As we head into 2025, getting pretty much anything you desire delivered to your doorstep within just a few days – or less – of placing the order has become quite commonplace. With how frequent delivery has become in our everyday shopping and food ordering, delivery workers have become an essential workers in the digital age. Yes, while much of the process is automated through the web, the process still needs the human touch of actual people to transport the goods from manufacturing to transit to the recipient’s doorstep.
The vitalness of delivery workers to today’s economy has made working in home delivery an intriguing career if not a part-time job. However, with home deliveries come significant legal risks that can lead to a host of serious consequences if not properly informed. Let’s take a look at some of the most frequent legal risks delivery drivers may encounter on the job, and how they can protect themselves from any harm.
Trespassing Claims
When a delivery person drops off a package at a recipient’s home, they are in almost all cases stepping onto someone’s private property. But accidentally entering the wrong address – or even having a similar-looking house to your neighbor – can cause your package to land at the wrong doorstep, and thus having the delivery person enter someone else’s property wrongfully, opening up a possible case of trespassing. Doing this, even if it’s a simple mistake, can still warrant a trespassing complaint. In fact, in some circumstances, this claim may be made by a homeowner even if the package was intended for the correct house.
As a means of avoiding this claim, each delivery company should have clear rules for how the delivery is placed. For example, some instructions might have the delivery person take a photo of the package upon delivery to verify it was successfully received. Other laws aimed at being more careful may disallow the delivery person from ringing one’s doorbell, to not draw extra attention to the delivery being made.
Dog Attacks
Any pet owner who has a dog at home understands that dogs can become aggressive when strangers approach or enter the house. This is no different from delivery workers, who dogs can perceive as threats and may be inclined to bite the deliverer should the dog come within close contact of them. This is obviously a serious hazard for delivery workers entering residential properties. However, many states have dog bite laws that hold pet owners liable if their dog bites outsiders on home property.
The law is enforced differently depending on the state. Some US states are stricter, where the dog owner will be held responsible even if the dog has not had similar attacks previously. Regardless of the specificity of the law, it is important for delivery workers to take the following steps should they be subject to a dog attack: seek medical care where needed to repair their physical wounds and report such an incident to their employer. Having an organized log of dog-related incidents while on the delivery job will put employers in a good spot should further legal action be taken to receive compensation.
Property Damage Claims
Property damage can occur in a number of ways. This can be as small as a delivery person not seeing carefully in front of them and stepping on and damaging a bed of flowers in the home garden, to as serious as a car accident upon arrival in which the delivery person scratches another car or worse, runs over the home mailbox and crashes into the house due to negligence.
In this serious case, delivery companies typically have liability insurance to cover these incidents. However, delivery workers should be extra careful, namely paying close attention to surrounding deliveries and to any hazards on the road that may impede their vision. This is especially true for deliveries being made in severe weather such as a blizzard. Any damage that is made should be documented via photo, video, and a written description to provide ample evidence for any subsequent lawsuits that emerge.
Theft and Robbery Risks
With the rise of same-day and two-day delivery, homeowners have the luxury of getting expensive items hand-delivered right to their door. The downside of leaving the items up to delivery workers though (and making deliveries perhaps at times when no one is home to collect the item) is that theft can occur to these expensive items if they are not picked up by the true recipient in time. Now, this affects delivery workers because let’s say a package goes missing, the homeowner might be inclined to immediately blame the delivery worker for stealing their package when in reality it was a third-party thief who swooped in to snag the package off of someone’s front porch.
To protect delivery drivers in these unfortunately all-too-frequent thief cases, delivery companies should instill standard practices such as requiring signatures for high-value items and having camcorders on the outside of delivery vehicles to have tangible evidence of the item being successfully delivered by the delivery worker. Otherwise, a lack of evidence can put a delivery driver into legal trouble they are not liable for.
Although delivery work comes with a series of inherent risks, they are often avoidable if delivery companies put their drivers into a supportive environment that provides protection for when things go awry. Delivery work can be a super rewarding job that provides many people with the essential items to live their lives fully. By staying informed and taking proactive safety measures, delivery workers and their employers are likely to reduce encountering legal troubles while on the job.
