paid big 4 big yellow.

Joined big yellow yesterday. so far this morning, had 8 alerts for jobs i could cover, if no dentist after eleven.
Sorry to say , but thats more alerts than this happy band has had since christmas.
And a local meet and greet , look see and murmur this afternoon with a local sameday company found on big yellow.
So we shall bid away and see what gives, to prove that upfront cost.

Its horses for courser, I believe that cx can be a good tool if you work it to your advantage.

We were on it in the year 2000 ish and it was still in it's infancy. We even went to the xmas party.

MTvan is still growing so it's worth being present on both just for networking.

Good luck i hope you do well from  it.

cx works simple as that...but having competition can only be a good thing so over to you mtvan

I use cx for backloads and that works for me very well . Havent got anything from my area outbound. But i did join it to cut my dead miles down only.....

So how is it working out for you TwoTicks?

Its too early to say.
I've had 3 days of local client work this week, and on those 3 days , CX has distance i could not respond to, as i was driving other companys vehicles on 2 days.
The other 2 days was simple and clear. There is no market for fair pricing regardless of hotshot or not. Time of day makes a bigger difference, so maybe after 4pm , i might get 75pplm, if something had somewhere to go .
Lets see what this week brings.

Had my first CX job today. Just a local :26 miles, for £20. The most fun all day.
Radio on , sunny out, justing trying to encourage the economy to top 59mpg.

21 March.
Making connections with some loads, and its proving to be worthwhile to keep me busyier. As we get into April, hopefully i'll get more as i become comfortable with working it .
What is true is this. You cannot make a living on CX , its too tight on money,  BUT you can cover your costs towards a brighter future.
Sorry to MTvan, you really aren't in the ball park. I had 1 alert last week, and i have 5 million people within 1/2 hour drive.

Hi Two!

So how is that any good to you?

26 miles for £20. say you come back empty, which happens most of the time while doing uk work, that's going to be 52 miles. and it would cost you a £10. It's not even going to pay your wages, let alone insurance, vehicle lease and maintenance.

I just don't understand what money you are working for, I get a minimum £10.50 / hour as a class 1 driver, no headache and no costs,minimum 8 hours a day paid, even when I do 5 hours shifts.

I believe I joined the wrong business industry, working as a courier part time.

All the Best!
Eugen

Why do people always bring insurance costs, tax mot into the price of ONE job

I did bring all the costs into discussion because every small job has to pay their fair share of the costs, plus a wage bigger than the minimum wage as you have to earn something over the day.

But it looks like people just don't stand for each other and they bring the prices down.

Someone said in a previous post that he doesn't do loss leaders (like I've done in the past).

And I had to find out that there's no loyalty in this game, and I got no returning customers by doing those favours.

It was just a thought I posted.

In this non regulated industry, shouldn't there be an independent code of practice?

Some prices that people would try and stick to more or less, as we are getting hit by the foreign drivers with foreign vehicles, with cheaper insurance and diesel anyway.

I've done prices by trial and error in order to get the jobs, but those prices just about pay off the expenses.

Who is greedier?

the one that turns down the job for not paying enough or

the one that works for a fiver before tax ?

Hello.
Now, Eugen; I think your are a bit mixed up aren't you.
That there £20 was for the whole trip, less than an hour. 76ppm and 1/2 gallon diesel.
And since nearly two weeks have past since joining CX, the workload is picking up after the lean month's, both on local clients and remote source's.
If you are earning without overheads on a hourly wage, why are you on a work exchange website ,  commenting on other business's.

Hi Two

I've just picked the wrong industry to do business. It's not that I'm commenting on other's business, I am finding myself in the same business. And the conclusion is that so far it's not worth doing national courier work.

I do pick and choose the jobs, and I can choose what type of work I do also.

It's been a silly exercise putting money into this business for this low or nil income.

Business should be about big money, so that's why I'm on the exchange websites.

Just can't find the big money yet.

