I did it for a couple of years before I got my HGV. I found there wasn’t money in it if you do it properly (and Courier Exchange used to require proof of documents).
Between Cx, motor insurance for carriage of goods and public liability and goods in transit insurance, I need to clear at least £200 a month before profit. Then there’s fuel (the Jumbo used to do about 35 mpg). When I started, I could charge £1 per loaded mile (I would never dual load; one customer, one load) but I saw people advertising at 30p/mile.
If you’ve got the ability to pick up backloads, yeah that’ll help but you can forget about mega-money.
IIRC there’s some talk of tacho’s in 3.5t in the near future, so that’ll stop the 19 hour runs to Aberdeen and back on 90 minutes sleep.
Freedom great, ringing for jobs not (for me). I made a point of invoices being emailed/posted out same day and I got lucky in that I only had to chase a couple - one for months though.
Bear in mind the initial cost of the van is going to be a chunk; can you make that back? Lots of companies wanted under 3 year old, unmarked white when I did it.
Check the costs mate, my instinct is it won’t pay.