Becoming a Courier
Discussion
LOVE:PETROL said:
Hi
Is there any money in this sort of business? e.g. a self-employed driver using his own van.
Where could you source regular contracts from? and what would expect to recieve "profit" per drop?
If anyone close to this industry could give me an insite i would be appreciated.
Thanks
L:P
Google 'Courier Exchange'. We were going to do it to keep the cars busy during the quiet times, but gladly we've not really had any Is there any money in this sort of business? e.g. a self-employed driver using his own van.
Where could you source regular contracts from? and what would expect to recieve "profit" per drop?
If anyone close to this industry could give me an insite i would be appreciated.
Thanks
L:P
Maybe even offer a delivery service for local takeaways, florists, shops that don't offer that option. You may be suprised how much work is thrown at you
The idea is you quote low to get the contract but you quote for several all going the same sort of way. Ie: You might tender for Kent to Carlisle. If you've already got £200 for that journey, you'll happily take £50 to go via dartford and manchester for example, as they are on the way.
Anyway, it's late. Check them out... There are a few subscription sites like that one. Plus of course you could just cold call haulage companies, airlines, fast food chains, solicitors... blah blah and see if you can pick up package work. Even the local taxi firms may sub you stuff out (lots of cab firms have hospital contracts moving patient records, medical equipment, machines etc around the country, and may call on you when the cars are busy maybe for a small cut rather than let their client down.
Lot's of things you can do for initial business
www.codforum.org.uk
looked into it for a while, but i don't have the capital needed to keep me going while i get started.
i.e 60-90 day wait for payments from your first jobs.
looked into it for a while, but i don't have the capital needed to keep me going while i get started.
i.e 60-90 day wait for payments from your first jobs.
Ring some courier companies and ask them what they charge for a few different journeys. That's got to be your starting point.
Work out what they charge per mile, and when quoting yourself don't forget to add on the mileage getting to the pick up, or you will be making a loss every time
Can't help with specific costs though, I'm sorry.
To give you an idea, for our contract taxi work (4 seater), we work on £1.25 per mile for distance stuff.
Work out what they charge per mile, and when quoting yourself don't forget to add on the mileage getting to the pick up, or you will be making a loss every time
Can't help with specific costs though, I'm sorry.
To give you an idea, for our contract taxi work (4 seater), we work on £1.25 per mile for distance stuff.
I had a very quiet spell some years ( I had a Renault Trafic), so when I saw an ad in the paper from a courier company asking for temp van and driver I thought I would find out more.
I don't know what there rates were but, what they offered me did not even make it worth doing. Ok if you have literally nothing else to do I suppose but, it's a very cut throat market, that I do know!
I don't know what there rates were but, what they offered me did not even make it worth doing. Ok if you have literally nothing else to do I suppose but, it's a very cut throat market, that I do know!
I did it self-employed for four years. Best piece of advice I can give is dont do it. Maybe not that helpful, but its the truth. I was struggling to make 'any' money near the end, and diesel was a damn sight cheaper then than it is now. I found I was making heaps of money one week, and then scratching around doing multi-drop work for the likes of UPS/City Link/Business Post etc the next. Multi-drop is the worst kind of work going, think 70+ individual drops somewhere an hour away from the depot. You need some work in the film industry, nice and easy and huge budgets. It was where all my best work came from, unfortunately its generally who you know....
I ran my own courier business some 25 years ago, and did that for about 6 years. Increase fuel costs, being messed about by customers, stuck in accidents on the motorways, and other types of traffic hold-ups, together with the other man’s grass is greener syndrome, made me do a change in career directions. No though 25 years after that career change, and again through another man’s grass thingy, being stuck indoors, I am myself giving consideration of again doing courier work. Those drivers I have spoken to, even those doing multi drops are on a minimum net of £140 per day, well that is what they tell me, so rather than retiring to my vegetable patch, I might give it a shot.
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