Hello & Some Van Courier Questions-New Driver

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hello,
Thanks for Dave for helping register after some difficulites.

I am thinking of self employed Courier work. I will have the free use of a LWB VW van. I would like to ask members some questions please before I start so that I don’t make any costly mistakes.

  1. I understand I need the following Insurance. Personal Liability. Goods in Transit,Hire and reward. Would any one be able to recommend a specialist firm where I can get quotes for them all or is it usual to get then seperate.

  2. Does any one know anything about Courier Exchange and Courier Expert. I have watched some You-Tube Videos about the Exchange where BigBeardy and Peter the Van give fairly positive reviews. However I was shocked when Beardy said that along with the Exchanges £800 yearly fee I would need a float of 3-4K to get me over until the first payments come in after 2 months.

  3. I live in the West Midlands. Does anyone have reviews about Crown Couriers Tamworth? I understand that they pay .89p per laden mile and you have to wait for 24 days for first payment is this normal.
    Also can any one give any other recommentaions for companys in my Area? I will of course look in the Jobs section.

Thanks
Rob.
p.s to the administrator. This is the second time I have had to type this as the first time I used the preview and save as draft. It all disapeared as I could see any saved drafts section. Thanks.

2

Dont do it , the market is absolutely flooded . Try for a job with Tesco. com .

3

alamcculloch:
Dont do it , the market is absolutely flooded . Try for a job with Tesco. com .

Yep to many (insert race stereo type here ) doing it on the cheap and not having proper insurances
Either work for the dot com side of a supermarket or work at you local trade suppliers as a van/ warehouse man

Sent from my truck

4

If you think you can compete with the clowns doing it for peanuts good luck

5

alamcculloch:
Dont do it , the market is absolutely flooded . Try for a job with Tesco. com .

Thanks for the advice.

6

Thanks Robthedog and Blue.

7

Isn’t there a resident of this parish, that earns millions, driving a van, He might be along soon,with words of wisdom…

8

biggriffin:
Isn’t there a resident of this parish, that earns millions, driving a van, He might be along soon,with words of wisdom…

I am sorry I don’t understand that, perhaps it was meant for other members.

9

I would suggest getting a job. This has many pitfalls. Can you wait weeks without payment. Another thing are the jobs guaranteed. Think of all those things. You might be fine this time of year. Come after Christmas you will be home with no work. Look at it from all angles

10

WheelsofCardiff thanks. I seem to be getting that impression.

11

Looked at it myself before getting HGV licence and even the people doing it long term said its going downhill rapidly.

Back in 2015 it was at least £1 a mile so 89p is really crap. A lot were working longer term fairly stable contracts direct with suppliers, although general gist seemed to be you can make more with a Combi van than a Transit.

89p probably won’t pay for your fuel in a VW van plus parts like tyres, and don’t forget, if you have a big van then you get big packages and have to carry them on your own. Thats why many use cars or small vans.

The insurance on a van for courier work is staggeringly high. I believe from reading other forums at the time, many wont cover it under standard business use, so you need specialist courier van insurance. Think £££££.

An option is subbie for DPD and the likes, but thst’ll be mad up to Xmas then die afterwards. Plus they have certain requirements such as max age of the van.

Hermes employ a lot of drivers that way, but a couple of prople who do this round here, work for several companies such as Hermes, Next etc (I assume the latter is via agency). But they use a car.

Dont forget, Amazon deliver up to 9pm and so do many more, so you could be working 15 hours every day during the rush. Yes theres more money, but there’s no tacho so stopping is “optional”. Never seen the same Amazon driver more than once here, do guessing most jack it.

As mentioned, you havevto deal with those from across the pond who are working for peanuts, have never heard of insurance (even on their van) and sometimes sleep in the cab. You want to do that, have fun, but I’d rather sleep in a bed.

Its a nice idea, but hard to make it work legally.

12

biggriffin:
Isn’t there a resident of this parish, that earns millions, driving a van, He might be along soon,with words of wisdom…

Lol

13

Robcraft:
Hello,
I was shocked when Beardy said that along with the Exchanges £800 yearly fee I would need a float of 3-4K to get me over until the first payments come in after 2 months.

How else do you think you’re going to be paying for your vehicle, the fuel, tyres, any repairs, tax, insurance and give yourself something to live on?

  1. I live in the West Midlands. Does anyone have reviews about Crown Couriers Tamworth? I understand that they pay .89p per laden mile and you have to wait for 24 days for first payment is this normal.

Yes the rates are that crap and 24 days is actually quite quick to get paid.

14

As my user name suggests this is the line of business I used to be in prior to getting my hgv license, in the good ol days there was money to be made but as previously suggested the market is flooded with EE drivers and man with van has now encroached into the trade, neither will have the correct insurance, my hire and reward goods in transit and public liability came to about £1200 on my last year. If you get in with a transport co £1 per loaded mile is achievable but remember on a job taking a pallet 100 miles is £100 but 200 miles traveled, a puncture on the way back and you have worked for nothing! Only use the exchange for back loads you won’t very often get a fully paid job from there
I now earn a whole lot more money been employed than I did as a owner driver, and if the vehicle breaks down it’s someone else’s problem and I still get paid to sit and wait for recovery owner driver only gets paid while the wheels are turning
Hope this helps

15

Its sadly the way things have gone. If you are an honest man looking for a reasonable return for an honest days work then dont bother with transport .Taxis are equally zbd.

16

Robcraft:
3. I live in the West Midlands. Does anyone have reviews about Crown Couriers Tamworth? I understand that they pay .89p per laden mile and you have to wait for 24 days for first payment is this normal.

If the narrative of distance pallet work was true it doesn’t matter where you’re based and they’d obviously be happy with a curtain sider/tilt body van.Oh wait.

17

Thanks to Trevhcs,Conor,ChriswasCourier,alamcculloch.

Thanks for all the advice about my post. As the comments on my post were telling me not to bother, so that’s what I will do and try to get a paid job. I don’t think I could afford the float any way.

I have spoken to my local DPD Driver and he said he does 6 days,12 hours a day and has the pee in a bottle in the van because of time constraints.

I have checked there is no Amazon Flex at Rugeley other wise I might have gone for that, but I believe its £13-£15 per hour finding your own fuel so it might work out at less than min wage if you have large area runs. As you have said its a race to the bottom.

Thanks every one for your advice.

18

Robcraft:

biggriffin:
Isn’t there a resident of this parish, that earns millions, driving a van, He might be along soon,with words of wisdom…

I am sorry I don’t understand that, perhaps it was meant for other members.

It was cgscott funny how he has nothing to say on the subject

19

I was on courier exchange years ago have pay a monthly fee.

It’s ok for work lots work there but think of it as eBay in reverse.
Ie compnay (mostly cargo2go) put job on there you ring up tell them a price.
And basically get usually ok leave it with us.
As there hoping for someone to call in say there do it for a cheaper price.
I
Or get told we’ve had a quote off 100 can you do it for 90.

And cargo to go are bad payers.
They pay but you always have to ring them end of the month and remind them.

And bear in mind be working for yourself.
So if get stuck in traffic delays etc.
It’s time wasted eating into any profit

20

My gaffer “runs” a van. Although I say that loosely as it hardly runs anywhere. He charged a client £600 to run an urgent Ibc of hazardous from Eccles to Dundee other night. Subbed it out for £300. And he didn’t have to ask anyone to run through the night in the sprinter.