What sort
of Courier do you want to be?
The word ‘Courier’
covers a large variety of different types of work, from cycle,
motor bike, car small vans, large vans and HGV’s.
For the purpose of this article, I am going to concentrate on
the van side of courier work, for the simple reason that this
is where the majority of the work is, and is the business I specialise
in.
This segment of the business can be broken down into lots of different
segments. The reason you researched the market, was to find the
segment which suits you best.
The first thing you need to decide is, whether you are going to
work local or long distance.
Local work tends to mean you are home early most time, this can
be important to someone with family commitments. The biggest sector
in local work is parcel and contract deliveries, with either a
small or LWB van. The smaller the van the lower the mileage rate
you can charge, typically 25% to 30% below the LWB van rate. Contract
deliveries entail delivering to customers, or group of customers
every day. Contract work tends to be less profitable, but is regular
money coming in, with some contracts paying out weekly. Contract
work is a good place o start, what you will find is a group of
like minded contractors who have a wealth of experience, and can
point you in the right direction to more profitable work.Typical
contract work is delivering products which people need on a regular
basis such as, news, food and consumer products. [The section
Maximising your profits, explains why these contractors, who know
so much, still work contracts.]
Long Distance work tends to be more profitable, longer unsociable
hours, occasional nights away, and usually means the use of a
large van. This side of the business is much harder to break into,
you will need a lot of customers, and this takes time to build
a broad base of customers. The easiest and quickest way is to
work for Courier Companies while your own business builds. There
is n unwritten law, ’NEVER TRY TO POACH THE CUSTOMERS OF
A COURIER BUSINESS YOU WORK FOR’ You may do it once, but
it won’t take long for word to get round, and then nobody
will deal with you.[And you may be sued if you are working under
a contract that forbids this practice] Courier companies are notorious
for not paying, check with the drivers who work for the company.
Multi Drop Deliveries can be local, semi local or long distance
and can be very profitable. Usually you are collecting from a
central warehouse, loading the van yourself according to a manifest
prepared by the company you are working for. Some multi drop runs
are for timed deliveries, and can be stressful. Multi drop work
is not for everybody, if you can do it, there is plenty of work
out there.
What you need to start
When you have decided what
segment of the market you want to be in, you need to get started.
You will have decided that you are going to go with several courier
companies who have given you the best information with your market
research, or you have managed to pick up one or more contracts
during your market research.
The first thing you need is a van, if you have already bought
a van, you may find your choices are restricted.
You will also need insurance, your insurance will be dependent
on what sort of work you are doing. Your insurance must cover
you for ‘the carriage of goods for hire or reward’.
Goods in Transit insurance and public liability are also a requirement,
and dependent on your circumstances you may need employer’s
liability.
Depending on what you are carrying you may need a trolley. For
a small van delivering parcels, a lightweight folding trolley
is ideal, for heavier deliveries a sturdy trolley with pneumatic
tyres is best, for heavy goods where steps need to be negotiated,
a trolley with 3 wheels at each side that will ‘walk’
up steps. You may also need cargo straps to tie you load down
securely.
If you are carrying pallets, you will definitely need cargo straps
and a towing rope with metal hooks at each end. The tow rope is
safest method of dragging pallets out of a van when there is no
extensions for the fork lift truck unloading you.
You will need a mobile phone with hands free facility. A Sat Nav
, and if you are doing long distance runs, a good quality map.
Sat Navs don’t always give you the best routes: check on
a map for the ‘preferred route’. If you are working
London an A4 London A to Z is a must. Work out the way back to
an arterial road on the A to Z before you get o your destination.
Sat Navs don’t reset all that quickly in built up areas
when surrounded by tall buildings.
Finally you will need steel toe cap boots, most warehouses / distribution
depots won’t let you in without them, a ‘High Vis’
vest or jacket is a must at all times. Some sites may also require
you to wear a Hard Hat.
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