Regards,
Eugen

If you're trying to find "big money" on exchange sites then i'm afraid, as you have found out already, you are wasting your time.

and with a website like yours what is it exactly you're expecting?

Quite Agree!!
There is not enough work around to earn a living out of the exchange sites alone but lets face it, it's a lot better lately than it has been!!
I'm having a quiet day today which is the first one this week,

Websites are cheap compared to a few years ago and some are even free,
maybe a review of your marketing maybe in order?

OOOH that's a shame.

I was hoping that i could just sign up and then watch the phone ring off the hook with people falling over themselves trying to give me money.

I am wrong then??

well said mr south west of england!!

Hello Eugen.
 If you are making a income from your endeavor's ; then well done.
There's an old nugget of truth that say's a new business will make no money for 3 years.
If you have made money, then well done again.
 Go and find your local small business support service's ; business link, Federation of small businees's , commerce groups. etc. They have lots of free knowledge and guidance to help guide effective marketing ,and a desirable internet presence.
If you take the guidance and advice from established company's and owner/driver's on this forum , and ignore it; then you may not succeed.
If you take advice and guidance from all of the above, and fail; then well done, you will be  closer to achieving success in your next endeavor, with better business knowledge , experiance  and acumen.

I do like a diplomat with clout.

TwoTicks, I make a living on CX and have always done so since joining last June. Ive heard others say the same, mind boggles at these comments. Its what you make it.

You should also have a minimum rate. a 20 quid job isnt worth the time and effort. I wont do anything for less than 30 quid.
If you think about how long the job would take you to do, the mileage you add to the van and then time spent invoicing and waiting christ knows how long to get paid, 30 quid aint a great deal of money. I would charge 20 an hour waiting time! it just becomes a nonsense if you dont have a minimum.

Oh yhay, oh yhay, oh yeah. Even down in the grim vale of leicester, things are picking up.

Anyway, £20 on a local , if its good for me to fit some errands around., and less than 15 mile's. otherwise more , and a little bit more for slow payer's. CX is improving, good money last week including one at 87pplm, evening job mind you.

Just been chatting to big red sameday. 50pplm for small van days,65pplm unsocial hours. Useless for jobs out of town ,but will do  for backloads. No pda starting out, and £30 for security vetting. Anyone doing it ?

I think certain members should keep their advice to themselves....wot works for some don't work for others...doesn't mean one way is right or one way is wrong....remember this is the same guy tellin us there doesn't seem to be much call for sameday work in the southwest!!!

maybe £20 IS his minimum?!

at those rates no!!

at those rates no!!

Big Red Sameday??????????

Big red sameday is that Royal Mail bunch, officed in Peterborough.

I do bits and pieces for RMSD. Be aware that their standard rates are not set in stone ... you can negotiate a higher rate for each job. 

I do a bit for them and the rates seem to be OK, they gave me 70pplm on a small van job to Hull because I run a SWB Vivaro. They called me at 0130 one morning and I wasnt impressed!!
The PDA thing is only when you are on regular with them, I declined their offer preferring to stay as a casual

thought these forums are where people come for advice?
I must have got it wrong!

Mr Speed. Wearing the Mr negative hat today ? where has all that positivity gone.

RM Sameday also require 25K GIT

what is Big Yellow anyroad?

Thanks. RMSD are asking for £30 for crb check . The lady said that to start, they use written pod's then move on to pda should work become consistent.

Regarding phone's, you might have a profile feature that allows some groups of  numbers's but not others. I can choose to allow my important number's allways ring but silence unknown and work number's. Makes for happy partner and a good sleep.

Big Yellow is Courier Exchange.

Not bein negative...but advice should be given when the author knows wot it is they're talkin about...tiz all i'm sayin....some do...some don't...simples innit

I'll have to check my phones features. Yes, they do make you jump through some hoops at RMSD but I suppose thats not a bad thing. Ive had a few calls from them in 2 months but Im usually tied up with my CX work. The one job I did for them was an 0700 call to collect from RM Leeds to Hull, 2 drops and they paid me 70 pplm and paid me on the 20th of the month following. If you have a PDA it costs you 25 a month rental!!
Yes, I recall the 30 quid for CRB check and they send you an ID card. They seem OK but I wont be jumping into bed with them full tilt.

