What to put in a local delivery business package for 2027

What to take away

A package is what a customer agrees to buy. It is not a list of things you could do. Write each one as service, hours, vehicle, proof of delivery and price, and a dispatcher can quote it without calling you.

The 17 packages, and what belongs in each

Scheduled retail route. Same stores, same sequence, same window. Contents: standing route sheet, 30 to 90 minute windows, signature or photo proof, monthly stop count. Suits dry goods and apparel. Price per stop with a fuel surcharge.

Same-day local delivery. Ordered before a cut-off, delivered before close. Contents: cut-off time, two-hour window, live tracking link, photo proof. Suits law firms, labs, parts counters. Price per stop plus a rush band.

On-demand business delivery. No schedule, called as needed. Contents: app or phone intake, 60 to 90 minute response, per-mile and per-stop minimum. Suits offices with unpredictable errands. Price per stop with a minimum charge.

Pharmacy route where authorized. Contents: temperature log, lockable tote, signature capture, return-of-unused procedure. Suits independent pharmacies. Check your state board of pharmacy before quoting.

Restaurant overflow route. Contents: insulated bags, 30 minute window, no-stack rule, order-level proof. Suits kitchens whose own drivers run out at peak. Price per drop.

Ecommerce same-day service. Contents: warehouse pickup time, carrier handoff rules, failed-attempt procedure, return pickup. Suits retailers with a local warehouse. Price per parcel plus a return fee.

Legal document route. Contents: sealed envelope handling, named recipient only, timestamped proof, chain-of-custody log. Suits courts, title offices, process servers. Price per run.

Auto-parts route. Contents: parts lookup by ticket, core-return handling, before-noon and after-noon loops. Suits dealerships and repair shops. Price per stop with a core-return credit.

Floral delivery route. Contents: water packs, upright racks, recipient-not-home card, photo proof. Suits florists on peak days. Price per arrangement delivered.

Grocery route. Contents: cold totes, substitution rules, age check for alcohol, doorstep photo. Suits grocers and meal-kit accounts. Price per order plus a heavy-bag fee.

Office mail route. Contents: locked bag, internal mailroom sort, daily manifest, confidentiality clause. Suits multi-floor offices and campuses. Price per stop.

White-glove local delivery. Contents: two-person crew, blanket wrap, room-of-choice placement, damage form. Suits furniture and appliance sellers. Price per item plus a stair fee.

Dedicated driver plan. Contents: named driver, set hours, W-2 or 1099 classification stated in writing, substitution rule. Suits accounts that want the same face daily. Price per hour.

Dedicated vehicle plan. Contents: vehicle type, branding rights, mileage cap, maintenance responsibility. Suits accounts that need a wrapped van on site. Price per week plus mileage.

Weekend coverage. Contents: Saturday and Sunday windows, holiday list, premium rate, on-call driver. Suits retail and pharmacy. Price per stop at a weekend rate.

After-hours coverage. Contents: night window, key or lockbox handling, alarm procedure, emergency contact. Suits labs and restaurants. Price per stop at a night rate.

Account reporting package. Contents: on-time percentage, exception log, stop count, invoice detail, quarterly review. Suits any account over roughly 200 stops a month. Price bundled into the per-stop rate.

What the contract has to say

Every package above needs a stop cap. Without one, a customer adds stops until your route runs late and your service level breaks. State the cap, the overage rate and the notice period for volume changes.

Chain of custody decides what you may carry. Alcohol, tobacco, pharmacy and cannabis each sit under a different state authority. Name the authority and confirm before you quote, because a permit you do not hold turns a delivery into a seizure.

Prohibited goods belong in writing. List what you will not carry, from firearms to lithium cells to live animals, and have the customer sign it. That clause is what you show an insurer after a claim.

Worker classification is not a contract term you can choose freely. The IRS sets the test, and a dedicated driver plan is the package most likely to fail it. Keep the records the IRS asks for and get a CPA or enrolled agent to review the arrangement.

Advertise only claims you can support. If you say same-day, define the cut-off. The FTC treats an unsupported delivery promise as a deceptive claim, and endorsements need disclosed relationships.

A worked example

A pharmacy account wants 40 stops a day, six days a week. Two drivers at eight hours each, one van per driver, 40 stops split across two loops of 20.

If your all-in cost is C per hour and the route runs H hours a day, your floor is (2 x C x H) / 40 per stop. Add the temperature-log labor and the return-of-unused handling, then compare against the account's offered rate.

If the offered rate sits below the floor, cut the stop count or the days, not the proof of delivery.

Common questions

What is the difference between a package and a service list?

A service list says what you can do. A package fixes the hours, the vehicle, the proof of delivery and the price, so the customer buys a defined outcome. If two customers get different terms, that is two packages.

Do all 17 need to be offered at once?

No. Start with the two or three that match your existing routes and vehicles, then add one when a customer asks twice. Each new package adds a permit question, an insurance question and a training cost.

How do I price a package with no history?

Build the cost per stop from driver hours, vehicle cost and stop count, then add your margin. Confirm the current figures with your own books, because wages, fuel and insurance move every year.

Where do the compliance questions get answered?

FMCSA for interstate cargo securement, your state DOT for intrastate authority, your state board of pharmacy for medication, the IRS for worker classification, and your state insurance regulator for coverage. Each one has a licensed professional behind it. Use them.

For the market side of the same decision, see best markets for a local delivery business in 2027. For the full service catalogue these packages sit inside, see the local delivery services and packages guide for 2027. When an account asks you to formalize the offer, follow the account packaging process.

Check the current cargo rules at FMCSA cargo securement rules, the advertising standards at FTC advertising FAQs for small business, and the recordkeeping baseline at IRS records to keep.