Driver Partner requirements
Summary
Starling works with professional drivers who use their own vehicles to deliver the best specialty food products Southern Ontario has to offer — to businesses and residential homes across the region. This support article outlines the requirements for Driver Partner applicants.
Basic requirements
All of Starling’s driver partners must have all of the following:
A professional customer service-oriented personality and strong communication skills
A knack for navigation and love for driving
A valid driver’s license
A valid SIN or Canadian work permit
A clean well-maintained car, SUV, van, or other motor vehicle
A data-connected smartphone with good microphone and camera quality
Application process
If you’re interested in applying to drive for Starling, click here.
For more details on our transparent and respectful hiring process, review this support article.
Delivery photos & notes
Summary
Using the Onfleet Driver app, all Driver Partners are expected to submit a series of photos at pickup and drop-off for every delivery, in addition to required notes. These details help our Driver Support team ensure Driver Partners are delivering the correct items to the correct locations, and give Starling’s Maker & Retailer Partners peace of mind. This support article outlines what’s required of Driver Partners.
A note on photo requirements
It’s critical Driver Partners take care when snapping all required photos, ensuring submitted photos are sharp and well-lit with all necessary details clearly visible in the centre of the photo. If you are unable to capture the required details in a single photo, submit as many as needed to capture the necessary information.
Submitting blurry, dark, or unnecessary photos negatively impacts the Driver Support team’s ability to support you and is unacceptable.
Tip: To ensure all necessary photos are captured, especially in areas with weak cellular service like elevators, use your phone's default camera app to take photos and then upload them to the Onfleet Driver app when completing the task. This method prevents accidental loss of photos.
Details to submit at pickup
Using the Onfleet Driver app, in the appropriate pick-up task, Driver Partners must submit the following photos as attachments at the time of pickup before completing the task:
Shipping Label Photos - A photo of the shipping label on each item picked up. For example, if you are picking up three boxes, attach three label photos, one for each box label.
Shipment Photo - A photo of all picked up items packed into your vehicle.
Invoice Photo - A photo of the shipment’s invoice, if provided by the shipper.
In the Notes section, input the number of pieces you received for each delivery. For example, if in one pickup task you are picking up two boxes for Destination A and three boxes for Destination B, input “A = 2, B = 3”.
Details to submit at drop-off (Business locations)
Using the Onfleet Driver app, in the appropriate drop-off task, Driver Partners must submit the following photos as attachments at the time of drop-off before completing the task:
Shipping Label Photos - A photo of the shipping label on each item dropped off.
Business Location Photo - Photos of the front of the business with the business name.
Drop-off Photo - A photo of where the items were left or received by the recipient. For example, if the items were left on the counter in a cafe, take a photo of the items in-place.
Signed Invoice Photo - A photo of the full signed or stamped invoice with delivery address visible, if an invoice was provided. Ensure the printed name of the individual who signed for delivery is clearly visible or add the name in the Notes section.
Important: Certain locations, like major grocery stores, or customers may have specific requirements for their invoice. You’ll see special instructions as needed so be sure to check the task details.
In the Notes section:
input the total number of pieces dropped off. For example, if two boxes were dropped off, enter “2 pcs”.
if the Task Details indicate you must collect bags/packaging and you picked up bags/packaging, input “YB”. If no bags/packaging were collected, input “NB”.
Details to submit at drop-off (Home, Condo, or Apartment Destinations)
In the Onfleet Driver app, in the appropriate drop-off task, Driver Partners must submit the following photos as attachments at the time of drop-off before completing the task:
Shipping Label Photos - A photo of the shipping label on each item dropped off.
Building Photo - A photo of the outside of the house or the condo/apartment building number.
Unit Entrance Photo - A photo of the condo or apartment’s unit number, if applicable.
Drop-Off Photo - A photo of all the items left at the door, if not handed directly to the customer.
In the Notes section:
if the items were handed directly to the recipient, input “H2H”.
