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Keeping in touch with the Controller

This is perhaps the most important aspect of doing courier work for a courier company. The controller is the person in the courier company office who hands the work out to the couriers. Keep the controller aware of your progress so that he/she can in turn keep the customer aware. It will increase your earnings, as when there’s a job nearby you’ll have a better chance of being offered it.

If you are having difficulty locating a pick-up or delivery address, let the controller know, and he/she will be able to advise the customer if necessary, and also assist you. You may find that the moment you say you’re in trouble, he’ll say “oh yes, everyone has trouble the first time finding that one – it’s down the alleyway next to the burger van”. So let the controller know if you are running late for any reason.

If you cannot complete a job for whatever reason — puncture, breakdown, incorrect address, kidnapped by aliens, accident, your first call should be to the controller.

Unless you’re asked not to, call the controller with the “name and time” of the delivery as soon as you’ve done it.

Always contact the controller if you are doing a remote collection somewhere because during the time it has taken for you to make the first collection another pick-up in the same area may have come in.

Let the controller know if you are kept waiting anywhere.

The more you keep in touch the more chance you’ll have of being given “double-ups”, ie work nearby going in a similar direction, and return journeys (return loads). Every extra job you do, is extra profit on your expenses.

If you are doing a job for another courier company, let everyone know when and where you’ll be empty.

In summary, the controller is trying to keep three sets of people happy; the customer, the courier, and the courier company owner. Do everything you can to help him keep everyone happy, and he will generally reward you with good work whenever he has it.

Getting proof of delivery (POD)

The actual “Proof of Delivery” is made up of three pieces of information, provided by the recipient:

The actual signature.
The printed name.
The time signed for.

The “actual signature” is very rarely needed except if something goes to court, when you’ll be pleased you got one, and that you kept the paper sheet filed safely.

The “printed name” and the “time signed for” are the two bits of information that you’ll be asked for time and time again, so might as well pass them on to the controller as soon as you’ve received them.

This is just as important as keeping in touch with the controller. It is absolutely central to the service offered to the customer by the courier company - an immediate collection and delivery service with a guaranteed proof of delivery for every job. If you fail to get a POD for a job then as a result of your actions the courier company is failing the customer.

There are certain circumstances in which it is simply not possible for you to get a POD. You may be delivering to a private address and arrive to find no one in, for example. Procedures vary between courier companies, so check with your controller, but generally courier companies insist that you contact their office for instructions before posting the package (if small enough) or leaving it with a neighbour (if it’s too large to post through the letterbox). Never assume that it’s ok to do anything without specific instructions. The kind of thing that goes wrong here, is that you post it through the letterbox, it turns out to be the wrong letterbox, and you can’t get it back for some reason. If you didn’t check with your controller, that kind of thing will be your fault.

Now information on PODs in detail:

POD sheet checklist

A POD sheet usually includes:

full pick-up address.
full delivery address.
the person’s signature.
the person’s name printed (it must be readable, as it’s usually the name you’ll be asked for, not the way the signature looks).
the time at which the person signed.
number of packages if more than one.
waiting/loading time details.

The address details must include the sender’s addresses, name, company name, street and town or postcode.

If just one of these elements is missing it is not a complete POD sheet, and you could find yourself being asked for information later that you can’t provide.

In practice what often happens is that the person in receipt of the consignment will scribble something illegible on your sheet, possibly in the wrong place, and hand it back. The easiest way to resolve this is to ask their name (they may even have a name-badge) and print it for them along with the current time (use the 24 hour clock) and date.

If they complete all parts of the POD, make sure to check that you can read their printed name and that the time is about right - its no use to you having all the info if it is unreadable or incorrect, and you only discover this when you’re 50 miles down the road.

Most courier companies insist that you use their POD sheets. It’s worth having some blank ones of your own to use in emergencies, especially if you’re working for more than one courier company.

POD sheets should be kept in a safe place, in an order that allows you to look them up quickly. File them, preferably at the end of each day or at the beginning of the next in the POD file in the courier company’s office, or at your home or office. Scanning them can help, to make emailing them easier.

