Delivering the peak

Christian Digby is always on the move in Malmö, a city in southern Sweden where historic charm meets modern flair. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

The DHL Freight delivery driver always wanted to be a truck driver, like his dad. As a kid, it was the big rigs – the 18-wheelers – that fascinated him most. Today, his heart beats for the quiet comfort of his electric delivery van, shorter routes, and daily interactions with his customers. He knows them all – and he only has to look at the parcels to know which customers he’ll see today.

“I know all my packages – they are like faces to me,” says Christian. “I know exactly which package is for which customer.”

Christian is young, but he’s no newbie. He started his logistics career at two other logistics companies, finding his way to DHL Freight two years ago. He says the pay, work-life balance, and, yes, the e-vehicle drew him to DHL.

It’s early. Christian starts his shift at 7 am, along with his fellow delivery drivers, but long before his colleagues in the sorting crew  arrive. That team spent the previous evening and night shifts processing and sorting the shipments. Christian and the other drivers will finish what they started, delivering the parcels to customers across Malmö.

The loading area is a hive of activity. The yellow and red delivery e-vans are neatly lined up next to a long conveyor belt in the middle of the room – all fully charged and ready to go. Each driver develops their own system for loading the van. After all, they know their route best and where to stack each package for maximum efficiency.

On normal days, Christian loads 100 to 120 shipments into his van. Today, it’s twice that many. The number of parcels typically doubles during the peak season. But Christian doesn’t mind. He says he loves this time of year.

After safely stowing everything away, Christian unplugs the e-van and gets behind the wheel. He presses a button to start the motor, which is barely audible, and off he goes into the morning streets of Malmö.

His daily route takes him through an industrial part of town, where he delivers mainly to business customers. But he also stops at private homes and several parcel lockers, known as iBoxes in Sweden. That’s because our DHL Freight division in Sweden also delivers online shopping orders.

To an outsider, his routine seems monotonous, even tedious: Drive, stop, unload, scan, sign, and drive off again. But not to Christian. He enjoys being on the move all day.

“I’m always in action,” he says. “I can’t sit still – everything happens quickly for me.”

DHL Freight is part of DHL Group’s Global Forwarding, Freight division and specializes in overland road and rail freight. This means the business unit mainly transports larger, bulk shipments for business customers. But in Sweden, DHL Freight also handles e-commerce shipments, such as online shopping orders. These parcels are delivered to parcel shops, lockers, and private homes.

In other countries, DHL eCommerce takes care of that business, but in Sweden, DHL eCommerce has been part of DHL Freight since 2024. 

The way things are going, we expect our e-commerce business in Sweden to grow 70% by 2027. That means Christian will have plenty to do down the road – and not just during peak season. But we suspect this is welcome news for someone who likes to be on the move.