Alternative exchange sites

As you know there are one or two alternative exchange sites out there, some good, some bad. There are also various ads floating around from various new exchange sites enticing you to join them.

Seems everyone is trying to join the bandwagon, but no matter how good or bad the software behind them is, they can only ever be rated on how quickly a job can be covered from a vendors point of view, or how much work (and of the right calibre) there is to quote on from a drivers point of view.

And this is where most fail.

Without the work, there's no point joining, without membership, no point in sticking your work on it.

The latest "kid on the block" wants it both ways by building up their own network, then hoping other vendors join too, whilst also having to use other exchange sites in the interim because their own network is clearly inadequate. This despite advertsing as having the "largest network in the uk" .

As an example, today we have said vendor having to stick 12 out of a total of 26 jobs on this exchange site (and no doubt one or 2 others), hardly the best advert to get involved with "the largest network in the uk". If its so large, why does almost half of the work need covering elsewhere?

More misleading words from our industry's guru.

Not only that, but to have the gall to blatantly use a competitors website until theirs is ready... Worse still for that website to allow it

Interesting comments Mr Speed, whenever your cage is rattled, i know i must be doing something of significance :)

Anyway, to address your comment about competition, i'm not looking to tread on anyone's toes nor poach clients in any underhand way. I hope you will see in the course of time, that my organisation is going to try to promote a culture of friendly competition with an emphasis on co-operation and working together formally or informally, after all isn't that what we all do as couriers, most of the time? So be prepared for a breath of fresh air in that respect, sorry to disappoint ;)

Regarding you comment about the high level of jobs we have advertised elsewhere, all i can say that we all have to start from somewhere and at the beginning, it's not going to be perfect. However, there is a long term plan and for those prepared to watch this space, there will be 2 major innovations introduced in the near future, which have never been seen before on any exchange, not even on the big yellow one.

Andy

I notice you say "of significance" rather than "right".

Its a hard sell getting a new exchange up and running as you know, especially when the same jobs appear on a number of different exchange sites. Why, as on owner driver, would i join an yet another exchange site when i know their work will eventually appear on the one i'm a member of. Today for example, I have seen a job appear on 3 different exchange sites, all within 10mins of eachother, all from the same vendor. Hard to entice me to a new one, and the extra cost of doing so, if the work ends up on the one i am a member of anyway?

And there's the problem. Those couriers and courier companies either looking for work, or looking for work to be covered are already members of an exchange site or sites, and those exchange sites are all looking to recruit from the same database of couriers and courier companies.

As i've said before, you can have an all singing all dancing site that can do back flips while juggling, balancing an apple on its chin with fireworks comin from its arse, but with no members it just don't work.

But rather than isolate drivers with poor rates.. Befriend them by promoting some of the bestu rates in the industry. Now that wouldbe something worth waiting for. You get £ 1.09 from the customers for your car jobs.. Why not have drivers begging towork for you by giving at least 70p. Its common sense to me. I want to work with the guys who pay the rates cost they appreciate me. Not the guys who use me to make them rich. Now wouldn't that be a first. A driver gagging for one of the experts jobs!

I'm not sure 70p would get anyone begging Mr G, but it certainly makes covering work a lot easier if you're known for paying a decent rate, and paying on time thats for sure.

You have to have something that the competiiton hasn't got, or undercut them. In this case that means offering either cheaper membership costs or better rates. If its an "open for anyone" exchange site then you have no control over rates, its the members quoting that dicate that, not the vendors selling, but if you're setting one up to predominantly sell your work (as in this case) then offering better rates then elsewhere is definitely going to get people sitting up. Otherwise its just yet another exchange site (yawn).

It wouldnt get me excited either but its afairer rate than the 46p currently payable for his economy (car) jobs

I hope thats you being a bit economic with the truth Mr G. As far as i know, 55p is the lowest. I'm not saying thats good, but it aint 46.

To be fair, I have been taking a look at the site over the last 2 days. There seems to be 2 kinds of work. 1. the sites own work where the rates are set. I saw jobs for cars at 65pplm. Sv jobs a 72pplm midi vans at 84pplm and lwb at about 100pplm. Not bad rates really. 2. Trade work where vendors can post work for bids, much like here. Lets face it, with this site having gone to sleep I see Courier Expert as a real contender.

Sorry my mistake... 46p is what rico pay....bloody hell..the experts rates looking good all of a sudden.

Has this site gone to sleep? I wouldn't of thought so. Maybe just resting? Or working on the android app?

When I last looked at courier work on here, the entire page was filled with car jobs from Courier Expert, nothing else, zilch.

