Drivers and transportation workers injured on the job

Driving may be only part of the job. A delivery route can also mean lifting parcels, climbing steps, moving a loaded cart and getting in and out of a vehicle all day. Explain the whole assignment when you describe an injury.

Was it a crash, a stop or the load?

For a crash, keep the location, time, vehicle details and any report information you already have. Our car accidents at work page discusses work driving, commuting and the questions around a vehicle collision.

For an injury away from the driver's seat, describe the delivery, the item or equipment involved and the surface where you were standing. Note who assigned the route and whether anyone saw the incident.

Keep a record of the assignment

• The company or person who assigned the work, and the name on your pay records.
• Your own dispatch messages, route details or delivery confirmations.
• The incident report, existing photographs and witness contact details, if available.
• Any medical paperwork or letters about the claim.

You do not need to recreate every stop before calling. Begin with the assignment during which you were hurt.

Employment arrangements and gradual symptoms

Tell the office whether you were on payroll, working through another company or accepting work through an app. The DWC explains that a contractor label by itself does not decide employee status for workers' compensation. The actual arrangement needs to be understood.

The DWC also recognizes injuries from repeated exposures. If symptoms developed during repeated loading, lifting or vehicle access, explain that pattern and when you noticed it. Our repetitive stress page has more detail.

Source: California DWC, injured worker FAQs, checked October 2026.

Talk when you are off the road

Choose a time when you can stop and have a private conversation. The callback preferences let you suggest a time and say whether a voicemail is okay. Contact the office about your transportation work.