Dwindling Membership

I notice that the membership is down to 629 and falling. I have just checked the first 50 members from S13 9XD ( my postcode) and find that out of 50, including myself, there are 20 non pro members listed. These "members" cannot quote on my posted jobs. I know for a fact that some of these "members" are no longer trading so its no wonder I get a very poor response to my posted jobs, if at all.

When searching for a courier from the directory it would be useful if the members status was shown next to their name.

Has anyone any ideas for making this site more viable for its members?

after a flurry of activity at the back end of last year the site was on the up, I know its a quiet time of the year but have the management taken their foot off the pedal? maybe its time for a cull of non active members or non pro members after their trial period has ended, that way this site can then attract the top end couriers be they companies or owner drivers. Always willing to help out by the way 3D if you have work up here.

We're in a reactive rather than pro active industry.

If something doesn't work how you want it to, you move on to one that does.

I suspect its the lack of quotes when posting a job due to the lack of members. As with any exchange site, it relies on a certain number of members to both post and quote. If neither is high enough, then any exchange site, whether it has bells and whistles or not, can't work.

There are dozens out there, the one's that look busy are mostly full of rubbish.

If you're wanting REAL courier work there really is only one place to go.

I thinks it's a vicious circle Rob. I haven't renewed my membership due to lack of work being posted so it seems that other drivers aren't renewing their membership either for the same reason. Plus jobs I've quoted for in the past don't get any replies. (And I don't over price my quotes) The only jobs I get from here are from contacts I've made who phone me direct.

It's really quite simple.

Too many chasing what work there is available.

For some reason being a 'courier' is perceived to be an easy way of making a living.

In truth there is far more involved if you want to make it a success.

Initially, not having enough money to start up with is where alot go wrong, along with the inability to do the basics. [legible POD, good communication, etc]

A viscious circle it is... No work to quote on means members go elsewhere, members go elsewhere, less around to quote on the work. That is why so many exchange sites allow all sorts of dross onto their site... Makes it look busy, in the hope it will entice members etc etc.

Trouble is go down that route and you can't see the wood for the trees, or rather the quality work from the dross.

Same as couriers, theres couriers and there's van drivers calling themselves couriers... Big difference

Very true

After a period of free PRO membership, I am no longer a PRO member. Throughout the PRO period, I can only recall one job being notified for my area and when I look at jobs now, there still aren't any in my area. (not even car and estate car!!!).

If there was work on the forum I'd happily pay to be PRO and I've been (calling myself? - not much chance to prove it if there's no work) a [subby] courier for over 15 years.

Dennis said:

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After a period of free PRO membership, I am no longer a PRO member. Throughout the PRO period, I can only recall one job being notified for my area and when I look at jobs now, there still aren't any in my area. (not even car and estate car!!!).

That's for more than a year!

Amount of work posted on here does not make it viable to keep making payments. I come on occassionally just for the chat. I may have got a couple of jobs do the maths.

I was also a free pro which lapsed 12 days ago. In this time 3 appropriate jobs were posted up but sad to say i quoted on just 1. This didnt come to fruition. I had a shed load of txt mind with approx 5 a week but most were not appropriate. Given the cost of pro and the amount of work it simply wouldnt be cost effective to renew sad to say.

And i think this isnt down to the membership as such but mainly down to the transient nature of couriers . I dont see it as a man with a van issue but more that there is only a finite amount of work thats likely to be posted and given the geographical nature of us all plus the networking nature of this job creating go to guys rather than hope with a stranger then work posted here will never be more than a trickle .

So its either live with the fact its not to be a large source of work or alter was is here . Perhaps a closed pro members section only where work is to be posted and a pro 1 off yearly payment to account for this more appropriate to the earning potential?

We posted work before and receive no or late replies. Speaks for itself.

Not a single job posted for small vans on Courier Work for today. That speaks for itself too!

Asap-Direct said:

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We posted work before and receive no or late replies. Speaks for itself.

Yeah me too that's why i don't post on here much anymore

Chicken and egg situation drivers don't bid companies don't post.

Agree with everything that has been said here. I have had one job off the site and can't see the cost per opportunity stacking up. As Rob rightly says there is only one exchange with real work and for the last two weeks even that one has been flat as a pancake.