The POD sheets are your only proof to the courier company’s customer that the job has been done and therefore also your only guarantee of payment. Keep all your POD sheets for at least 12 months, giving the courier company time to request copy PODs from you, and for you to check your pay advice. However odd it may seem, don’t be at all surprised to be asked to produce a POD sheet months after you’ve completed the job.

POD information is often about two months after the job when the invoice is being queried by the customer.

It is sometimes tempting to think “I gave it to the nice lady who is always on reception, so that’s ok”, and not insisting on a proper signature, especially if you deliver there regularly. But nice ladies on reception have a habit of lying through their teeth when they are looking for someone else to blame when a parcel has gone missing from reception. So cover yourself every time; get a really good POD every time, and file it carefully.

What to do when you’re kept waiting

Always let the courier company’s controller know as soon as possible if you are being kept waiting anywhere.

The customer is not usually charged for waiting until you have been waiting/loading for at least 15 minutes, to avoid lots of charges on their invoice for trivial amounts of time. If you are kept waiting for longer, then they are usually charged for that first 15 minutes and for each subsequent minute.

It helps the courier company’s controllers plan for your next job, if you keep them informed of waiting time, and it also keeps the money right on the job.

If a job is pre-booked for a certain collection time and you happen to arrive early, the waiting time does not start until the pre-booked time has passed.

Customers do keep an eye on how long couriers wait in their reception and will, quite rightly refuse to pay the charges if they are incorrect.

It is your responsibility to make sure that the waiting time is actually added to the job on the computer by one of the office staff, it is not sufficient simply to report waiting time over the phone as it may be overlooked when the control room is busy.

You should note down on your POD sheet:

full pick-up address.
The length of time you were waiting and the times between which you were made to wait.
Where the waiting occurred.
The reason for the delay if known.

It’s a good idea to make a note of all this on your POD sheet.

Generally the courier company cannot add waiting/loading time after the job has been invoiced, so it is up to you to let them know before this occurs, and best of all at the time.

There is a growing trend towards using electronic POD signatures now, getting the parcel signed for on your PDA. It’s worth bearing this in mind when choosing a mobile phone to use. Make sure it has a stylus and a touch screen, and the “Windows Mobile” operating system.

Behaviour and Care

It goes without saying that courier companies expect all couriers to behave reasonably and to take care in actually doing the job. Your actions, good or bad, will be seen as representative of the courier company as a whole and of course will be representative of their customer at the delivery point.

Behaviour

You should remain polite and helpful when dealing with customers at all times, even when under stress. For example, you might arrive at a customer’s premises and they may think that you are late (you may be for one reason or another) and a member of their staff may comment on this. The technique here is to apologise, and not to react badly to the comment. You can either ask them to take the matter up with the controller, or if there is a genuine reason for the delay (traffic congestion, foul weather, kept waiting at collection point, etc.) then feel free to tell them what kept you.

Here are some examples (real ones) of the kind of things not to say to customers as a reason for being late or in any other circumstance include:

“Well, I had to get the other two jobs on board first, mate!”

“Do you wanna have a go and see if you can do any better?”

“My van broke down on the way here but I think I’ve fixed it now.”

“The other guy they sent got lost so they sent me instead.”

Always remember that you’re the person on the spot, so you’ll occasionally have to deal with some grief, but that in the end it’s up to the courier company to sort out any disputes. That’s what they’re there for. Just make sure you don’t add any fuel to the fire.

Taking Care

By agreeing to carry out a delivery for a courier company, you have a serious duty of care to do the job with reasonable care in every respect.

Your vehicle has to be suitably equipped to undertake courier deliveries, and to take care of whatever you’re carrying.

You have to take care of the package, and be sure that it is safe to be carried on/in your vehicle - safe, that is, for you, for on-lookers, for anyone helping you, and for the consignment, both during the loading and unloading process, and whilst on board during the journey.

If you do not think it is safe to take the job, call the controller. The judgement of whether it is safe for the consignment and/or safe for you, remains your responsibility.

Make sure that the consignment is suitable and suitably packaged for transit by your vehicle type, in the weather conditions outside.

The whole point is that the consignment arrives at the delivery point in the same condition as was when you collected it.

