First of all, we need to answer What is a Courier?
A courier is a company or an individual that makes deliveries of goods, parcels and documents from one location point to another. Couriers are the ones that go the extra mile to ensure that your parcel is collected and delivered when and where you want it. They offer a tracking service so you know at all times where your parcel is and can check your delivery is on schedule.
The word ‘courier’ is derived from the Latin word ‘currere’ meaning ‘to run’. Couriers don’t actually run though, they make their deliveries by car, motorcycle, train or van! Larger national courier companies will use 3.5-ton vehicles or larger sized lorries and if they provide international services then they will also use aeroplanes or ships.
Different couriers offer different services from same-day or next day delivery to national or international delivery. No matter how fragile or what weight or size your package there will be a specialist courier that can deliver it for you.
Couriers recognise that some items are confidential legal documents or important medical samples for example and therefore provide a trusted, more secure and speedier service that is often preferred to the traditional mail service. They are able to respond on an ad-hoc and bespoke basis. Their delivery times and security along with the tracking service they provide adds to their specialities. Couriers can deliver parcels that are heavier and larger than the items that you can send via a more traditional mail service.
What is a Self-Employed Courier?
A self-employed courier is someone that does the job described above but works for themself, is their own boss and is therefore able to choose their own working hours and earning potential.
They can choose courier work that is flexible around their personal commitments. They provide a friendly and reliable service as every customer is personally important to them.
The self-employed courier business model is very popular as a job choice in the United Kingdom. With so many people shopping on the Internet the demand for more deliveries and speedier deliveries has increased. This has seen an increase in the number of independent couriers that offer next-day and same day delivery services to meet the ever-increasing demand for items needing to be sent across the UK every single day.
Courier companies are the brands that you would recognise such as DPD, Parcel Force, DHL, FedEx and TNT.
Self-employed couriers are people who own their own vehicles and deliver parcels for companies like Hermes and Amazon.
Self-employed couriers also use our Courier Market app to book their courier jobs to help grow and develop their courier business and reduce downtime and empty backloads.
Join our Courier Market transport exchange platform for free, to be connected to owner drivers, self-employed couriers and courier companies.
Book your next courier work in now when you download our app on Apple store or Google Play