Parcel and e-commerce delivery differs from food delivery in the vehicle, the volumes and the liability. A driver carrying dozens of parcels is responsible for goods of real value, and that changes what the arrangement should look like.
This page covers the requirements and the questions to ask about liability, because who pays for a lost or damaged parcel is the term drivers most often discover after it matters.
Driver or Vehicle Requirements at a Glance
What parcel delivery work generally requires.
- Be 18 years or older with a valid South African ID, or the right to work in South Africa
- A valid driver’s licence for the vehicle used
- A vehicle with adequate load space, in roadworthy condition, with a valid vehicle licence
- Insurance covering commercial goods delivery use, and clarity on cover for the goods
- The applicable operating licence or authorisation for goods transport, where required
- A professional driving permit in the goods category, where the vehicle class requires it
- A police clearance certificate, generally required where valuable goods are carried
- A smartphone with data, and a bank account in your own name
Licence and Eligibility Requirements
Confirm the goods transport position with your provincial regulatory entity and licensing authority. What authorisation and what professional driving permit category apply depend on the vehicle and the service, and they differ from the passenger position.
Ask who is liable for lost or damaged goods. This is the central commercial question. If a parcel is stolen from the vehicle, damaged in transit, or delivered to the wrong person, who bears the loss? Get the answer in writing before starting, and check whether your insurance covers goods in transit and to what value.
Goods-in-transit cover is a specific product and is not part of ordinary motor insurance. Ask what it costs, what it covers and what the excess is.
Background checks are stricter here because the goods have value. A police clearance is generally required and a criminal record involving dishonesty is usually disqualifying.
Establish your employment status. Whether a delivery driver is an independent contractor or an employee has been contested, and it affects rights under the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997. Where you work through a fleet owner rather than directly with a platform, get the arrangement documented.
Where you work through a courier company rather than the retailer, your contract is with that company. Establish who your counterparty actually is and get the terms in writing.
Vehicle, Inspection and Safety Requirements
Vehicle security is the operational risk. Parcel vehicles are targeted, and a loaded vehicle left unattended is an invitation. Lock it every time, keep parcels out of sight, vary your routine where you can, and never leave the vehicle running.
Proof of delivery protects you. Follow the platform’s process exactly — signature, photograph, one-time PIN or whatever it prescribes — on every delivery without exception. A delivery without proof is a delivery you may have to pay for.
Never leave a parcel without following the process, however convenient it seems and however much the customer asks. That is where liability lands on the driver.
Photograph anything unusual — a damaged parcel received, an inaccessible address, a refused delivery — dated. It is the record that resolves a dispute.
Load safely. Restrain the load, do not obstruct your vision or the mirrors, and do not overload the vehicle. Payload includes everything in the vehicle and exceeding it is an offence that also voids the insurance position.
Lifting causes the injuries in this work. Heavy or awkward parcels and repeated lifting cause back injuries. Lift properly, ask for help with heavy items, and decline what you cannot handle safely.
Insurance must cover commercial use. A personal motor policy generally excludes it, and a claim after an accident while working is likely to be rejected.
Documents, PrDP or Supporting Evidence
What is needed to register.
- Certified copy of your South African ID, or passport and a valid permit with the right to work
- A valid driver’s licence for the vehicle used
- The vehicle registration certificate and current licence disc
- An insurance schedule showing commercial delivery cover
- A police clearance certificate, where required
- Proof of residence
- Banking details in your own name
- A smartphone meeting the platform’s specification
- The applicable goods transport authorisation, where required
- A professional driving permit in the goods category, where required
- Goods-in-transit insurance details, where held
- Proof of the vehicle’s load capacity and permissible payload
Registration or Application Process
Apply directly to the platform or the courier company, and confirm the licence and permit position with the regulatory authorities before starting.
Get the liability terms in writing before the first shipment — who pays for loss, damage and misdelivery, what the deduction process is, and what the appeal is. Those terms determine whether the work is worth doing.
Calculate the economics honestly — fuel, maintenance, tyres, insurance, data and any rental — against deliveries per day at realistic rates including failed deliveries and returns.
Keep records of trips, earnings and expenses. Income from this work is taxable and must be declared to SARS, and expenses actually incurred in producing it are deductible — but only with records. Registering as a provisional taxpayer may apply; confirm with SARS.
- Confirm the goods transport authorisation and permit category required
- Ask in writing who is liable for lost, damaged or misdelivered goods
- Ask whether goods-in-transit cover is provided or needed
- Declare commercial use to your motor insurer
- Follow the proof of delivery process on every delivery, without exception
- Never leave a parcel outside the prescribed process
- Lock the vehicle every time and keep parcels out of sight
- Restrain the load and never exceed the permissible payload
- Lift properly and decline what you cannot handle safely
- Keep records — the income is taxable and expenses are deductible
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays for a lost or damaged parcel?
Ask in writing before starting. It is the central commercial term and drivers most often discover it after a loss. Check whether goods-in-transit cover applies and to what value.
Is goods-in-transit cover part of my motor insurance?
No. It is a specific product covering the goods rather than the vehicle. Ask what it costs, what it covers and what the excess is.
Can I leave a parcel if the customer asks?
Not outside the prescribed process. A delivery without the required proof is one you may have to pay for, however reasonable the request seemed.
Do I need a professional driving permit?
It depends on the vehicle class and the service. Confirm the goods category requirement with your licensing authority and provincial regulatory entity.
Goods transport authorisations, permit categories, insurance products and platform liability terms are set by the regulatory authorities, insurers and the platforms and are revised. Confirm current requirements with each and get liability terms in writing.