Totally Reliable Delivery Service - Tips

Totally Reliable Delivery Service is funniest when everything goes wrong, but earning fast delivery times requires more than throwing a parcel into the nearest truck and hoping for the best. Packages take damage, vehicles behave unpredictably, characters lose their grip, and a route that looks sensible on the map may be terrible for the cargo you are carrying.

The secret is to work with the physics instead of fighting them. These tips explain how to carry parcels securely, choose vehicles, protect fragile cargo, coordinate multiplayer jobs, earn better delivery medals, and recover when a supposedly professional delivery turns into airborne chaos.

1. Learn the Grab-Lift-Release Rhythm

Most early mistakes happen because players try to raise an arm before grabbing the parcel. Hold the left or right grab trigger first, confirm that the hand is attached, and only then raise the arm. Release the arm button before releasing the grab if you want to lower the package carefully.

2. Use Two Hands for Important Packages

A one-handed carry is faster and leaves one hand free, but the parcel swings more and can slip during sharp movement. Hold both grab triggers for fragile packages, heavy objects, aerial deliveries, and any job where damage affects the final rating.

3. Walk for the Final Few Metres

Running saves time across open ground but becomes dangerous near stairs, doorways, loading platforms, water, and delivery targets. Switch to walking before the final approach so you do not stumble past the destination or smash the package into a wall.

4. Carry Fragile Cargo Low

Holding a parcel above your head helps with tall obstacles, but it also gives the object more room to swing. For fragile deliveries, keep it close to the body and raise it only when loading, climbing, or passing an obstruction.

5. Stabilize Cargo Inside Vehicles

Do not simply throw a parcel into the back of a truck and accelerate. Place it against a wall, into a corner, or inside a contained cargo area. A package positioned in the centre of a flat vehicle bed will slide and bounce during every turn.

6. Keep Holding the Package During Short Trips

On small vehicles or brief routes, a passenger can remain in the vehicle and hold the cargo with both hands. The player's grip effectively becomes a securing strap and can prevent the parcel from falling out during bumps or sharp turns.

7. Choose the Vehicle for the Parcel, Not Just the Distance

The fastest-looking vehicle is not always the fastest way to finish. An open sports car may be useless for a large box, while a slower van or truck can carry the package securely and complete the route without a recovery stop.

• Trucks and vans: Best for large or fragile cargo.
• Small cars: Useful for short road deliveries with compact parcels.
• Forklifts: Good for heavy objects and careful loading.
• Boats: Effective when the destination sits across water.
• Helicopters and aircraft: Fast over long distances but difficult with unsecured cargo.
• Unusual machines: Sometimes provide the best route when used creatively.

8. Test the Steering Before Loading

Move the vehicle a short distance before committing the package. This tells you how quickly it accelerates, how sharply it turns, whether it tends to roll, and which controls operate its special equipment. Learning those details with an empty vehicle is safer than discovering them with a damaged parcel onboard.

9. Accelerate Gradually

Full throttle creates wheelspin, sudden weight transfer, and flying cargo. Start smoothly, straighten the vehicle, and then build speed. The few seconds saved by a violent launch are rarely worth losing the package.

10. Brake Before the Corner

The vehicles have exaggerated momentum. Slow down before turning rather than trying to brake halfway through the corner. A controlled entry lets you accelerate cleanly toward the next section without rolling or throwing the parcel out.

11. Take Wide Turns With Large Vehicles

Trucks, forklifts, and long vehicles need more space than their appearance suggests. Approach narrow corners from the outside and make a broad turn. Clipping a post can rotate the entire vehicle and launch unsecured cargo.

12. Avoid Shortcuts That Cross Water

A direct line on the map may cross deep water, cliffs, steep slopes, or terrain that the vehicle cannot handle. Water is especially dangerous because characters can drown and packages can become difficult or impossible to recover. Follow a longer road unless you know the shortcut is safe.

13. Use the Ping in Multiplayer

The ping command is quicker and clearer than trying to describe a location during chaos. Mark the destination, useful vehicle, fallen package, or route you want the group to follow.

14. Assign Jobs Before Starting

Multiplayer deliveries improve dramatically when everyone has a role. One player can carry and secure the package, one can drive, and another can scout the route or operate doors and machinery. Four players all grabbing the same box usually creates comedy rather than progress.

15. Let One Player Control the Vehicle

Do not fight over steering wheels, helicopter controls, or levers. Physics-driven vehicles can react violently when multiple characters pull in different directions. Decide who is driving before loading the parcel.

16. Use a Passenger as a Cargo Handler

A passenger can sit or stand near the package and keep it grabbed throughout the journey. This is particularly effective in open trucks, boats, aircraft, and other vehicles without enclosed storage.

17. Do Not Overcorrect Aircraft

Small stick movements are safer than holding a direction. Allow the aircraft or helicopter time to respond, then correct gradually. Rapid left-right inputs create oscillation and can make both the vehicle and package uncontrollable.

18. Use Aircraft Hooks When Available

Some aircraft include hooks designed to secure packages and other objects. Attach the cargo carefully before takeoff, rise vertically until it clears nearby structures, and avoid sudden banking that can make the load swing.

