customer appears
• Group reattempt deliveries by location and add them to the end of your next route in that area
• Track your failure rate and identify patterns (specific buildings, times of day, address formats)

8. Maintain Your Vehicle Proactively

Poorly maintained vehicles increase fuel consumption by up to 25%. Every day your vehicle is in the shop costs you $500-$1,000+ CAD in lost earnings. (Source: Heavy Vehicle Inspection)

Weekly Checks

• Tire pressure (check when cold)
• Oil level
• Windshield washer fluid (critical in winter)
• All lights functioning

Monthly Checks

• Brake pad wear
• Air filter condition
• Coolant level
• Wiper blade condition

Key insight: Fleets using standardized preventive maintenance checklists reduce unexpected breakdowns by 85% and cut maintenance costs by up to 40%. (Source: Fleetio) You may not be a fleet, but the principle applies — schedule maintenance before something breaks.

9. Time Management Strategies

• Start at the farthest point: Many experienced drivers deliver to the farthest stop first and work their way back to base, preventing backtracking
• Plan breaks strategically: Schedule breaks near the midpoint of your route, not at random
• Use voice navigation: Keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while hearing turn-by-turn directions
• Account for time constraints: Factor in business hours, apartment building access times, and school zone schedules
• Batch similar tasks: Group all apartment building deliveries together — use the elevator once instead of three times

Put It All Together

The most efficient delivery drivers in Canada combine route optimization + smart loading + eco-driving + proactive maintenance. The impact is dramatic:

Combined, these strategies can save you 1-2 hours per day and $300-$500+ per month in fuel and maintenance costs.

The Best Tool for the Job

FlexMesh Driver combines several of these efficiency gains into one app built specifically for package delivery drivers in Canada:

• AI waybill scanning — Point your phone at shipping labels, addresses extracted automatically. No typing.
• 498-stop route optimization — Handles the largest delivery loads of any mobile app
• Multi-carrier support — Works with FedEx, UPS, Purolator, Canada Post, Amazon, and any other carrier
• One-tap navigation — Optimized route sent directly to Google Maps or Waze

Download FlexMesh on the App Store | Get it on Google Play