Your vehicle breaks down halfway through your route. Walk me through what you do.

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests independent problem solving. Gives examples of handling a problem alone on the road using judgement, and knowing when to call dispatch.
• What to bring out: Making the vehicle and themselves safe, using hazards, contacting dispatch, securing the packages, and following procedure.
• Expect a follow-up like: What would you do if you could not reach dispatch?

Another way it may be asked: The van will not start after a stop and you still have forty deliveries. What do you do?

A structure to follow: STAR, with the weight on Action and Result

1. Step 1

   Situation

   One or two sentences: where, when and what was at stake. Pick a real example you were close to.

2. Step 2

   Task

   What you personally were responsible for. Say "I", not only "we", so the independent problem solving you showed is visible.

3. Step 3

   Action

   The two or three things you did and why you chose them over the alternatives. This should be about half your answer.

4. Step 4

   Result

   What changed, in your own measure of it, and what you would do differently. Only use numbers you can stand behind.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

• Describing what the team did without saying what you did.
• Choosing an example with no clear outcome, or one you cannot answer detailed questions about.
• Ending on the action and skipping the result and what you learned.

How to practise it

Write two bullet points for each STAR letter, then say the answer aloud in about two minutes.

Related questions

• You see a dog loose in a yard where you need to deliver. What do you do?
• Before you start a route, what do you check on your vehicle?
• What habits do you have that keep you safe when you are driving all day in traffic?
• You get to an address and the customer is not home and there is no safe place to leave the package. What do you do?
• A customer meets you at the door upset that their last package arrived damaged. How do you respond?

Browse all questions