Hi all, just wondering if anybody has ever ventured down the route of being a self employed courier , working for the likes of Hermes or dhl etc, with all the online shopping going on there is now a high demand, thinking of considering it as I'm tired of the 5am starts and 12 hour days , any thoughts .

Cheers guys

lease a van? seems ok, My cousin did it in Dublin for a number of years, he ended up specialising in contract coffee bean deliveries.
The delivery guys who arrive here always seem cheerful enough so it cant be too stressful

City work could be different, parking, loading bays , waiting times, Trying to get someone in an office to sign for his colleagues amazon delivery when hes not there. scrotes trying to rob packages as soon as you turn your back. At work
At home

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As a self employed courier, you may well be starting earlier than 5am and working longer than 12 hour days! Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.

in between jobs a fair few years back, I went for a interview for a courier job.

Pay was good, but out of that I have van expenses, insurance etc

then the lovely iron in the works, if I was sick, I have the obligation to make sure the deliveries continued out of my pocket, so basically I had to work out how this would happen, holidays, bit of planning, but sickness could have left to issues.

Then there was the loading bays, your delivery was scanned, then set out in any old order, on a rack and nothing to stop, those delivery drivers with thieving fingers from adding one of your boxes to their load and making a bob or two flogging what has been scanned and waiting for you.

Might be different if you are working from home, and using your car as the transport, like lots of delivery drivers do for hermes etc, I assume you get the loads delivered to you house.

Who insures these? whilst in your car and what happens if your car os broken in to whilst your delivering and some scally legs it with your boxes, or even worse what if your house is done over? (you'll need to notify your car insurance, home insurance and premiums will go through the roof) Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Steve D wrote:

As a self employed courier, you may well be starting earlier than 5am and working longer than 12 hour days!

Down under they work very hard. Massive fuel bills, wear & tear on van & themselves! Not a healthy profession. As mentioned, very early starts & also late finish (12++ hour days)! Speaking to a courier I can't remember the figure per parcel he got, but he said it is not worth the effort.

Years ago near where I worked I saw all the couriers from a company in a region rendezvous at set times to exchange parcels. A very regimented process!

When the van is being serviced, & they put on the km very quickly, you will need to hire a replacement for the day. Taxes, insurance, good cash backup if you are off the road due to accident & injury, & gym subscription to stay fit. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I know you can't go on looks, but when was the last time you saw a self-employed courier driver looking healthy, wealthy and wise? Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.

Go for it, most offer £100 a day, a day will be over 12 hours, then you need a van, insurance, Goods In Transit and lots of good luck.

Can think of much better and a more rewarding way of life. p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

Someone above mentioned the issue with continuing the deliveries when sick / on holiday. For her sins Mrs Stubbenoldgit was persuaded by a "mate" to cover for her for 3 weeks while they went on holiday. Never again. Some time ago now before sat navs. Basically her patch covered a couple of decent sized postcode areas. The deliveries were behind when she took it over and then on the second say had a massive load dumped on her, so I helped out a bit.

On the downside:-
timed deliveries when you need a signature and they aren't in.
Addresses where they don't have a house number just a house name, but don't display the flaming name.
Dogs
Collections from places so filthy that you have to create a special place in your vehicle as you really don't want to touch the parcel, just go home, change clothes after a shower, fortunately rare, but not rare enough.
Nearly killing yourself carrying a big telly up to some flat only to be confronted by a little old lady who thinks you also do the installation.
Your delivery sheet is never but never in the optimum order for the best route.
There's more if you really want it, but you do see life.

On the upside.
You do see life.
The time was during a few weeks of heatwave weather, the amount of topless and in one case bottomless housework going on was a bit of an eye opener. Though in at least one case that should have been listed in the downside category, what has once been seen cannot be unseen.

Someone above that's pinky one of the moderators on here. MY14 Kahn Converted Dynamic - Fuji White Ebony/Pimento Interior
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I'm the one above, 😇

Pinkies the one below

that's true Taz you have never been nasty to me not till date anyway  MY14 Kahn Converted Dynamic - Fuji White Ebony/Pimento Interior
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 Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

If you don't want early starts and long days then it's not the job for you. Plus no work no pay. Think very hard and speak to the guys who already do the job before committing. I don't do it but I drive HGVs and meet and speak to a lot of van drivers. It is not an easy life, HGVs are much easier