19. Plan the Landing Before Taking Off

A helicopter may reach the destination quickly but still fail if there is nowhere safe to land. Look for a flat open area near the delivery point and approach it slowly. Sometimes lowering the parcel while hovering is safer than attempting a full landing.

20. Use Momentum for Throws, Not Random Button Mashing

To throw an object, grab it, raise or swing your arms, move in the desired direction, and release at the right moment. The parcel inherits your movement. Controlled momentum produces better throws than repeatedly pressing grab and arm buttons.

21. Recover the Package Before the Vehicle

After a crash, secure the delivery item first. Vehicles are replaceable, but the package may roll down a hill, fall into water, or suffer more damage while you attempt to flip the truck.

22. Restart Bad Attempts Early

When chasing a gold time, restart if the opening goes badly. Recovering a package from beneath a vehicle or across the wrong side of the map can take longer than beginning again with a cleaner plan.

23. Practise a Route Before Chasing Gold

Use the first attempt to identify the destination, vehicle locations, obstacles, and dangerous corners. Once you understand the route, repeat it with a suitable vehicle and a clear loading strategy. Route knowledge matters as much as mechanical skill.

24. Protect Package Condition

Fast delivery is only one part of a strong result. Avoid unnecessary impacts, long falls, vehicle rollovers, and dragging the parcel across rough ground. A slightly slower but intact delivery can outperform a reckless run.

25. Use the Map to Find Better Approaches

The most obvious path is not always ideal. Check whether the destination can be approached from behind, reached by water, accessed from a hill, or served by a vehicle parked elsewhere. A short planning pause can remove several difficult obstacles.

26. Unlock Garages and Learn Vehicle Locations

Knowing where useful vehicles spawn reduces the time spent improvising. Garages and discovered areas make later delivery attempts easier because you can choose equipment intentionally instead of relying on whatever happens to be nearby.

27. Explore Between Deliveries

The sandbox contains collectibles, hidden areas, ramps, vehicles, launchers, and physics toys. Exploration teaches you where everything is and helps you discover shortcuts that can later improve delivery times.

28. Use Photo Mode After the Disaster, Not During It

Photo Mode is excellent for capturing a truck suspended above a city or a friend being dragged by a helicopter. Finish stabilizing the package first, then frame the screenshot. Pausing for a photograph while the cargo is already sliding away rarely ends well.

29. Try Toggle Hand Grab if Holding Triggers Becomes Tiring

Long deliveries can require continuous trigger pressure. Toggle Hand Grab lets you maintain a grip without holding the trigger constantly, making heavy cargo and long multiplayer sessions more comfortable.

30. Enable Toggle Hands Up for Easier Carrying

Raising both arms while also holding two grab triggers can be physically awkward. The toggle option reduces the number of buttons that must remain held and makes overhead carrying more manageable.

31. Use the Simple Control Scheme When Learning

The Simple layout is useful for new players who find the independent limb controls overwhelming. Learn movement, grabbing, and vehicle behaviour first; the comedy remains intact even when the inputs are made easier.

32. Turn On the Joystick HUD Visualizer

The visualizer shows how stick movements affect your character and can clarify why an arm, vehicle, or machine is behaving unexpectedly. It is particularly helpful during the tutorial and when introducing a new player.

33. Remember That Failure Is Part of the Game

Not every crash needs an immediate restart. Some of the most effective solutions come from using the wreckage, throwing the package onto a new route, borrowing another vehicle, or having a teammate continue while the rest of the group recovers.

34. Balance Efficiency With Chaos

For medals, use a planned route, secure cargo, and clear roles. For casual multiplayer, experiment with launchers, aircraft, dives, and ridiculous shortcuts. Totally Reliable Delivery Service works best when everyone agrees whether the goal is a record time or a memorable disaster.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you grab things in Totally Reliable Delivery Service?

Hold L2 or LT for the left hand and R2 or RT for the right hand. Keep the trigger held to maintain the grip unless Toggle Hand Grab is enabled.

How do you lift a package?

Grab the parcel first, then press the matching arm button. Use L1 or LB for the left arm, R1 or RB for the right arm, or Triangle or Y to raise both arms.

How do you throw an item?

Grab and lift it, swing your character or arms toward the target, then release the grab input as the object gains forward momentum.

Can the controls be made easier?

Yes. The game includes an alternative Simple control scheme along with Toggle Hand Grab, Toggle Hands Up, camera inversion, vibration settings, and a joystick-input visualizer.

Can Totally Reliable Delivery Service be played solo?

Yes. Deliveries can be completed alone, although multiplayer allows players to split driving, carrying, navigation, and vehicle-operation duties.

What is the best vehicle for deliveries?

There is no universal best choice. Enclosed trucks are reliable for fragile cargo, small cars work on short road routes, boats cross water efficiently, and aircraft are fast when the package can be secured.

How do you stop packages falling out of vehicles?

Place cargo against a wall or corner, accelerate and brake smoothly, or have a passenger keep hold of the package during the journey.

How many people can play together?

The updated release supports expanded online multiplayer, while local-player counts and online service requirements vary by platform and edition.

See also Controls and Buttons for Totally Reliable Delivery Service