Van driver reference checking — licence, delivery conduct and customer service

What van driver references should cover

Van driver employment references should address: licence categories held (B, B+E, C1), any endorsements or penalty points, delivery performance and route adherence, conduct with customers at point of delivery — particularly important for consumer-facing last-mile operations, vehicle care and any damage incidents during their employment, adherence to company delivery procedures and proof of delivery requirements, any customer complaints or conduct concerns during their employment, and whether the referee would have any concerns about the candidate driving and making deliveries on behalf of a client. Standard employment references asking about general performance generate almost no useful information for a delivery driver placement.

Last-mile delivery and customer conduct

Van drivers in last-mile delivery operations are the most visible face of the client brand to end customers. A driver with a poor record for customer conduct can generate complaints, damage the client's NPS scores and create reputational issues that outweigh the commercial value of the placement. References for last-mile delivery drivers should specifically ask about customer-facing conduct, handling of delivery disputes and difficult customers, and any complaints received during their employment. RefAssure van driver templates include these customer conduct fields alongside standard licence and performance questions.

For agencies placing van drivers into specialist operations — pharmaceutical delivery, cash-in-transit, high-value goods — references should address the candidate's experience with and conduct in secure and sensitive delivery contexts. RefAssure templates can include operation-specific questions for specialist van driver placements. From 99p per reference with no subscription.