Agree with everything that has been said here. I have had one job off the site and can't see the cost per opportunity stacking up. As Rob rightly says there is only one exchange with real work and for the last two weeks even that one has been flat as a pancake.

Yep so true and try and get a decent rate at this time of year its an operators market. Why its a secret on price beats me. Just advertise what ya willing to pay and it cuts down on time wasted by dozens of calls.

That should get a few comments...........................

What an odd coincidence - this morning I had a text notification at long last.

Small van, CF81 9FW to SA1 8AT, Same Day Urgent, 43 miles. The pickup point is 53 miles away and the rest of the run is the 43 miles paid. I can't see the point in telling me about a job starting 53 miles away (plus the Severn Bridge Toll). Means a total round trip of 192 miles plus £12.50 toll, with 43 paid miles to cover costs of £70 and then make a profit?! I should pay to be a PRO member for that opportunity?

Most serious businesses lost interest when the Expert [sic] was let loose with lifestyle jobs

PHAX said:

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Agree with everything that has been said here. I have had one job off the site and can't see the cost per opportunity stacking up. As Rob rightly says there is only one exchange with real work and for the last two weeks even that one has been flat as a pancake.

Yep so true and try and get a decent rate at this time of year its an operators market. Why its a secret on price beats me. Just advertise what ya willing to pay and it cuts down on time wasted by dozens of calls.

That should get a few comments...........................

Have you not joined backloader Bill Yet?

Absolutely spot on!! And I think a lot of couriers stopped quoting for jobs too. Despatch said:**

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Most serious businesses lost interest when the Expert [sic] was let loose with lifestyle jobs

Absolute

And the text facility is crap! LOL.

PHAX said:

. Just advertise what ya willing to pay and it cuts down on time wasted by dozens of calls.

doffs cap in your general direction

imagine a world where tight asswipes who want a job doing for nothing cant get work covered and the real work gets paid in a subsistence wages

This has gone off topic, as usual. I was hoping we, along with Admin, could discuss ways to get, and keep, quality members. With a total of 629 members with 40% non Pro, that leaves just 376 active members nationwide! Not very impressive! I also note that there has been no interaction from Admin since 23/10/2014.

Sinking ship...

Whenever I get inquiries from subbies looking for work, and I get plenty, I recommend they join mtvan as I can't promise daily work for the. No skin off my nose if they quote for jobs on here, as I don't. It does, however, give me a greater pool of OD'S in my area that are notified of my jobs without me having to ring them all. If all members did this it would benefit us all. It is surprising, though, having posted jobs and received no quotes, how many times I have rang members closest to the collection point, only to find they have no knowledge of the job?

Ill say it again... This site was set up to create a nice little extra revenue stream for very little outlay.

If the partners of mtvan were serious and really wanted to be the number 2 courier exchange they would have invested in more staff to generate more members..attracted advertisers ...and updated the site regularly.

Unfortunately They have neither the time or inclination to move this site any further ...that's a shame

Like him or loathe him , just look how much Andy stephens has achieved with his marketing and brash style of management .

If he claimed to be the number 2 exchange site id probably believe him

As you rightly say Mr G. I think he can indeed now claim to be the number 2 site, innovative and forward thinking but I feel he is probably far to busy to be making any claims... Nor does he need to, he is just getting on with the job.

If time and effort was put into the sales site and more jobs being posted then the number of members would surely come. As it's stands I don't think paying is an options for most people. I have made quite a few good contacts on here and hope to carry on There are a lot of excellent couriers here with years of experience that just don't get used

Yes Steve its gone off topic because theres not enough members to keep it on topic. OOOOOOOO slap my legs and wash my mouth out with Carbolic.

Mr G Courier Service said:

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Ill say it again... This site was set up to create a nice little extra revenue stream for very little outlay.

If the partners of mtvan were serious and really wanted to be the number 2 courier exchange they would have invested in more staff to generate more members..attracted advertisers ...and updated the site regularly.

Unfortunately They have neither the time or inclination to move this site any further ...that's a shame

Like him or loathe him , just look how much Andy stephens has achieved with his marketing and brash style of management .

If he claimed to be the number 2 exchange site id probably believe him

Can't disagree with you Mr G. I've tried to remain loyal to this site since 2005 but after 10 years it looks likes I will have to bite the bullet and move on to Courier Exchange.

