Getting started as a courier

Summer is nearly here, and a desperately bored IT consultant's mind
turns to thoughts of doing something more interesting than IT for a
while.

So, how do I get started as a courier?

Which insurance firms should I get quotes for insurance from?
- The brokers who handle my current insurance are rather flakey - took
them four months to get me my proper insurance documents to me.
- I'm also looking for one where I can either only insure for 6 months
or cancel and get a refund on the unused portion of the policy.

Any companies that are recommended to work for or not?
- I'm looking for non-London work

Getting a job
- Publications or websites I should look in?
- Worth cold calling?

Anything else (obvious or non) that I've forgotten to ask about?

 

Yes, do you really want to possibly kill your enjoyment of bikes?

 

Just rig up your keyboard so you are randomly squirted with water and hit
with a hammer every couple of hours. This will replicate the "excitement" of
couriering without having to suffer a crippling drop in income (amongst
other potentially crippling drops)

 

Justine Rogers emerged from their own little world to say

Well, Justine, I'm sure Whinging Courier will be along fairly soon to offer
you advice amongst other things.

 

Listen to the nice man Justine. I once owned a large courier company, I
got shot of it because the unregulated competition made it impossible to
pay folk well enough to make it worthwhile. I couldn't live with it (1).

You will make enough money, if you are good, to eat and drink, you will
not be able to offset the cost of your bike though (you really need 2)
and when the current machine(s) is fucked you will be out of a job.

There is a further optional spiral down from that low point. Your last
pennies (or some new debt) can be spent on a SOB ( Shite Old Bike )
which will break down and leave you stranded regularly, mostly when it's
raining. This option eventually leaves you utterly destitute, in debt to
the bank and your landlord (2).

(1) I should really be getting a BHaLC number for this
(2) It's an industry crying out to be regulated and licensed, I'm
surprised that some piece of Euro. Leg. or other hasn't made it illegal

'Hog

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Justine Rogers amazed us all with this pearl of
wisdom:

Go into a company and tell them you want to start and use a bike you
don't mind ruining.

About 10% of them. Michell and Partners used to be the ones to go for
but they're not trading any more. The peeps that took over from them
might do it but I've not needed that kind of insurance since M&P went
south for winter.

Good luck then. You'll find insurance is at least double what you're
paying now and that will be for TPO. Be prepared for a shock and be
prepared to lose your NCB.

They'll all shaft you one way or another. The best way to get quality
work is to stick at it with one firm. New riders almost always get the
"one ups" to Croydon and places like that.

So where are you then? On the moon? I hear Loony Tune Couriers are
hiring ;o)

If you're based in London then they'll all tell you there's regular
distance work - what they won't tell you is that someone else will get
it.

The best one is The Rider's Digest, available in most London motorbike
shops, accessory shops and service centres.

Yes. It's the only way really. Just phone them up or go in. You can have
a job tomorrow.

It's not as glamourous as you think. It's *very* hard work, you'll be
shattered in a week and then you'll be living in a state of constant
tiredness.

It does have its moments though and can be a bloody good laugh, you'll
meet all sorts of people, go into the poshest bogs and you'll also meet
people that "can get you one of them", Guv.

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Whinging Courier amazed us all with this pearl of
wisdom:

Sorry, I should clarify. By 10%, I mean that most insurers won't touch
you for courier insurance. Things might've changed in the last few years
but there were only 2 or 3 that would do it for a "realistic" price.
When I say realistic, I do of course mean much cheaper than the others.

Phone round, but sit down and have a cup of tea nearby, you'll need it

If you send me a snail mail address I'll go out and get a copy of the RD
for you and send it. Last time I looked about 6 months ago, they had
several pages of insurers and courier companies in the back.

It used to be a publication solely for despatchers but went all namby
pamby and started catering for the scooterist, too. Everything has to
move on I suppose but that's where you'll find the greatest
concentration of content relevant to your enquiry IMO.

Just another thing...

What Hog said is true. When you first start out things can be ok pay
wise but then as the miles rack up (I was doing up to 50,000 a year) you
will need to spend more and more money on your bike and you'll often
need time off work to get it fixed - a double edged sword.

