It's interesting to me how you guys always put down local couriers.
Courier companys are just like expedite companys. There are bad ones and there are great ones. You have to shop them. I've been in the courier line work for over 10 years and would NEVER go back to over the road.
Honestly....because the Courier Industry is probably the lowest form of "Driving" anyone can be doing for a living. IMO, the industry itself is bottom of the barrel income for desperate people needing something, anything, as income to make their car payment, to get their electric turned back on, to have money coming in so they don't get that warrant issued for back child support, etc.
You don't have your "City" listed in your profile. Where ya from?
I'll tell you what's like here in the DFW area. You literally have hundreds of Courier Companies. Both Established and Fly By Nights. That in itself causes rates these Companies offer to the market to be low as hell. Most Customers that use Local Courier Services could care less who is at their back door, their dock, their reception desk as long as their package/packages get delivered in a manner as to how the Courier Company promised them would get delivered.
Most Courier Companies have 4 Levels of service. Hot Shot - Customer straight to Delivery Point, 1-2 Hours, 3-4 hours, and basically anytime/next day. Rates charged to these Customers by the Courier Companies can range from $6 for Anytime/Next Day up to 100lbs, to like $14 to $18 for a Hot Shot, up to 100lbs, across town. "After Hours" local Hot Shots can get up to $30, but those are rare.
Now, you take a driver that is dispatched on a "Hot Shot" from Downtown Ft Worth to Downtown Dallas. It's a Hot Legal Document that an Attorney is waiting on to complete a Legal Brief. DT FW location is smack dab in the middle of FW, and on the 27th floor of building. Takes driver time to find close enough parking via an open Metered Street parking space, or a paid lot hopefully within a block or 2 of said building. (You don't dare leave your little truck/van/compact car unattended at the loading dock. Not in todays Terrorist Alert society) It could be 45 minutes to an hour til Driver finally has Package in hand heading to Dallas.
Driver takes off down 30 heading to Dallas. Driver gets slowed up at construction going through Arlington/Grand Prairie. Here it is well over an hour after Customer called in Order. Customer now calling Courier Company asking how long. Disptach calls driver on Nextel asking where he's at and how long til Dallas. Driver tries to explain parking, traffic, traffic jam, but Dispatch doesn't want to hear it, all he wants is an estimated time. Driver trying to be nice says within 20-30 minutes. Well, 30 minutes later as driver is finally crossing the Trinity River heading into Dallas, Dispatch Calls again asking for ETA. Driver tells Dispatch he's right outside of Dallas and will be there in a just a bit. 20-30 minutes later as driver is trying to get parked close enough to DT Dallas building, Dispatch starts yelling at Driver over Nextel saying Customer is FUMING. Driver finds parking, walks 2 blocks to building, waits on elevator to take package to the 35th floor of that building, and after all that, gets confronted by a-hole customer on why it took him almost 2 1/2 hrs to get these Documents delivered when Courier Company promised him it would be there in less than an hours time.
What was said Drivers Compensation for all this? Let's say 55% from an $18 charge to Customer...... $9.90. Only a FOOL would go through that more than once.
Or, what about being dispatched 1st thing in the morning to a "Dock" to pick up all that Customers local "Anytime" deliveries for that day? You stuff your truck with 40-50 boxes that covers 12 deliveries. You think "Yeah...Cool", todays going to be good day, only to find out when your settlement comes in that you stuffed your truck with 12 deliveries that took 6 hours and 135 miles to get done, but only paid $6.00 a delivery cause none of those 12 deliveries were over 100lbs each in total weight.
6 hours, 135 miles, $6.00 X 12 = $72.00 charge to the customer. Drivers take.........55% of $72.00 = $39.60. Yeah......Good Money, Huh????
Been there, done that, well over 12 years ago. Never again.....Rates are still the same, if not LOWER today than they were back in the 90's.
I also did the "Staples/Office Depot" thing myself once too.......been there done that with the heavy A cases of "Paper" too. Signed a Contract with Velocity Express to cover a daily out of town route out of DFW. Went SW of Ft Worth through the Granbury up to Stephenville area. Was going to get paid 70% for that route. Was explained that Terminal Manager would manipulate billing to throw in an extra $250 after my commission to cover fuel costs. Gave it a try. First week I ran that route, I had $289 in Expenses to run it. Didn't get first Check until the following week after my 2nd full week of running. Paycheck was for $373 something, and that included the $250 extra. Stood there outside Dispatch Window studying settlement sheet. I was out there doing $6-$9 deliveries for Office Depot making 70% of $6-$9. Let's just say that route did not get covered that day, at least not by me, and Velocity Express never paid me my 2nd weeks pay for Terminating Contract without notice. I lost around $300 on that second week in operating expenses.
I read through the Jobs on CL everyday. Just a Habit I guess. It is sooooooo funny how the same "Courier/Drivers" ads are placed EVERY DAY, if not every other day, promising $600-$800-$1200 a week, and have for years and years. If people were actually making $1200 a week, WHY the high turnover???
Yep, like I said, Courier Companies are the bottom of the cat litterbox when it comes to Jobs for people who want to "Drive" for a living. Like Dennis said, there are more Ex-Couriers who are now Expeditors than Vice Versa. Anyone that spends 10 years as a "Courier" just doesn't have any drive to better themselves, or possibly any self-respect for themselves when it comes to making something out of their lives. My Opinion of course........