There is a need for a second site but this one is struggling.

The will to live is dwindling

Asap-Direct said:

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There is a need for a second site but this one is struggling.

It's a shame really, this could be a good site if it was managed right for it's members

I personally think theres too many sites and too many so called couriers working for peanuts. The jobs f@@@ed!

Bennetts Distribution said:

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I personally think theres too many sites and too many so called couriers working for peanuts. The jobs f@@@ed!

This is probably the truest statement id read in a while

A E Delivery said:

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Bennetts Distribution said:

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I personally think theres too many sites and too many so called couriers working for peanuts. The jobs f@@@ed!

This is probably the truest statement id read in a while

Bang onnnn...

I worked as an owner driver with a swb vivaro for a year and couldn't make it pay. I only got one job via this site, I had a 3 month free trial membership which they keep extending. So two years later I am still a member, despite telling admin that I had given up, having never paid a penney to anyone.

So I wonder how many of the members are actually active and how many have actually paid.

Bennetts Distribution said:

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I personally think theres too many sites and too many so called couriers working for peanuts. The jobs f@@@ed!

I agree with you Lee. I had someone ring me off Courier Exchange the other day for a job from warrington-London for 65pplm. The job was for a XLWB Van aswell. I politly refused and told them not to contact me again unless they want a proffessional to do the job right & a decent rate. My feedback says it all really, but too many greedy companies out there now and expect us to do all the running around for rates that are just unworkable.

East-Lancs Sameday Couriers Ltd said:

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Bennetts Distribution said:

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I personally think theres too many sites and too many so called couriers working for peanuts. The jobs f@@@ed!

I agree with you Lee. I had someone ring me off Courier Exchange the other day for a job from warrington-London for 65pplm. The job was for a XLWB Van aswell. I politly refused and told them not to contact me again unless they want a proffessional to do the job right & a decent rate. My feedback says it all really, but too many greedy companies out there now and expect us to do all the running around for rates that are just unworkable.

65pplm?

I hope you were not to polite.

A E Delivery said:

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East-Lancs Sameday Couriers Ltd said:

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Bennetts Distribution said:

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I personally think theres too many sites and too many so called couriers working for peanuts. The jobs f@@@ed!

I agree with you Lee. I had someone ring me off Courier Exchange the other day for a job from warrington-London for 65pplm. The job was for a XLWB Van aswell. I politly refused and told them not to contact me again unless they want a proffessional to do the job right & a decent rate. My feedback says it all really, but too many greedy companies out there now and expect us to do all the running around for rates that are just unworkable.

65pplm?

I hope you were not to polite.

They was instantly put on my block list lol

Also you get them ringing... I see u r showing availability... Got job A to B. 10ml job ...30mls to collection... Are they real????

I just quoted £1 pplm for a 220 mile run to be told sorry we've been quote £165. No wonder good couriers are dropping like flies!

East-Lancs Sameday Couriers Ltd said:

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Bennetts Distribution said:

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I personally think theres too many sites and too many so called couriers working for peanuts. The jobs f@@@ed!

I agree with you Lee. I had someone ring me off Courier Exchange the other day for a job from warrington-London for 65pplm. The job was for a XLWB Van aswell. I politly refused and told them not to contact me again unless they want a proffessional to do the job right & a decent rate. My feedback says it all really, but too many greedy companies out there now and expect us to do all the running around for rates that are just unworkable.

I blame some of the Vendors for quoting low... Today I had an end user ask for a wakefield to London W5 timed urgent job, so I quoted my price, and low and behold he told me he had a lower quote from another company of £160+vat which equates to 0.85pplm, and this is happening often...

Now I stick to my rates but how can me as a Business compete with another Business offering them rates I ask, no doubt if they get the job they will either do it or stick it on Courier Exchange thus lowering the rates still...

I'm sure we all given Admin a bit of a pounding about this topic but I can't see any interaction from them, which is a bit worrying. If someone criticized my business I would listen to their opinions and then comment appropriately!

For professional couriers, i'd have to say the Shed is the place to be, maybe it's about time that us couriers pushed it forward, at least Mike goes to the trouble to vet anyone that applies to join, it seems any old Tom can join the other one, you only have to read the forum to see that the standard of courier they're allowing to join, or people using others memberships/log-ins etc.

