How We Work

Our Employees

The safety of our employees is our highest priority. Every year, we invest tens of millions of euros in the maintenance, modernization and occupational safety of our facilities – more than €90 million in total between 2023 and 2026 alone.

Our facilities are inspected regularly, including as part of legally required occupational safety inspections, during which equipment, machinery and vehicles are examined for operational safety. In addition, local occupational safety committee meetings are held regularly at our sites together with our occupational safety specialists, external occupational physicians, depot managers and works councils. These are complemented by inspections and audits conducted by employers’ liability insurance associations and public regulatory authorities. Should deficiencies be identified, all detected risks are immediately prioritized and systematically addressed.

Our System Partners

DPD works closely and in a spirit of trust with its system partners (subcontractors). These companies employ around 11,000 people who deliver parcels and shipments.

These partnerships are typically long-term in nature. Nearly 40 percent of our system partners have worked with us for more than six years, and eight percent for more than 20 years. In our 2025 “Partner Barometer” survey, in which almost 60 percent of our system partners participated, 74 percent stated that they were “proud to be part of the DPD partner community.”

To become a system partner, logistics companies must complete a comprehensive certification process. This is the industry-standard certification procedure introduced in 2019 known as “Prequalification for Courier, Express and Parcel Services” (PQ KEP). The process assesses their suitability, reliability and compliance with social standards, particularly under the German Parcel Delivery Protection Act. Companies that meet these requirements receive official certification from the independent certification body ZertBau.

In addition, new system partners are contractually required to comply strictly with our ethical and social standards. These include, among other things: paying minimum wage, complying with working time regulations, and a strict prohibition on undeclared cash payments.

During the course of the partnership, system partners are regularly audited for compliance with social standards. This is carried out both by external authorities such as customs officials and employers’ liability insurance associations. In addition, the independent certification body ZertBau verifies at least once a year – and in some cases every three months – whether system partners are correctly paying social security contributions.

DPD also conducts its own reviews of system partners. A current review process is currently underway.

Both DPD employees and delivery drivers employed by system partners can report concerns at any time – and anonymously if they wish – through our confidential whistleblower system, Safecall.

Our Customers

Our primary focus is on our customers, both senders and recipients. They entrust us with their shipments, and our goal is to deliver them to their destination as quickly and safely as possible. Most parcels are delivered the next day, and with DPD Express this is even committed.

Our tracking system is among the leading systems in Germany. Our GPS-based live tracking often provides highly precise delivery windows (“with you in 15 minutes”), helping recipients avoid unnecessary waiting times.

Customer feedback is a key component in helping DPD continuously improve service quality. Complaints provide valuable insights into where processes can be optimized. We are fully transparent in this regard. Since 2025, we have published an annual complaints statistic that gives customers and the public insight into the relationship between parcel volumes and incoming complaints.

For 2025, the complaint rate stands at 0.09 percent of total parcel volume. Compared with the previous year, when the rate was 0.11 percent, DPD was able to reduce the number of complaints further.

The complaints statistics are based on the systematic recording and evaluation of all customer concerns received by DPD through various channels, including delayed deliveries, damaged shipments and lost parcels. Every complaint – regardless of whether it is submitted by phone, email or online – is centrally recorded, categorized and analyzed. The aim is to identify patterns at an early stage and implement targeted improvement measures.

Our damage rate – the percentage of parcels that are damaged – stands at 0.1 percent, in line with the industry average. Our focus is on reducing this rate further and continuously improving quality.

Our Network

DPD is one of the leading experts in parcel delivery in Germany, and this year we are celebrating our 50th anniversary. In Germany, we operate 83 depots and a network of around 11,300 pickup parcel shops and parcel lockers.

DPD Germany is part of Geopost, a leading European provider of parcel delivery and e-commerce solutions. Geopost operates in more than 50 countries and has a network of 150,000 pickup parcel shops and parcel lockers, as well as the first cross-border road network in Europe. Thanks to the Geopost network, we are also a logistics partner for global companies seeking to expand into new European markets.