Delivery firm DPD looking for 100 drivers as demand soars amid Covid-19 crisis

DPD's Des Travers

Up to 100 extra staff are being hired at DPD due to an increase in demand for deliveries during the Covid-19 crisis.

DPD Ireland said there has been an 800% increase in the number of deliveries of electrical items.

It says the number of pet food deliveries has increased by 300%, and sports equipment deliveries are up by 225%.

The company said it experienced its busiest parcel volume throughput ever, through its Athlone Central Sortation hub on Tuesday.

Chief executive Des Travers says they have already hired extra staff but they need more.

He said: “In the last month we have increased the number of drivers in the network by 115 to 1,100. However, that’s not enough, we need more.”

He said the drivers the company was looking to hire must be over the age of 25, with previous delivery experience and a full licence to apply for driver positions on their website.

“Our hub has plenty of capacity. The expansion in 2018 and subsequent deployment of additional chutes in Q4 last year means that we can handle the increased volume easily,” he said.