After getting a couple of stupid notifications from Anyvan Pro (MWB/LWB) I tried to change my filters on there. I have managed to drop it to small vans, but I can't filter out the locality. So now I'm getting emails all day long of Courier Expert's small van jobs from miles away, to miles away.

Waste of pixels. On both sites. Probably it's a blessing that I'm not a member of the yellow one!

The yellow one is expert free (apart from those that stick the odd one on there on their behalf)

Courier Expert said:

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there is a long term plan and for those prepared to watch this space, there will be 2 major innovations introduced in the near future, which have never been seen before on any exchange, not even on the big yellow one.

Andy

Hmm - maybe diversification into related fields?

(Note, this photo has been edited at the request of mtvan who deleted my first posting, "Can you stop mentioning the insurance company by name that Cex is promoting?")

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Dennis said:

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Courier Expert said:

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there is a long term plan and for those prepared to watch this space, there will be 2 major innovations introduced in the near future, which have never been seen before on any exchange, not even on the big yellow one.

Andy

Hmm - maybe diversification into related fields?

(Note, this photo has been edited at the request of mtvan who deleted my first posting, "Can you stop mentioning the insurance company by name that Cex is promoting?")

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I got the same one went file B1N

A little off the subject matter but i imagine very irritating.

Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

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A little off the subject matter but i imagine very irritating.

Yes, fairly irritating - I was in Greece, so it COST me to receive that.

Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

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I notice you say "of significance" rather than "right".

Well spotted, i actually did write 'right' first but then thought better of it :)

Andy

Pheraps people are ringing each other direct?

3D Courier Services said:

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To be fair, I have been taking a look at the site over the last 2 days. There seems to be 2 kinds of work. 1. the sites own work where the rates are set. I saw jobs for cars at 65pplm. Sv jobs a 72pplm midi vans at 84pplm and lwb at about 100pplm. Not bad rates really. 2. Trade work where vendors can post work for bids, much like here. Lets face it, with this site having gone to sleep I see Courier Expert as a real contender.

The 'not bad rates' are not good enough for me! Don't come anywhere near to a minimum wage equivalent!

Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

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I notice you say "of significance" rather than "right".

Its a hard sell getting a new exchange up and running as you know, especially when the same jobs appear on a number of different exchange sites. Why, as on owner driver, would i join an yet another exchange site when i know their work will eventually appear on the one i'm a member of. Today for example, I have seen a job appear on 3 different exchange sites, all within 10mins of eachother, all from the same vendor. Hard to entice me to a new one, and the extra cost of doing so, if the work ends up on the one i am a member of anyway?

And there's the problem. Those couriers and courier companies either looking for work, or looking for work to be covered are already members of an exchange site or sites, and those exchange sites are all looking to recruit from the same database of couriers and courier companies.

As i've said before, you can have an all singing all dancing site that can do back flips while juggling, balancing an apple on its chin with fireworks comin from its arse, but with no members it just don't work.

I still maintain that a subbie is unlikely to join yet another website if its the same jobs appearing on them. The thing that would entice me would be the the fact that these were additonal jobs, rather than ones regurgitated from other sites.

Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

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Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

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I notice you say "of significance" rather than "right".

Its a hard sell getting a new exchange up and running as you know, especially when the same jobs appear on a number of different exchange sites. Why, as on owner driver, would i join an yet another exchange site when i know their work will eventually appear on the one i'm a member of. Today for example, I have seen a job appear on 3 different exchange sites, all within 10mins of eachother, all from the same vendor. Hard to entice me to a new one, and the extra cost of doing so, if the work ends up on the one i am a member of anyway?

And there's the problem. Those couriers and courier companies either looking for work, or looking for work to be covered are already members of an exchange site or sites, and those exchange sites are all looking to recruit from the same database of couriers and courier companies.

As i've said before, you can have an all singing all dancing site that can do back flips while juggling, balancing an apple on its chin with fireworks comin from its arse, but with no members it just don't work.

I still maintain that a subbie is unlikely to join yet another website if its the same jobs appearing on them. The thing that would entice me would be the the fact that these were additonal jobs, rather than ones regurgitated from other sites.

That won't be the case of today :)

We have launched a new automated courier sourcing system today, which will have an effect on the number of jobs posted into exchanges. What this will effectively mean, is that we will only need to send jobs into exchanges when our new system has failed to produce an offer, therefore i expect the number of advertised jobs to drop.

On the upside, it does mean that when we do post a job into an exchange, it means we really do need someone urgently and are prepared to negotiate on the price.

Andy