I third it!
mtvan is supposedly meant to be for the "professional" courier and professional courier companies.
That is it's original premise, indeed it is what it still states on it's landing page.
This is a service which is clearly different from the service that the average Joe with something to send or the eBay mob are looking for.
No self respecting company with a reputation to protect would ever consider using a mere lifestyle delivery driver.
Just as no self respecting professional courier would ever consider paying out so much for their van, insurances and maintenance just to run about collecting second hand goods for a a few quid, or even brand new stuff from Argos et all for just £5.
The direction that mtvan has recently chosen to take is extremely dissapointing and I hope that those who are new to the industry and looking for information and advice about the courier industry do not fall in to the trap of thinking that jobs such as this at rates like that is what courier work is all about.
I have only been a self employed courier for just over two years now and I have worked for many different clients. I followed the conventional wisdom to begin with ie, quoting cheaply to get a foot in the door etc, then quickly realised that it was unworkable.
Over the two years I have culled my client list to the point that I now have only two clients! This was mainly due to working through the various clients and finding out who where the best to work with, the quality of work offered and the fastest to pay out.
I quickly weed out the bullshitters, late payers and companies that only call me when they are up against a wall on a Friday afternoon but still expect it to be done at the basic price and stop working for them.
I don't do co-loads as my customers require that their goods are delivered from A to B directly.
I sometimes look for back loads once I have made my original delivery, depending on the time of day that I clear, but I always charge enough to ensure that whether I get a back load or not my whole trip has been worth the time and money spent doing it. So whether I get a back load is 100% irrelevant to me.
I don't even pick up my van key for less than £25. (which covers the first 33 miles).
Even with all the above rules which to many may seem very blinkered and limiting, I still pull in between £300-£500 most weeks.
I should point out that I am in a slightly better position than most owner drivers as I have very low living costs so this works well for me, even with the odd week where I hardly do anything.
The companies that employ my service value and respect the service and professionalism that I provide such that I am never asked for a cheaper quote.
In fact, as mentioned by another member in an unrelated post, my clients never even discuss price. They just call me and say, "[name] can you get to A and pick up X going to B?". My stock answer being, "Yes, no problem!".
My main point here is that if you as an owner driver have paid for a decent van, the relevant insurances and do a solid professional job then any courier company worth it's salt will be prepared to pay you a proper decent going rate and use you again on a regular basis and pay you on time with no haggling involved.
You will find the genuine courier companies out there that deal with genuine urgent/critical deliveries for which a proper rate paid to the owner driver is an integral part of the whole process.
If you need to run around picking up 10 different things for £5-£10 a time to make it worth your while then you are working too hard, and you won't be able to provide the level of service that a genuine courier company requires.
You all just have to decide whether you wish to be a courier or a delivery driver.
They are two completely different things.
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