Your next-day
promise starts
with the right
driver.

The DPD ODF Recruitment Challenge

DPD Owner Driver Franchisees (ODFs) operate under a commercial agreement directly with DPD, managing specific delivery routes out of local depots. This model carries a dual burden: hitting daily next-day delivery targets while independently managing a fleet of substitute or relief drivers, leased or owned vehicles, fuel, and insurance.

• SLA Exposure: Unfilled driver slots translate directly into missed next-day delivery promises on your franchised route.
• Manual Processing Bottleneck: ODF managers spending hours calling applicants are not managing operations. This dual load reduces profitability.
• Competitor Competition: Drivers are targeted simultaneously by Amazon, Evri and Royal Mail. Manual outreach always loses to automation.

Automated Driver Processing

Onboarda removes the manual load from ODFs entirely. Every application is contacted, screened and either advanced or disqualified without any human time being spent — until the candidate is ready to hire.

• Instant Call on Application: Onboarda calls every new driver applicant within 5 minutes — before they accept a role elsewhere.
• ODF-Specific Screening: Confirms multi-drop experience, availability for relief driving, and understanding of vehicle responsibilities.
• Persistent Follow-Up: Missed calls are followed up with targeted, personalised SMS messages automatically.

ODF Franchise ROI

DPD ODFs automating driver recruitment with Onboarda report consistent performance improvements:

A DPD ODF running a small fleet and processing 120 driver applications per week, with each requiring an average of 10 minutes for initial contact, screening, and documentation, consumes 20 hours of management time weekly.

At a conservative employment cost of £15/hour, that equates to £300/week — £1,300/month — or £15,600 annually in time spent exclusively on first-stage candidate processing. This figure excludes the commercial penalty of missing next-day delivery SLAs when a relief driver cannot be found in time.

Onboarda provides a solution that simultaneously reduces cost and accelerates time-to-hire. By automating initial outreach and vetting, ODFs spend zero time on disqualified candidates and significantly more time onboarding qualified drivers to protect their routes.