Van driver jobs and cover
Van drivers hold category B and drive vehicles up to 3,500 kg: multi-drop rounds, couriers, trade vans and same-day runs.
The job
A van driver drives a goods vehicle up to 3,500 kg: a panel van, a long-wheelbase van or a Luton with a tail lift. Van work is door-to-door. The driver loads the day’s parcels, pallets or trade goods, follows a round or a job list, and delivers to homes, shops, sites and offices.
The work splits into several kinds. A parcels round is a long list of drops from a depot. A courier collects and delivers single items against a deadline. A trade van supplies shops, restaurants or builders. A same-day run carries something urgent between two places. Each asks something different of the driver, from speed on the doorstep to care with fragile goods.
Van work is often one person alone with a handheld device. The driver manages time, the route and the customer, and is the face of the operator. Vans up to 3,500 kg are category B, the ordinary car licence, so van work is open to drivers who do not hold a lorry licence.
Sectors that use this role
Related roles
Licence and tickets
Category B covers vehicles up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass with up to 8 passenger seats, and a trailer up to 750 kg, according to GOV.UK. That includes most vans. A van over 3,500 kg is a lorry and needs a lorry licence.
The Driver CPC does not apply to drivers of vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, so a van driver has none to maintain.
A digital tachograph driver card is needed where the vehicle has a digital or smart tachograph. Under the GB domestic rules, hours can be recorded on a weekly record sheet or on a tachograph, and the booking says which the vehicle has.
Sources: GOV.UK, Driving licence categories; Driver CPC (checked 1 October 2026).
Drivers’ hours
Van drivers are normally under the GB domestic drivers’ hours rules. GOV.UK says they apply to goods vehicles under 3.5 tonnes and to vehicles that are exempt from the main rules. The limits are 10 hours of driving in a day and 11 hours on duty in any working day, and the duty limit does not apply on a day when you do not drive.
The limits belong to the driver, whichever employer the hours were worked for, so we ask what you have worked in the days before a booking, including any other delivery or courier work.
Source: GOV.UK, Drivers’ hours: GB domestic rules (checked 1 October 2026).
Shifts
- Days
- Rounds and jobs through the day, from a depot or from home. Start times are set by the operator.
- Nights
- Overnight courier runs and early-morning rounds. The night work limits in the working time rules apply.
- Tramping
- Some long-distance courier and parcel work takes a driver away for a night or two, where the booking says so.
- Weekends
- Parcels are delivered every day of the week, and weekend rounds are part of the pattern.
Pay basis
Pay is an hourly rate set per booking. It depends on the work, the shift and the client, and some rounds are paid by the day. We do not publish rates on this site.
The National Living Wage is the legal floor for workers aged 21 and over, and no booking pays below the legal minimum wage. You are told the rate before you accept a shift.
Checks we run
DVLA licence check
We check your category B entitlement, endorsements and expiry with the DVLA, using the check code you give us.
Right to work
Checked before the first shift, with a record kept.
References
References cover your recent driving and how you deal with customers.
Hours awareness
We ask what you have worked in recent days, across every employer.
The full list of checks is on the compliance checks page.
Questions about van work
- Can I drive a van on a car licence?
Yes, for vehicles up to 3,500 kg. That is category B, the ordinary car licence, and it covers most vans. A bigger vehicle needs a lorry licence.
- Do I need a Driver CPC for van work?
No. The Driver CPC applies to drivers of vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. A van driver has none to maintain.
- Do clients check my points?
Yes, and so do we. The DVLA check shows endorsements and penalty points. Tell us at registration, because a booking can set limits on them and we match you to bookings you can take.
- Are van rounds paid per parcel?
Our agency bookings are paid for the hours on your signed timesheet. The rate is told to you with each offer.
Book a van driver
Give us the van size, the round or job type, the start time and the area. We come back on who can cover it.