Airborne Drones - What They Mean for Casual Owner Driver Jobs

Amazon Prime Air was announced back in late 2013 and is set to handle simple parcel deliveries in about four to five years. The service boasts delivery times within 30 minutes of orders being placed and could very well replace some owner driver jobs in the courier industry if the service really takes off.

So what does this all mean for couriers handling delivery jobs? Is this just a passing fad that will wither away, or will it be an apocalyptic event that will threaten owner driver jobs? Neither, when you look at the whole thing rationally.

Drone Deliveries Are Inevitable

The benefits of using automated drones to handle deliveries are obvious from a business point of view. They fly through the sky, therefore avoiding traffic and difficult terrain; they are machines that don’t take sick leaves or require benefits; and they can be replaced and upgraded without a care for labour laws. These are but a smattering of the very real benefits that make drones so attractive in the first place. It would be foolish to dismiss the impact of drones on those relying on owner driver jobs, but this does not mean that the humble courier should despair and start looking for other lines of work.

Drones Cannot Handle Heavy Packages

The thing about flying drones is that they can only carry packages of around one kilogram, or 2.2 pounds. That figure will eventually go up as drone technology advances, but weight capacities are unlikely to go up to beyond 4-5 kilograms any time soon. Airborne drones also have difficulty carrying bulky, unbalanced loads since doing so could compromise flight stability. This means that couriers need to start diversifying into jobs that handle heavier, bulkier packages.

Drones Cannot Fly Inside Confined Spaces

One significant advantage of having two arms and two legs is that we can squeeze into tight doorways that drones cannot enter. Couriers can enter apartment blocks or condominium complexes to drop off packages on a door-to-door basis – something that airborne drones will not be able to accomplish for decades to come. Drones will also have trouble manoeuvring around the tight confines of cities and skyscrapers, which is yet another bonus for couriers who work in the city.

Drones Don’t Build Rapport

A cold, unfeeling machine cannot match the warmth and accommodating nature of a human being. For all their merits, drones are designed simply to pick up and drop off packages – no questions asked. Human delivery drivers can take advantage of this by forming close bonds with those they encounter on their owner driver jobs. Build up your public relations skills and your local businesses will be more likely to support that nice chap (or lass) handling the deliveries for them instead of shifting over to drone deliveries.

Drones may look like an attractive delivery option, and in some cases they have clear and distinct advantages over their human counterparts. There are, however, many times where humans simply do a better job than machines: bulky packages that weigh a lot, tight spaces where drones can’t hover into and the human touch that builds trust and camaraderie between individuals. These advantages will help couriers find the right type of work to keep them in the delivery business - even when the drones start buzzing through the sky!

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day owner driver jobs in the express freight exchange industry. Over 2,500 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.