I don't know why i didn't put 2+2 together......

They have asked us if we can cover work for them but i haven't responded yet.

• Its all money at the end of the day

Mr Speed. I was not aware you are the moderator on this or any other site.
Everybody has something to say, without judgement.
What we all do is nudge, cajole , and gently guide . Some are known for fatherly wisdom, other's are indignant young hot bloods. This makes a community.
Get off your pedestal , i don't welcome your insipid line .
All peeps on here have a wealth of experiance, that's what counts.

well 2 ticks...seems i've hit a nerve...which is odd as my point wasn't directed at you....take a chill pill....its not about bein a moderator...its about pointin out some people talk rubbish....you got your 1st job on cx and were happy..then someone comes along and says you should've charged this or it wasn't worth doin....its called p***in on your fire.

Ladies Ladies Ladies......................It's only Monday,....................We all need to relax and think of something soothing..........................See that's better................................

Its a pity you see it that way but I also was wondering who died and left you in charge of the thread. I merely pointed out that my minimum is 30 squids and gave my reasons why, no one pissed on anyones fire!

sizzle sizzle

"You should also have a minimum rate. a 20 quid job isnt worth the time and effort."...your words not mine

like I said, who died and left you in charge?

i'm sorry...am i not allowed my opinion?

of course you are but maybe its me who should be asking that question as clearly you think I am not.
The picture is very nice, just me reminds of the South of England!!

Not bein negative...but advice should be given when the author knows wot it is they're talkin about...tiz all i'm sayin....some do...some don't...simples innit
???

as a fellow northerner.....see...assumptions are not always right

Happy days!

Kind regards

Tony

Their dads will have to work for more than 50p a mile to afford dental treatment for them!!

ps. Manadon is correct. i do some work for royal mail and their rates are negotiable. I get 65pplm. How anyone can work for 50pplm when fuel has increased by 50% in the last 3 years is beyond me.

I manage to squeeze 65p out of them as well for outbound runs and accept their 50p standard rate for any backloads they offer me.

never assumed you were a southerner, just said the pic reminded me of the south of England, me thinks youre the one doing the assuming me old frooit!!!
The other pic is wasted on me Speedy, not being a footie fan!!

still feelin a bit under the weather?

the inbred on the right has a Leeds Utd badge on his shirt?

purely to show he's from leeds....otherwise it'd just be some random kids from anywhere wouldn't it....blimey (is he deliberately missin the point)

anyway...moving on...it seems 50p a mile is their starting point and for those that don't negotiate then thats wot you're goin to get....so NEGOTIATE cos yes you're right..anyone driving around at 50p a mile isn't makin enough to live on and expecting anyone to is a p***take

50p a mile means my van stays put Speedy unless Im on my way home and have made my coin

Oh yes, arent Leeds fans like Man U fans, most of them come from somewhere else?

At fear of offending particpants.

Guys

B nice.

Like the song says "shiney, happy, people".

Use the forum to help one another.

Just having a bit of banter mi amico!!

shimy?.....hope you're not referrin to the state of my bonce tony?!!!....lol

And i've said it once but i'll say it again....anyone daft enough to work at these rates are only aiding the TNT and CitySprints of this world to undercut the rest of us.

From what i gather its the promise of a return journey which hardly ever materialises.

Job on CX this morning. Worthing to London W1 ( Hotshot) and it said pays £50.. Think they were drunk ....

Then take the CC into the equation and the hours spent in traffic.

So Deadline...................Did you do it or not??????

NO thats a £150 job. I was just shocked to see it there for that kinda money .... But they posted it 4 times if you want it ??

OOOH Yes please   i'm on my way.....

who posted it if you dont mind saying?

