# Will route drivers be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Route drivers score 30 of 100 for AI exposure. 53% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 18% today and speed up another 29%. - **18%** AI can do it - **29%** AI helps - **53%** Needs a person Moderate exposure Lower than 63% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 11 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 3 and leaves 6 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Record sales or delivery information on daily sales or delivery record. Logging deliveries digitally is routine data entry AI handles well. | 70% AI can do it | | Write customer orders and sales contracts according to company guidelines. Orders and templated contracts are routine text AI can draft. | 65% AI can do it | | Inform regular customers of new products or services and price changes. AI drafts announcements; personal conversations with customers stay human. | 35% AI helps | | Review lists of dealers, customers, or station drops and load trucks. AI builds load lists; physically loading trucks stays human. | 35% AI helps | | Collect money from customers, make change, and record transactions on customer receipts. Receipt and payment logging automates; handling physical cash is manual. | 30% AI helps | ## How route drivers compare All occupations (923) Transportation and material moving (52) **Route drivers score 30**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 25 for transportation and material moving. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $38,770 a year, May 2025 People employed 409,180 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +7.9% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Log stop-level delivery records in Route Sales Tracker - Run route planning software to rebuild daily stop sequences - Load trucks manually against the station drop list - Hold a face-to-face complaint resolution with store managers - Maintain and clean dispensing equipment on the truck - Set up in-store merchandise and promotion displays manually ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Truck drivers27 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/truck-drivers/) - [Postal service mail carriers26 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/postal-service-mail-carriers/) - [Warehouse workers17 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/warehouse-workers/) - [Fast food workers24 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/fast-food-workers/) - [Parking attendants20 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/parking-attendants/) ## Questions about route drivers and AI Will AI replace route drivers? Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours for a route driver go to tasks AI can already do, mostly logging delivery records and writing customer orders. The driving, loading, unloading, machine servicing and face-to-face selling stay with people, and those make up most of the job. Which route driver tasks is AI taking over? Recording sales or delivery information scores 70 on exposure, so daily delivery logs are a clear case for automation. Writing customer orders and templated sales contracts scores 65, since AI can draft that text from company guidelines. Both tasks move to software first. Which route driver tasks stay human? Driving trucks and unloading goods score 8 on exposure, and collecting coins or refilling vending machines score 3. Both need a person physically on site with a vehicle and equipment. Resolving complaints face to face scores 15, because it depends on live judgement. How can route drivers stay valuable as AI takes on paperwork? Shift your time toward the tasks that stay on site. Learn route planning software well enough to rebuild stop sequences, keep the truck and dispenser equipment running, and handle complaints and in-store displays in person. Those hands-on steps are what customers and employers still pay for. ## Related jobs - [Light truck drivers32 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/light-truck-drivers/) - [Shipping clerks47 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/shipping-clerks/) - [Rental clerks57 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/rental-clerks/) - [Couriers35 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/couriers/) ## Next steps for route drivers - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.