It is worth making a written note of any damage or flaws in the condition of the consignment (e.g. a crack in a mirror or piece of glass, or wet or broken packaging) before you leave the collection point (in these circumstances it would be the correct course of action to point out the flaw to whoever has given you the item, making a note of the person’s name). If you’re really well equipped, you could even take a picture of the damage using the camera in your mobile phone.

This way you are less likely to get blamed for damage done before you picked it up. To cover yourself, you should always alert the controller before accepting the consignment, and make a note of who you spoke to.

It’s a good idea to carry polythene bags so that you can keep the worst of the weather off a package not made waterproof by a customer, and carry a blanket to help reduce damage occurring in the van.

All of this is common sense, of course, but a moment’s carelessness with someone else’s property can cost you and the courier company a lot of money.

In summary

To protect yourself and the courier company, check the following:

That the consignment is exactly the same as on your delivery instructions.
That the goods are suitable and insured for carriage in your vehicle.
Whether handling assistance will be required either at collection or delivery point.
Whether the goods are fragile and do they are suitably packed.
Whether the goods are of a hazardous nature.
That you have a sensible-looking delivery address.
That you let the courier company know of any stops or delays.
That while you have a consignment on board, you don’t leave vehicle unattended, especially overnight.
That the consignment is securely tied down while in your van to prevent damage to it, to your van, and to you.
That you always use your common sense.

Your legal responsibilities

It is obviously your responsibility to ensure that you observe the law at all times while working as a courier. If you’re in doubt about anything you’re doing, you should contact a professional advisor such as a lawyer. You can also make enquiries on government websites.

Whether it’s legal or not to carry something may depend on some of the following issues:

How urgent it is. Are you being asked to break the speed limit or drivers’ hours limits?
Vehicle capacities, weight limits, and equipment
Driver training
Health and safety
Type of Goods, eg Dangerous/Hazardous Goods
Loading requirements
Nature of packaging
Whether the shipper is known to you, and acting legally.
Paperwork

It is possible that a problem of this kind may only become obvious after you have arrived at the pick-up point.

If this happens, you should contact the controller before going further. You may think it’s worth investing in dangerous goods awareness training, so you know what to look for in the way of hazardous loads.

Vehicle weight limits

It is your responsibility to ensure safe loading of your vehicle, and to keep the goods secure, and to drive within the weight limits of your vehicle. If in doubt, ask for the load to be weighed. You’ll need to know what your own vehicle can take in the way of weight. This is often different from what it says in the owner’s handbook. Get it weighed. Reputable courier companies will not generally encourage you to operate in such a way as to break the law. Obviously, if you feel you’re being pushed into anything that might, you should discuss this with your controller. You’re always free to find work elsewhere, and you’re always better off refusing the load, and finding work elsewhere.

Hours of work

Most of the work that you do will take place at sometime between the hours of 0800hrs and 2200hrs, weekdays.

You should familiarise yourself with the drivers’ hours regulations, on government websites.

Courier companies, even if you are within the legal driver hours limits, should not encourage you to drive at any time if you are unfit. You should make sure that you take whatever breaks you feel are necessary to ensure that you are always fully awake and able to concentrate at all times.

When you stop for a break, make sure that you call the controller to keep him informed. Do not leave your van and its load out of your sight, and make sure your load is out of sight.

Mobile phones

The law is clear that you are not allowed to hold a mobile phone whilst driving, so you’ll need a good hands-free kit or headset. Bluetooth headsets are very popular with couriers, and usually come free with mobile phones nowadays. Get a headset with the longest possible battery life. The “Parrot” range of hands-free kits is very good, and some people say they are much better than a headset.

Some stick-on Velcro to prevent your phone sliding all over the place in the van is a good idea, if you haven’t got a proper hands-free cradle.

Check government websites to make sure you’re up to date with what you can and can’t do with a mobile phone while driving.

Lifting Injuries

There may be an odd occasion that you are asked to deal with an item that is too big or heavy for you to pickup on your own. Once made aware of this, a courier company will usually make arrangements to give you some assistance. If there isn’t assistance available on the spot, you should contact the controller.

Forklift trucks are only to be used by persons qualified, tested, and insured to use them, so don’t be tempted to borrow one unless you’re qualified.

Article by Tim Gilbert.