US Air Quality

Delivery and Logistics

Outdoor workers guide based on air quality conditions.

QUICK ANSWER

What AQI is safe for delivery drivers and couriers?

Outdoor delivery and courier work is safe when the AQI is under 100. An AQI of 0–50 (Good) is fine for all shifts, and 51–100 (Moderate) is generally safe — drivers with asthma or heart conditions should take caution. From 101–150 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), reduce the most strenuous legs and rotate sensitive workers; above 150 (Unhealthy), limit prolonged exertion, take breaks in clean air, and use an N95. Walking and cycling couriers breathe harder than drivers, so they take in more pollution at the same AQI.

✓0–50 (Good): safe for all delivery and courier shifts.
✓51–100 (Moderate): generally safe; drivers with asthma or heart conditions take caution.
✓101–150 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups): ease the most strenuous legs, rotate sensitive workers.
✓151+ (Unhealthy and above): limit prolonged exertion, break in clean air, use an N95.

Frequently asked questions

What AQI is safe for delivery drivers and couriers?▾

AQI 0–50 (Good) is safe for all outdoor delivery work, and 51–100 (Moderate) is generally safe, though workers with asthma, heart conditions, or other sensitivities should take caution. From AQI 101–150 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), reduce the most physically demanding legs and rotate sensitive workers. At AQI 151 and above (Unhealthy), limit prolonged outdoor exertion, take breaks in filtered indoor air, and wear an N95.

Are walking or cycling couriers more at risk than drivers?▾

Yes. Walking and cycling couriers breathe faster and deeper than someone seated in a vehicle, so at the same AQI they inhale considerably more pollution. On elevated-AQI days they should ease their pace, shorten routes, and favor side streets over busy arterials, where traffic exhaust concentrates. Enclosed delivery vehicles offer some protection, especially with the ventilation set to recirculate.

When is the best time of day to run delivery routes for cleaner air?▾

Early morning generally has the best air quality, before traffic builds and before sunlight drives ground-level ozone formation. Evening can also be good once ozone decreases after sunset. Routing away from congested main roads lowers exposure at any hour, since pollution drops sharply just a block or two off a busy arterial.

Protect Yourself Outdoors

Gear for exercising in poor air

At AQI 101, the air outside is already in the range where hard breathing pulls in more pollution. If you're heading outdoors anyway, two pieces of gear do more than anything indoors:

N95 / KN95 mask

Wear a mask when exercising in poor air — a snug N95/KN95 filters the PM2.5 and wildfire smoke that mouth-breathing drives deep into your lungs. (Masks do little against ozone, a gas.)

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Portable air-quality monitor

Check the air where you actually are — a pocket PM2.5 monitor reads your street, trail or field, which can be far worse (or better) than the nearest official station miles away.

Shop Portable AQ Monitors on Amazon →

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Air Quality Guidelines for Delivery

When exercising or working outdoors, you breathe faster and deeper, potentially inhaling more air pollution. Knowing when it is safe to be active outdoors is crucial for your health.

When to Exercise/Work Outdoors

AQI 0-50 (Good): Safe for all activities
AQI 51-100 (Moderate): Generally safe, sensitive individuals take caution
AQI 101-150 (Unhealthy for Sensitive): Reduce intense activities
AQI 151+ (Unhealthy): Avoid prolonged outdoor exertion

On the road all day in poor air? Clean the air where you recover:

Our Pick

Protect Your Indoor Air

With an AQI of 101 driven by particle pollution, outdoor pollution is seeping indoors. A True-HEPA purifier captures up to 99.97% of the dust, pollen and coarse particles behind this reading. On unhealthy days like today, size up to a higher-CADR unit so it can clear the whole living area quickly.

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Compare top-rated True-HEPA purifiers:

Large Room

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Best Times of Day

Early morning typically has the best air quality before traffic builds up and ozone forms. Evening can also be good once ozone decreases after sunset.

Protection Tips

Check the AQI before heading outdoors
Choose routes away from busy roads when possible
Consider wearing an N95 mask on poor air quality days
Move activities indoors when AQI is elevated

Where delivery work is hardest on your lungs right now

The five monitored US cities with the highest Air Quality Index in our latest EPA AirNow snapshot. If you are planning delivery work in or near one of these, check the city page (and the live AirNow reading) before you go.

#	City	AQI	Category	Main pollutant	Observed
1	Little Rock, AR	96	Moderate	PM2.5	9:00 PM CDT on September 16, 2026
2	Visalia, CA	83	Moderate	PM10	7:00 PM PDT on September 16, 2026
3	Jackson, MS	75	Moderate	PM2.5	9:00 PM CDT on September 16, 2026
4	Bakersfield, CA	74	Moderate	O3	7:00 PM PDT on September 16, 2026
5	Charlotte, NC	73	Moderate	PM2.5	10:00 PM EDT on September 16, 2026

Source: EPA AirNow (files.airnowtech.org reportingarea.dat). This snapshot was taken when the site was last built (Sep 17, 2026, 3:03 AM UTC); AQI changes hourly, so treat this as a starting point, not a live reading. Covers 146 of 149 tracked cities.