It was a company in peterboro . Shouldn't really put names on here .

Although i have just discovered they are on here aswell..

OK, I understand, no worries

ah right, seen the job on CX now, 62 miles, 50 quid, 80pplm doesnt seem too bad, it was an envelope, no CC in Mayfair is there?

Probably ok for a subbie on the bounce but thats about it. But bear in mind its gonna be best part 2.5 - 3 hours. And most subbies want £50 from uxbridge to go into town...

OK, yep, get that now, me being a Leeds lad wouldnt think like that about London.

CX is the business.
Ease of use, the online pod, simple quick invoicing. And impressive backup on tech issues.
Did a job -at full rate,  in case the gravel lickers are ready to pounce,  anyway ; did the job on Thursday, invoiced by post on friday, paid by bacs, saturday ,and cleared in the bank today.
Tomorrow , i'm doing my first B2B job for a client found by way of CX.
All very good for start of Wk7 since joining.
Lovely, and positive feedback logged on  CX that further builds business.
So i for one , think it's proveing to be worth the subscription.

I went to East Kilbride last Friday for an end user rate of £450. Plus a 3m timber arch which was a cx backload for £140 ( 23 miles from the first drop ) Plus a cx small van hotshot which i priced to secure it at £110 ( 9 miles from 2nd drop ) Listed empty on cx 11am Anniesland and had a call from a cx member for a price to collect from Bellshill and drop 4 pallets at Burton on Trent. Priced it again to secure it at £210. End result 700 mile round trip which paid £910. If people cant justify the £31 per month for the membership then they are doing something seriously wrong.

Just joined them so interested to see how this goes for me as I've heard many bad things about them but as they say don't knock it till you try it 

I think you'll find that the people with a bee in their bonnet about CX are usually those that have never actually been members but they got their poor opinion of it from the wife's auntie's next door neighbour's dog.

All exchange sites work if you use them properly.

agree with that Speddy, its what you make it. Fast approaching my first 12 months on CX and so far so good, a few ups and downs but overall, its going swimmingly.

Mm. Courier exchange is ok. But ive not renewed. They totally failed to deliver alerts on 7 days since xmas, 3 of those were Fridays. Their customer service is patronising - you get apologetic system generated emails. And the fabled Courier Exchange2.0 is still late, launch cancelled for the 4th time(since i joined). The email service is patchy, and the big site is clunky ,slow and only works proper on windows. But they do pursue you- 7 emails and 5 phonecalls to 'help' me renew my subs. Yes, there is work, you can build business, alas you may find more work at 49pplm than 79pplm, small van.

I have to say that my experience differs from yours, yes they have "Friday" issues from time to time, which is bloody annoying, but work is covered quickly when it is working, which is 99.9% of the time.

Being a vendor, I have to say I have never had quotes at 49pplm... My experience is anywhere between 70pplm and £1plm, with the odd cheaper quote from a backloader making sure he gets the one to take him home.

There are a few suggesting low rates on there but i honestly haven't seen it

Richard - we have kept your number on file and will be in touch as and when required, with you not being a million miles aware from our area.

Rob - I agree, we never really seem to get the "cheap 50plm" calls, partly due to the fact that 80% of our overspill work isn't posted on exchange sites anymore, its covered direct with subbies. The remaining 20% of the work is last resort exchange site and even still 99% of the time a decent job done at a reasonable rate. (topped up by me if its too low - YES it does happen!)

Richard - also the fact you've worked for us before and gave a good service,!

There is a big difference of opinion between twoticks last 2 comments.

Just sayin'

Good Afternoon Hiten. Sorry to say not me! Ive not done any work with you on here or the other guys. Maybe another Richard, there is Richard Of Leicester, he's a good chap up here. Thankyou for your kind comment anyway , and i look forward to more of your forum entries.

Hands up! - wrong Richard - I had assumed you were someone else, but the name Twoticks did ring a bell - maybe spoken to you before.

Forum entries - not many people look forward to my posts! (partly because I tell it how it is!)