Important: If the items are handed directly to the recipient, all photos are still required.
If you were unable to complete the drop-off according to the delivery instructions, you must include detailed notes on where you delivered the items, to whom you may have left them with, and why the instructions could not be followed. For example, if a building concierge won’t let you enter the building to deliver to a unit and requests you to leave the items at the concierge desk, input notes indicating this, including the concierge’s name and the time.
if the Task Details indicate you must collect bags/packaging and you picked up bags/packaging, input “YB”. If no bags/packaging were collected, input “NB”.
Driver Partner application process
Summary
Driver Partners are the face of Starling and we’re committed to their success every step of the way. We offer Driver Partners routes we think they’ll enjoy and excel with, and we’ve created a transparent application and supportive onboarding process to help with that. This article outlines what drivers can expect from the moment they submit their application to drive for Starling.
Step 1: Apply to drive
First thing’s first, apply to drive on the Starling website by booking an interview and sharing the requested information. You will receive an email confirmation.
Step 2: Driver Interview
We’ll call you for a short interview – please ensure you’re available to receive the call at the time you selected. We receive many Driver Partner applications and may move on to the next application if you are unable to answer.
Note: Your Caller ID may list us as an unknown contact when we call you. Don’t worry, that’s us!
During the interview, we’ll tell you about our company and take the time to get to know you, and your delivery capabilities and preferences. This is also your opportunity to ask us any questions you have.
After the interview, we enter your details into our Driver Partner database.
Starling accepts drivers into its Driver Partner fleet when there is a consistent match between delivery demand and a driver’s delivery preferences and capabilities. So, you may not hear from us right away. But when you do, it’s because we can offer you delivery routes that better meet your needs with greater stability.
Step 3: Driver onboarding
When we are able to add you to our Driver Partner fleet, you will receive a text message from Starling’s Driver Support team with information on the next steps. It will look something like this:
Intro message: Hey X, this is Starling. We recently spoke during our driver interview. We have a trial route available for X date. Are you interested in moving forward?
Onboarding message: Hi [NAME], congrats! You’ve been added to Starling’s Driver Partner fleet. We can’t wait for you to get started. Watch for a text message from Onfleet inviting you to download the Onfleet Driver mobile app – it’s how we manage deliveries with you. Your temporary password is: XXXXXXXXX. Once you download the app, you’ll need to change your password, go ‘On Duty’, and select the “All” button to see routes assigned to you.
Please complete all necessary onboarding tasks in a timely fashion.
Step 4: Trial route offer
Once you complete the onboarding tasks, we’ll offer you a paid trial delivery route.
Whenever we offer routes, we provide the following details:
Start time and location
End time and location
Total kilometers of the route
Total number of stops on the route
Total compensation for completing the route
Generally, you can choose to accept or decline route offers. While there is no penalty or metric tied to declining an offer, consistently accepting and successfully completing routes will reflect positively on you as a reliable driver.
At this stage, as we are still evaluating your fit as a Driver Partner, we do expect you to accept the trial route if you are still interested in driving for Starling. You can expect this route to be shorter than a typical route.
Note: If you can’t commit to the route right away, just let us know you’ve received our message and let us know what date you would be ready. We can’t always wait until that date, but by responding to us, it lets us know you’re still interested.
Step 5: Complete the Trial Route
When you drive for Starling, real people from our Driver Support team are always available to answer your questions. For your trial route, you get extra-special VIP treatment.
On the day before the trial route begins, the Driver Support team will call you to:
walk you through the full route.
answer any questions, whether it’s help with the Onfleet Driver app or anything else.
On the day of the trial route, our Driver Support team will:
send a morning check-in message to ensure you’re ready to go.
monitor your progress.
proactively reach out to you if they notice something is wrong.
give you priority support if you contact them.
If the trial route is successful, we will add you to our Driver Partner fleet and will begin sending you route offers.