Wanting to be a self employed courier. Some questions

bugslet

As someone who has been in the transport business pretty much all of their lives ( age 3 and out navigating for my Dad in his truck), and having run my own haulage business for over 25 years, may I respectfully point out that you obviously have no background to this work and well, just don't do it. You won't make money, your business model is rubbish, there's so much competition out there from anyone desperate and in possession of a driving license that you will end up working for nothing.

ohreally wrote: »

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.

I'd go back to driving full time any day over driving a sodding desk! :rotfl:

patrickb_2

What about if I targeted the evenings and unsociable hours? I understand about advertising online etc; and how that may be more lucrative and make more sense than using the local paper also.

What if I targeted hours such as parcel/package delivery between 4pm - 11pm weekdays and all day Sundays etc; I don't believe that Royal Mail and Parcel Force same day services collect in the evenings or Sunday. Never seen them out and about at 9pm delivering things.

bugslet

patrickb wrote: »

What about if I targeted the evenings and unsociable hours? I understand about advertising online etc; and how that may be more lucrative and make more sense than using the local paper also.

What if I targeted hours such as parcel/package delivery between 4pm - 11pm weekdays and all day Sundays etc; I don't believe that Royal Mail and Parcel Force same day services collect in the evenings or Sunday. Never seen them out and about at 9pm delivering things.

That's because if you are targetting businesses, they are either shut at night and weekend, or so large that they already have arrangements in place for couriers to deliver within 20 miles and distinctly further. As someone else pointed out, businesses generally want one supplier.

If you are talking parcels to homes, then that is a market well covered by the DPD/Hermes/Yodels of this world and their wafer thin margins.

Why the restriction to a 20 mile radius? It's not helpful. There might be a bit of interest if you can cover spares for breakdowns, though that will be a bit up and down and then there will be the day there are two breakdowns at the opposite ends of the country....

There are van driver forums, it might be an idea to go and haunt them for a while.

takman

patrickb wrote: »

What about if I targeted the evenings and unsociable hours? I understand about advertising online etc; and how that may be more lucrative and make more sense than using the local paper also.

What if I targeted hours such as parcel/package delivery between 4pm - 11pm weekdays and all day Sundays etc; I don't believe that Royal Mail and Parcel Force same day services collect in the evenings or Sunday. Never seen them out and about at 9pm delivering things.

If I wanted to deliver a parcel 20 miles away in the evening I could drive there in my car after work and back again which would cost me £4 in fuel. I just dont see how you would make any money from this or why I would use your service?.

If you were charging more than £4 I would rather just take it myself because it must be important and urgent if I need it delivered the same day!.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

patrickb wrote: »

What about if I targeted the evenings and unsociable hours? I understand about advertising online etc; and how that may be more lucrative and make more sense than using the local paper also.

What if I targeted hours such as parcel/package delivery between 4pm - 11pm weekdays and all day Sundays etc; I don't believe that Royal Mail and Parcel Force same day services collect in the evenings or Sunday. Never seen them out and about at 9pm delivering things.

It still won't work. There simply aren't enough people who would want this done, or need you to do it.

Seriously, as everyone has said, do not spend any money on this. If you are currently unemployed, try it if you like, and if it costs you nothing. Do not, whatever you do, give up a job to do this.

motorguy

patrickb wrote: »

What about if I targeted the evenings and unsociable hours? I understand about advertising online etc; and how that may be more lucrative and make more sense than using the local paper also.

What if I targeted hours such as parcel/package delivery between 4pm - 11pm weekdays and all day Sundays etc; I don't believe that Royal Mail and Parcel Force same day services collect in the evenings or Sunday. Never seen them out and about at 9pm delivering things.

You've been told repeatedly - this is a wilfully bad idea and it wont work.


Businesses typically operate 9-5 thus don't need an evening service and B2C type deliveries are handled by the big players who can make it profitable by loading up a van with a hundred deliveries into a specific area, not trying to deliver just one parcel at a time.


Basically - you like the idea of driving about in a little van all day. Its a common idea and people think its easy and stress free. Its not. Its incredibly difficult to make money at it and your target market of "within a 20 mile radius" is too limiting as other couriers will offer a "within 20 mile radius" right through to national and international as a one stop shop.


Trust us on this - we're saving you probably £10,000 and six months of your life chasing an idea that is NOT going to work.

motorguy

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

It still won't work. There simply aren't enough people who would want this done, or need you to do it.

Seriously, as everyone has said, do not spend any money on this. If you are currently unemployed, try it if you like, and if it costs you nothing. Do not, whatever you do, give up a job to do this.

Even if hes unemployed, theres insurance to sort out (not cheap), a van (with depreciation and running costs), fuel to pay for, advertising, loss of earnings compared to if he went and got an actual job.


In six months time, he could be £10,000 in debt and no business to show for it.


This is a wilfully bad idea of the O/Ps. Its a train wreck waiting to happen. I cant emphasise this enough.

bugslet

takman wrote: »

If I wanted to deliver a parcel 20 miles away in the evening I could drive there in my car after work and back again which would cost me £4 in fuel. I just dont see how you would make any money from this or why I would use your service?.

If you were charging more than £4 I would rather just take it myself because it must be important and urgent if I need it delivered the same day!.

There will be someone that will, look at the deliveroos of this world, some people have more money than sense. However, I doubt the OP could garner enough to make it a worthwhile venture.

Owain_Moneysaver

bugslet wrote: »

There will be someone that will, look at the deliveroos of this world,

Deliveroo have recently reported a loss of £18.1 million. That's after obtaining about £350m of funding.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

motorguy wrote: »

Even if hes unemployed, theres insurance to sort out (not cheap), a van (with depreciation and running costs), fuel to pay for, advertising, loss of earnings compared to if he went and got an actual job.


In six months time, he could be £10,000 in debt and no business to show for it.


This is a wilfully bad idea of the O/Ps. Its a train wreck waiting to happen. I cant emphasise this enough.

True, I did say "if it costs you nothing" - if he has access to a van then it will only cost him the price of an advert in the local paper. He won't have to pay fuel costs because he won't get any work.