Going self employed as a courier

Rosearm

Hi all.

I am new to this industry. I've been thinking and researching things since this summer. I am very determined to become a self employed courier. I have handed my notice in at my current job and organised a van from a leasing company. I've been in touch with several local companies who would be willing to offer me work and I've had business cards printed up as well. (Low cost so took advantage of it!)

But I am having second thoughts. My monthly outgoings work out at over a £1000 so I'd have to be earning a lot to make it work. My father is in the business, he's a transport manager for a Bristol Company and he says its risky. He says he knows a lot of drivers have given it up over the last few years because they can't make it pay any more. I could take a gamble and go for it but if things don't work out I have nothing to fall back on and its not easy to just walk into another job these days. My boss knows how I feel and she has given me until Friday before she excepts my resignation.

What is your advice, is it a good time to do it, my old man tells me its not flat out at the moment and people aren't paying as much as they used too.

I am determined to do it, I know I can but its risky!!

PlutoinCapricorn

You would benefit by searching this and a few other Boards for 'courier' to get some background information. This thread is a good example:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3951395

bugslet

Well I did what you are thinking of doing back in the early 90s and have 20 + staff and vehicles ranging from vans to artics now, so I'm the last person to tell you not to go for it.

What I will say is that the first two years I took home gross £90.00 a week and worked a 100 - 120 hours a week, with only the Xmas period off. It was not easy to put it mildly. I was also quite lucky at times. I know a lot of people who have gone down this road and not managed to make it pay.

Part of the problem is how you manage the work - even with a larger company, it's a struggle to balance the work. You may have, say, three customers that will give you work, but if one wants a delivery in Glasgow, another in Exeter and another in Nottingham on a Monday morning, you have a problem and then none of them need anything on Tuesday. Getting a good rate is hard work as well, there is a lot of competition.

If you want to mull over anything, you are welcome to PM me.

1886

Google COD Forum (courier owner drivers)

CrazyRed

I did exactly the same as you're proposing a few years ago.

Initially, I had my own courier (sameday) business - that cost both myself and my (then) business partner an absolute fortune for very little return (I ended up losing £40k on the deal overall....). In desperation, I took a 'round' with an established parcel firm, which helped stabilise the company income a little.

Cut a long story short, weekends only existed, really, to sleep after the hellish working week and, to be frank, the money after all was said and done (the van cost me a small fortune each week, and the ever-increasing cost of diesel bumped costs up significantly, too) wasn't brilliant - after two years, I gave it up and changed jobs/careers.

That said, I know of a couple of my former work colleagues who still own their businesses - one got in with an established same-day company and is doing pretty well for himself. The other stayed in the parcel industry and ended up losing his 4 vans and drivers through ever-spiralling costs.

I would say, if you can get in with one of the established same-day guys (Lewis Sameday, CitySprint, etc.) and they can offer you regular work, then go for it. If you're going to go completely solo, and then try and drum up business, then I think you're likely to have an issue or several trying to keep the wolf from the door.

Just my 2p worth.

paddyrg

If you want a niche, how's this?

Courier services are usually door to door for a price, or do multidrop routes for Hermes etc - how about a slow, cheap, door to door service. If I need a chair getting from Liverpool to Bristol any time within the next fortnight but not too expensive, at the moment I don't have many options. Can you build loose rounds around door to door but around the houses, as it were?

27col

Basically then you are talking about being a "man and a van" then. Nothing wrong with that, they provide a very useful service.
My pal recently bought a coffee table on eBay & needed it transporting from Cornwall to Hampshire. Apparently there is a website to enable people to get quotes for this service. It is associated with eBay I believe. This might be a way in for a budding courier

Paul_Varjak

You could reduce your outlays by using a bike instead...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222137/Meet-Ken-Holder--Royal-Mails-smallest-letter-delivery-rival.html