What Day Work is
Day Work is the part of Delivery Driver HQ for single days of driving. A company that needs a driver for a day posts the shift with a fixed day rate. Drivers who want it put a hand up. The company looks at who has, chooses one, and the two of them get each other's contact details. After the shift the company rates the driver.
It is built for two people. The transport manager whose driver has dropped out and whose van is loaded. And the driver who wants to pick up extra days, or to try a company out, without taking a permanent job. Day Work is in early access and is opening town by town, so that when a driver signs in there is real work nearby and when a company posts there are real drivers to choose from.
How it works for drivers
- Sign in for the day. One switch on the Day Work page says you are available today. You set where you are starting from and how far you will travel. It switches itself off at midnight, so you are never shown as available by accident.
- See the shifts in range. Each one shows the day rate, the start time, the place, how far it is from you and whose vehicle it is. While you are signed in you also get an email when a new shift is posted near you.
- Put your hand up. That is the whole application. There is no covering letter and no counter-offer. You can put your hand down again any time before the company chooses.
- If you are chosen you get an email straight away with who to ask for and a number to call. The shift moves to My shifts.
- Afterwards the company rates you from one to five stars, and your day-work record builds from there.
How it works for companies
- Post the shift. The day, the start time, where the driver starts, the fixed day rate, the vehicle and who to ask for on the day. It takes about a minute.
- Drivers nearby are told. Every driver signed in for day work whose travel range covers your start point gets an email, and your page shows how many are signed in near you.
- Compare the hands up. For each driver you see licence categories, delivery experience, their star rating and the share of booked shifts they actually turned up for.
- Choose one. They are emailed the details, the other drivers are told the shift has gone, and you see your driver's phone number and email.
- Mark it done and rate them. If they did not turn up, say so. That is recorded separately from the stars.
Why the rate is fixed
The company names the day rate when it posts and drivers cannot counter-offer. That is deliberate. Open bidding on a day's work turns into a race to the bottom, where the cheapest driver wins rather than the most reliable one, and everybody's rate drifts down. With a fixed rate the only question a driver has to answer is whether the day is worth it to them, and the only question a company has to answer is who it trusts with the van. If nobody puts a hand up, the rate was too low, and the company can post again at a better one.
Two numbers, not one
A driver's day-work record shows a star rating and, separately, how often they turned up. A five-star driver who fails to show one day in four is not a five-star hire, and a single average would hide that. A no-show carries no star rating at all, it simply counts against reliability. Drivers who are new to Day Work are shown as new, not as zero stars.
Who pays, and what Delivery Driver HQ does
The company engages the driver and pays them directly, on whatever terms the two of them agree for that day. Delivery Driver HQ makes the introduction and takes no part in the agreement. No money passes through the site, and drivers are never charged to find work, which is also the law for anyone introducing people to work in the UK. Day Work is free for companies to use during early access.
Whether a driver is working as self-employed or as a worker for the day depends on the real arrangement, not on what anyone calls it. Both sides should read the GOV.UK guidance on employment status before the first shift, and self-employed drivers remain responsible for their own tax.
Whose vehicle, whose insurance
| Company provides the vehicle | Driver brings their own | |
|---|---|---|
| Who insures it | The company. Its policy must cover the driver it chooses, so check any age, licence-points or named-driver limits before choosing. | The driver, with hire-and-reward cover. Ordinary social, domestic and commuting insurance does not cover delivering for payment. |
| The goods | The company's goods-in-transit arrangements apply. | The driver needs goods-in-transit cover unless the company confirms its own policy covers the load. |
| Typical use | Covering a regular route when a driver is off. | Owner-drivers picking up overflow and peak days. |
Day Work shows these reminders when a shift is posted and when a hand goes up, but it does not check anybody's documents. Our guide to hire-and-reward insurance explains what own-vehicle drivers need, and the insurance page lists providers.
How it differs from a load exchange or an agency
Freight and courier exchanges are trade-only marketplaces where van-owning courier businesses quote on individual loads from A to B and negotiate the price. They are a good tool if you run a courier business with your own vehicle. They are no use to a driver with a licence and no van, and they do not help a company that needs a person in its own van for a day.
Driving agencies do supply day cover, by phone, and add a margin on top of what the driver is paid. Day Work is a direct introduction: you see the drivers, you choose, and what you agree to pay is what the driver gets.
Getting early access
Drivers: sign in or create a free account, then open Day Work and ask for early access. Companies: sign in and open Day Work for companies. We are switching areas on as soon as there are enough drivers and companies on both sides, and we email you when yours opens.
Questions
Can I negotiate the rate?
No. The rate on the shift is the rate. If it does not work for you, leave your hand down.
What if I am chosen and cannot make it?
Call the company at once using the number in your email. Not turning up without warning is recorded on your day-work record, where other companies see it.
Can the company see my phone number before it chooses me?
No. Companies see your first name, the initial of your surname, your licence, experience and record. Contact details are exchanged only with the driver who is chosen.
Is it only for vans?
No. A shift can be for a van, car, truck, motorcycle or bicycle, and the company says whether it provides the vehicle.