Hello NDC.

The difference in opinion is big, and over a year apart:

Like all business, building and maintaining a consistent quality is the business. And for me, a sole owner driver; I found Courier Exchange has not. My mobile provider, and home internet, take responsibility when service loss occurs, and make amends.

Courier Exchange has not, and does not.

So they are not getting my money.

Courier Exchange do call quite regularly but i am yet to be swayed.

The girl that calls is always nice but unfortunately that is her job.

So far the negatives outweigh the positives.

Twoticks - yeah I know they are comments made at different dates, It just shows that you don't really know until you try it. We joined a local BNI a while back, it was ok to start with but after a while it became a bind.

I'm still ticking over on Courier Exchange, about the same as anyone else I reckon.

Twoticks it says on your profile you have a m/bike, do you?

I'd do locals all day as a subbie for £20 earn a fortune, some of my locals are 3 miles

MK Bikes said:

---

Twoticks it says on your profile you have a m/bike, do you?

?

I work for 50pplm, sad I know but gotta start somewhere keeps me off the dole. If anyone feels pity for me and offers better don't be shy.

BusinessBuddy said:

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I work for 50pplm, sad I know but gotta start somewhere keeps me off the dole. If anyone feels pity for me and offers better dont be shy.

For cars we normally pay 55-60ppm, but that's useful to know for when we have a customer turning the screw on price. Bear in mind your bidding against other people on here, but at your rate of 50ppm, I can't see you getting outbid very often :o)

Please feel free to bid on any of our work, we had a couple of jobs out of west yorkshire only yesterday.

I can't see you making any money, but then that's entirely your prerogative

I agree MK, but i used to work for 50pplm. I have a hard core of customers who i deliberately keep my rates low for (65pplm). The upside of that is that i get lots of work, with double ups quite often (roughly 30% of the time, with backloads as well) so the basic rate isn't the full picture. I see lots of drivers on here who wouldn't work for 90pplm, etc, etc, but they seem to spend all their time sitting in front of their computers all day writing on the forums! So, BB keep your rates as you see fit.

I just did a 19 mile job, charged £50 thats my min charge happy days

That's great. Keep it up! My rates above are for a small van by the way.

It's all about supply and demand. We don't get many jobs jobs in the CT postcode area, but when we do get them, more often than not they are difficult & expensive to cover, due to a lack of suppliers in the area.

I dont make much Tony but I aint making a loss as before. Andy I am a member just not done a job for you yet.

BusinessBuddy said:

---

Andy I am a member just not done a job for you yet.

OK, I've worked out who you are. I have you registered with Midi Van, is that correct? By the way, did you put in for our Leeds to Chester job on Friday?

Nottingham & Derby Couriers - I see you gave in then and joined the big yellow

Welcome :-)

HSP Couriers said:

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Nottingham & Derby Couriers - I see you gave in then and joined the big yellow

Welcome :-)

Yes welcome, its what you make it, dont listen to half the claptrap that gets said, do your thing in your way, none of us are Experts at this game, you do what have to when you have to!

Well What can i say, We were called weekly for months and months possibly for the last 2 years. We got a good deal and to be honest it's only our first day on it and we have turned over £478.00 more than if we didn't join.

I really like mtvan and hope it can keep growing to be at the same level.

Courier Exchange ID 61487.. Thats me, hope to be of assistance to you soonest!

No Problem, Thanks

Courier Exchange ID 67279... It works for us

Just to throw in an alternative viewpoint, I was on Courier Exchange [one of its 1st members] but sadly it went down hill fast. It is ok if you are seeking backloads I guess, but as we do not particularly want those, it is of no use to us, and there were no jobs at a price we would consider turning wheels for.