Don't let that put you off though. It *can* be fun and if you want to do
then do, but don't expect it to be easy.

 

I can't believe no-one's mentioned it so give Graham
at Connections a call - sir.tony has his number.

HTH

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, prawn amazed us all with this pearl of wisdom:

Yeah well.... *wistful sigh*

I really didn't mind doing it, I couldn't have done, I used to get up
every bloody morning The worst part of the job wasn't the rain or the
cold but related to the rain and cold.

[1] Putting gloves on and off with wet hands, trying to write with a pen
as the water ran down your arms and onto the paper, wearing waterproofs
(which was always bloody hot except in the depths of winter), having to
take my helmet off for "security reasons"[2] and having to deliver to a
post room that was 3 streets away from the actual address.

[2] God, that *still* fucking winds me up even now, just thinking about
it. It's like "if I was going to rob the place do you think I'd take any
notice of you, you jumped up skinny twat fucking Hitler. Grrrrrrr...
same with fucking banks, "if I was going to rob you, I'd have blown a
fucking hole in the ceiling by now you fucking wanker"

Aggghhhh!! Oh, yes, I used to FUCKING LOVE IT.

NOT.

*Big sigh*

Thank you for pointing out the error of my ways, Mr.Prawn <G>

 

<snip>

Lots of others have given decent advice re insurance and who to work
for.

It's been nearly 25 years since I did the job, but the ground rules are
still the same. You want a bike that's dirt cheap to run and as
reliable as a pair of scissors.

Something that eats fuel, tyres, chains etc will swallow all your
earnings, and something that breaks down means you don't work and if
you don't work, you don't eat.

Very often, a small bike (250cc or less) will be more profitable than a
big bike, You can't use the extra performance of a big bike in town,
and unless your firm does lots of out-of-town work, it's hard to
justify anything bigger than maybe 400cc. I used to use a Honda CD200,
and on the rareoccasions when I got a job heading out of town for some
distance, if it was on my way home, I'd divert to home and swap bikes
for my 750.

One guy in our mob sold whatever bike he had and used a Honda CG125
(Makes Sign of Holy Pushrods). The controllers left him in town, and
the thing did 110mpg. He earned quite well.

Oh yeah - ideally, you need two bikes. A back-up is almost essential.

In summer, it's quite fun but the better money is earned in winter,
when the students have gone back, and people aren't on holiday. Of
course, that's also when the job's shittiest.

It's dirty, dangerous, incredibly tiring and is only decently paid once
the controllers know and trust you and start feeding you the decent
jobs, and that takes months.

One real plus point I can think of is that you do make some good
friends.

 

On 17 May 2005 05:22:34 -0700, "TOG@toil

And you'll get a knowledge of London that will never leave you. I did
the job 20 years ago, and still value it because of that.

 

<Test mode>

OK, how do I get from, ummmm, Baker Street tube station to, erm, Madame
Tussauds?

--
AndrewR, D.Bot (Celeritas)
Kawasaki ZX-6R J1, Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo
BOTAFOT#2,ITJWTFO#6,UKRMRM#1/13a,MCT#1,DFV#2,SKoGA#0 (and KotL)
BotToS#5,SBS#25,IbW#34, DS#5, COSOC# Suspended, KotTFSTR#
The speccy Geordie twat.

 

With great ease.

HTH

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, AndrewR amazed us all with this pearl of wisdom:

Turn left.

 

Call the nearest courier and get yourself delivered?

Phil

 

<From memory>

OK, up Baker St., heading North against the flow of traffic, left into
Melcombe St, carry on via Dorset Sq. past Marylebone Station and turn
left down Lissom Grove. Across Marylebone Road and down Seymore place,
all the way down to Berkely St., turning left, right, then left again
into Seymore St. Carry on as it becomes Wigmore St, thence to
Cavendish Square, then left up Portland St back to Marylebone road,
then left there and Madame Tussaud's is about a hundred yard on your
right.

How'd I do?
--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2
`\|/`
`

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Ace amazed us all with this pearl of wisdom:

That's Lisson Grove, you plank

 

Ace wrote

You missed Mornington Crescent by a country mile.

 

Muhh, perhaps I should leave my lovely job and become a Pizza Delivery
boy!

 

I don't understand.