It's killing the job

Addams UK Express said:

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For professional couriers, i'd have to say the Shed is the place to be, maybe it's about time that us couriers pushed it forward, at least Mike goes to the trouble to vet anyone that applies to join, it seems any old Tom can join the other one, you only have to read the forum to see that the standard of courier they're allowing to join, or people using others memberships/log-ins etc.

It's killing the job

They can't be fussy they let you on shed5 Dave

AJM sameday Couriers said:

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Addams UK Express said:

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For professional couriers, i'd have to say the Shed is the place to be, maybe it's about time that us couriers pushed it forward, at least Mike goes to the trouble to vet anyone that applies to join, it seems any old Tom can join the other one, you only have to read the forum to see that the standard of courier they're allowing to join, or people using others memberships/log-ins etc.

It's killing the job

They can't be fussy they let you on shed5 Dave

Well... Not sure why that didn't post :-/

You can't edit posts on here or can you?

Addams UK Express said:

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For professional couriers, i'd have to say the Shed is the place to be, maybe it's about time that us couriers pushed it forward, at least Mike goes to the trouble to vet anyone that applies to join, it seems any old Tom can join the other one, you only have to read the forum to see that the standard of courier they're allowing to join, or people using others memberships/log-ins etc.

It's killing the job

Agreed

Badger Courier Services said:

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I just quoted £1 pplm for a 220 mile run to be told sorry we've been quote £165. No wonder good couriers are dropping like flies!

Well that depends on a degree of perspective. If your the sort of person who acts in a manner befitting how you would expect a courier to act and be then £1pplm is cheap.

If however your happy to sit in a layby for 2 hours gathering any and all jobs that become available lying about your location and collection and delivery times ( ring ring oh the traffics bad ) , running multi vans off the same Courier Exchange account plus having just business insuranceregardless of what type, if your happy lie cheat and deceive and simply not give a tosss about what your real role of the job is then yes the £165 becomes a very viable and lucrative pricing option . OOPs i hope i havnt let it out of the bag how people survive at this rates ?

Its tragic that the industry is taking a turn in this direction . Courier Exchange can resolve some of the issues by simply becoming the point of billing. If it was responsible as an agent for moneys and not just a platform for work then we would all stand half a chance of earning a reasonable crust and this continued downward spiral of high costs vrs low incomes would reverse. Beyond this all anyone can do is quote at a living wage and cross fingers.

I am currently on PRO Membership, upgraded by Admin. I was informed work was on the up, and asked to take every opportunity to quote on available work. I live in the ME area of Kent. Every time I check available work there is NONE. Since being upgraded (yet again), I have failed to quote on any work, simply because there is nothing to quote on. When I have quoted (ages ago), I never ever received a reply or allocated any work. Most work indicated under my area is miles away and of no interest to me. I would say, before this site crashed and died, it was good and it worked. I only joined Courier Exchange as a result of this site failing. Since its return, it simply has never returned to working the way it did the first time around. I don't know the answer, but far more job opportunities need to be offered by vendors or the site will crash and burn. I for one do not like the 'on line' quoting routine. I feel all job quotes should be via phone, that way you know straight away if you have the job or not. Normal rule, it you hear nothing in 10 minutes after quoting, move on to the next one.

The lack of input from Tim/admin on here is a bit of a concern, is this site even viable anymore? I have been upgraded to PRO status too, but like Frank, i've never had anything to quote on.

Personally speaking, i'd prefer a system whereby the price being paid is put on the job, that way everyone knows where they stand, and saves all the lowest quote/bid wins type bollocks.

Frank Hall Courier Owner Driver said:

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Most work indicated under my area is miles away and of no interest to me.

Ah, I think im in the right sort of catchment area given Eurosonix Freight Management to name but 1 company keep putting work out there and it tends to be within a decent distance for me. I guess its luck of the draw. Perhaps Tim should seek out prolific posters of work from where ever on the net targetting certain areas and entice them to put work up here?

Addams UK Express said:

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The lack of input from Tim/admin on here is a bit of a concern, is this site even viable anymore?

Well, Admin made a post on Wednesday - first post I've seen for a very long time.

There is dis-satisfaction on ALL the Courier forums so someone needs to pull their finger out. Promote and market the site (if ya still interested) 'build it and they will come'