Wanting to be a self employed courier. Some questions

patrickb_2

I'm wanting to get my own little van and go self employed independently. The aim of the business would be to offer a same day delivery service within the 20 mile radius of where I live delivering small parcels and packages. I've only been driving for a year and this would keep the cost of travelling down for someone new to the business.

My aim would be to compete locally offering same day deliveries costing no more than traditional companies like Parcel Force and Royal Mail.

I have some basic questions though.

When doing this type of work, would you get payment in cash from the person you're picking the parcel up from prior to making the delivery?

How would you offer proof to the person who has purchased your service that you have delivered said parcel?

It would be awesome if someone who is familiar with this line of work could offer some insight.

eamon

Its already an extremely crowded & competitive market. Don't do it. There are threads on here by people that work for the likes of Hermes, Yodel etc. For most its a struggle to make a living. A Yodel driver delivered to me last week he had 120 drops to do. Its mad.

SailorSam

When it comes to getting paid, it would depend who you were doing the work for. If you came here to my house to take a once off parcel, ask for payment. If say you were able to get a contract with your local hospital doing regular work, you could wait months to be paid.
Proof of delivery is easy. Get a signature.
If you've only been driving for a year, have you checked what insurance may cost you ?
My suggestion would be get a job with another courier for a few months, see how the system works.

patrickb_2

Thanks for the replies. When you say get a signature, would you then return to the person you picked up the parcel from and give it to them? ie have to go back (ie more fuel).

fishybusiness

Courier market is oversubscribed with drivers working stupidly long hours for the likes of Amazon.

Ebay deliveries are a large market, but not within a 20 mile radius, and Hermes have cornered a large percentage of that one. I know an ex Hermes driver, really prompt deliveries, helpful and informative of Hermes practices. Pay is diabolical - hence ex Hermes.#

Argos are offering same day delivery, with a time slot, which I have used recently. Amazing service.

Plus the ebay/ Argos Click Collect service.

3 questions pertinent to your idea...

1) Why would people use you?

2) Could you compete on price?

3) Where would your clients come from to enable you to grow your business to a 5 day a week job?

SailorSam

You'd only do that if there was some dispute, if they started saying it was never delivered.
If you're doing it as a one-man-band, will you need back up.
About 30yrs ago i bought myself a second hand transit and tried to build up a round, i was going to all the local small shops delivering paper bags. wrapping paper etc. I'd do a different area each day and after 2wks back to the first ones. It was hard building up a regular round, and i had to go to buy stock so i was working morning to night. Then one day the engine on the van blew up. Was going to cost hundreds and i had no transport to deliver while the van was going to get repaired.
Not a courier as such, but just think what you're going to do if you hit problems.
I was on the Cabs for about 25yrs, not the best of jobs. But if you want to drive.

motorguy

patrickb wrote: »

I'm wanting to get my own little van and go self employed independently. The aim of the business would be to offer a same day delivery service within the 20 mile radius of where I live delivering small parcels and packages. I've only been driving for a year and this would keep the cost of travelling down for someone new to the business.

My aim would be to compete locally offering same day deliveries costing no more than traditional companies like Parcel Force and Royal Mail.

I have some basic questions though.

When doing this type of work, would you get payment in cash from the person you're picking the parcel up from prior to making the delivery?

How would you offer proof to the person who has purchased your service that you have delivered said parcel?

It would be awesome if someone who is familiar with this line of work could offer some insight.

This is a willfully bad idea. Crowded market and you're aiming to try to make money in an area where there is already huge competition.

Are you really telling us you expect to compete with Royal Mail at less than the rates they charge? :eek:

Its a lovely little idea and so many people just fancy driving about in a little van delivering the odd parcel, but extremely difficult to get it to work profitably.

motorguy

patrickb wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. When you say get a signature, would you then return to the person you picked up the parcel from and give it to them? ie have to go back (ie more fuel).

Driving costs money. Your biggest enemies are wasted time and fuel costs.

Are you really proposing you deliver something for, say a tenner 20 miles away and then drive the whole way back again with the signature and prove delivery???? :eek:

Off the top of my head, you'd scan in the delivery sheet and email the invoices weekly / monthly with attached delivery sheets.

motorguy

SailorSam wrote: »

I was on the Cabs for about 25yrs, not the best of jobs. But if you want to drive.

+1

If i wanted to drive and be self employed I'd be looking at Uber or similar.

ohreally

Much of my day is spent on the road (not a courier), it can be soul destroying. I'd look for a job with an employer somewhere if I were you.

LittleVoice

First thing I'd do is check the cost of insurance. You've only been driving for a year (don't know your age which will also have an effect) and you are going to tell the insurer that you will be working as a van courier (they won't care about the 20-mile radius).


Have you really looked at the costs which you will have to pay even if you had no work for a fortnight?


How many deliveries (median distance 10 miles) would you have to do at, say, £5 (small parcel) to just cover your costs (including petrol, van depreciation, maintenance, road tax, insurances).