I doubt things have changed in the fact one is able to pick up work at a decent rate, but each to their own

:)

I agree with Rob:

quote: If you're trying to find "big money" on exchange sites then i'm afraid, as you have found out already, you are wasting your time

But Rapid would you rather your vehicles come back empty? We use it for back loads for our vehicles and to sell loads when we too busy. We make money on each of them so it works for us

Deadline Despatch said:

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But Rapid would you rather your vehicles come back empty? We use it for back loads for our vehicles and to sell loads when we too busy. We make money on each of them so it works for us

It matters to me NOT if my vans return empty. I have already priced the jobs accordingly.

IF something dropped in, that did NOT involve hassle [going out of our way to collect] yes it would be nice, but I will NOT do it cheap like some do, as it is just contributing to low rates.

I can see it works for some, not us.

It is like many so called 'businessmen' moan about fuel costing a few pence more at certain places, and how much a starbucks coffee costs, to be honest if I had to worry about scratting to save a few pence I would sooner jack it in.

RAPID LIGHT TRANSPORT LTD. said:

---

Just to throw in an alternative viewpoint, I was on Courier Exchange [one of its 1st members] but sadly it went down hill fast. It is ok if you are seeking backloads I guess, but as we do not particularly want those, it is of no use to us, and there were no jobs at a price we would consider turning wheels for.

I doubt things have changed in the fact one is able to pick up work at a decent rate, but each to their own

:)

I agree with Rob:

quote: If you're trying to find "big money" on exchange sites then i'm afraid, as you have found out already, you are wasting your time

I do OK.. Maybe Im choosey who I work for, maybe Im a likeable guy, who knows?

All our jobs a properly priced. But I would rather get a back load which pays for the fuel if we are there and it goes back to London.

Deadline Despatch said:

---

All our jobs a properly priced. But I would rather get a back load which pays for the fuel if we are there and it goes back to London.

I have worked for you and all was what it should be... Thank you.

I only run an estate car, is it really worth me joining, is it all van work?

It's simple really. A Hotshot or Backload appears I Call with the cost Today it was 4 jobs fitted in with our schedule Today it was 4 yes's.

What more do you need.

DJ Specialist Couriers said:

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I only run an estate car, is it really worth me joining, is it all van work?

Just calm down man, don't get too excited just yet.

Well N&S it does work I can vouch for that, in the last month I gave taken £2500 of work and covered £3700 that is a profit of £3100. Now that aint bad. And that is just cutting down on our vehicles dead miles.

Michael Lucani said:

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Courier Exchange ID 61487.. Thats me, hope to be of assistance to you soonest!

Just don't call him from a withheld or 08 number, lol

RAPID LIGHT TRANSPORT LTD. said:

---

It is like many so called 'businessmen' moan about fuel costing a few pence more at certain places, and how much a starbucks coffee costs, to be honest if I had to worry about scratting to save a few pence I would sooner jack it in.

One of the smartest comments I've read on these forums (and many others).

AJM sameday Couriers said:

---

DJ Specialist Couriers said:

---

I only run an estate car, is it really worth me joining, is it all van work?

Just calm down man, don't get too excited just yet.

Takes a lot to get me excited these days...

Is there any chance you can haggle with big yellow over subscription price. Just a simple question without a debate with eachother.

east-lancs sameday couriers limited said:

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Is there any chance you can haggle with big yellow over subscription price. Just a simple question without a debate with eachother.

Tell them you have £50 take it or leave it.

AJM sameday Couriers said:

---

east-lancs sameday couriers limited said:

---

Is there any chance you can haggle with big yellow over subscription price. Just a simple question without a debate with eachother.

Tell them you have £50 take it or leave it.

Hahahahahaha like thats going to happen

Well mi've joined Courier Exchange now, so hope this does work out for me. If anyone has any sensible tips for me please feel free to fire away.

Sorry about the spelling hahahaha

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well you get on with it

I just need to get my alerts set up better, so far im getting alerts for 20 miles radius. They are also only going to my email address which i cant get set up on my phone. I can do nothing till monday but ive still got the tracker on the app and already had a few phone calls but i was already busy at the time, so it looks promising

And thats at the weekend, wait til a weekday!