P&D Drivers

Often many shippers assume that all truck drivers do the same exact job – drive our freight by truck. However, when you are shipping your freight by truck, there could be multiple different types of truck drivers depending on your locations for shipping. Among the most common drivers that shippers interact with are Pickup and Delivery Drivers (P&D Drivers). These are the individuals who are solely responsible for picking up the freight from the location and delivering the freight to the consignee.

These local drivers are the heart of the transportation customer experience since they are the drivers that consignees meet face-to-face. Typically, a P&D driver is assigned a specific route, determined by the dispatch center, and coordinated for the shipment to reach its intended destination. In addition, many of them go through training or truck driving school before becoming drivers. Occasionally, if the shipper decided to pay for the shipment by collect, then the P&D Driver must collect the payment when dropping off the shipment to the consignee.

The P&D driver is not the only truck driver responsible for handling your freight shipment. There are also line drivers involved with many shipments. Most shippers don’t see line drivers because they work behind the scenes. Unlike P&D drivers, they do not usually pick up or deliver the shipments. They simply move the freight between terminals or possibly between carriers. Nevertheless, they play an important role in delivering your freight. Most of the time, it is the freight forwarder who coordinates the shipping plan between different truck drivers or even different carriers.