Postal Letter

I am seriously considering purchasing a van and starting a delivery business. Any help would be appreciated.?

I am desperate for a driving job as I really enjoy being out on the road and as I've been finding them hard to come by, I thought about starting my own delivery business. Is it difficult to do this (Scotland/UK)?

Public Comments

1. not hard to do so, but the money is very very bad unless you get a good contract. most drivers join companys like tnt or ups ( sameday deliverys) these companys always take on self employed drivers, as adhoc drivers( in other words you sit in the staff room until a job comes in and its your turn to go), and it can only be a short job e.g 30 miles away so it will take you a couple of hours and only earn aprx £15, then your back of the que. being a self employed driver is a lot of hanging around waiting for jobs to come in ( and not getting paid while waiting, as the saying says going your only earning when the wheels are moving). if you do consider going self employed try getting a bigger van like a transit or mercedes sprinter, as you get paid more by the mile ( aprox 40p), but if you have a small van like berlingo then your looking like 25p per mile.
2. I used to deliver newspaper at night to newsagents, the money was great and the roads were clear. I really loved it. I was employed as a freelancer so the money was good. I loved it. I used to listen to music. I really loved it. And as I ma not the smartes guy on earth, a driving job was just perfect for me. I loved it.
3. Think carefully about who your target customers are before you start. How will you contact them and how can you make enough money from them for it to be viable? Speak to your local Business Link for free help and advice on setting up your business. They help with planning it and marketing it. As a business that uses a delivery service regularly, the sort of things that we look for are a reasonable price, picking up when you say you will and taking good care of the parcels. There is compensation available but it costs us extra time putting together replacement parcels. You'll need a good business insurance policy as well as a decent sized van to cover you for the sort of thing I've described above. Good luck!
4. Hi Gazza Lots of different oprtions, but the best is to secure regular contract to start with. Try such places as Newspaper distributors (I have a friend that does this, he starts at 3am delivers to all the local newsagents and is back in the house by 11am.) Uses his own van and earns decent cash, a good place to start. cheers
5. It's a tough business and extremely competitive. Especially at the moment, with the economic climate. But being your own boss obviously has it's advantages :) If you do decide to take the plunge, one of the key tips I will give you is the importance of running your vehicle efficiently. Make sure that you make best use of your vehicle and keep it full. Make sure no journey goes to waste.