Blogs

0330 808 1500
Customer Service/Sales/Claims
03 numbers are mobile friendly and use your inclusive minutes

Getting Started As A Courier

Several commercial courier vehicles lined up by the sea

Starting up your own courier business has many attractive qualities: being your own boss, flexible hours, and getting to travel from place to place. The possibilities are endless.

But what should you do before starting your own delivery business? We’ve put together a handy guide if you’re thinking about becoming a courier.

Do your research

Before setting up your delivery business, it’s important to do some research surrounding your local area and whether a courier business would thrive there.

Even if you feel like you know the ins and outs of the industry, don’t be afraid to ask questions to the local community. People’s opinions matter – they will be your customers after all!

Why not create a questionnaire with some key questions and post them through the letterboxes of local people? Here are some examples of questions you could include:

  • On average, how many online orders do you make per week/month?
  • What type of goods do you usually have delivered to your home/work?
  • Do you ever buy in bulk?
  • When would you say you receive the most deliveries? (such as at Christmas)
  • Have you ever delivered any valuable items? If so, what items are these?
  • Do you think you would use the services of a local courier business?

What you’ll need

Once you’ve got the knowledge about your delivery business, you need to invest in some key items to get you started:

  • A vehicle. Consider getting a courier van if you’re planning to transport a lot of items or large goods.
  • A mobile phone. You’ll need your phone to get hold of customers regarding the delivery status of their items while you’re on the go.
  • Courier insurance. Having the correct level of courier driver insurance is vital if you’re looking to set up on your own.

Recruitment & employer’s liability insurance

If you’re going to have a large workload right from the off, it could be worth hiring a fleet of couriers.

When looking to employ a new staff member, you need to make sure you get some recent professional references, as well as proof of their right to work in the UK.

Legally, if you hire any staff members, you need to take out an employer’s liability insurance policy.

Advertise your services

When starting up your own courier business, it’s vital that you let people know what services you offer, and how to get in touch with you should they require a delivery driver.

A cheap and easy way to do this is to get some company flyers and/or business cards printed (you can do this through various online companies at a reasonable price) and post them through the letterboxes of local houses.

It’s also worth setting up a simple website. There are a variety of platforms that you can use to do this, such as WordPress or Wix.

Finding the right insurance policy

One of the most important factors to consider when setting up your own courier business is which courier insurance policy to go for.

The type of courier insurance that will suit you depends on your circumstances. How many vehicles does your business use? Will you be carrying cargo and require courier van insurance with goods in transit cover? What type of vehicle do you use for your courier business?

Types of courier insurance include:

To buy courier insurance, all you need to do is complete our courier quote form. You can also call our courier insurance team on 0330 080 1119. No matter whether you need self employed courier insurance or courier insurance for a colleague that you’re working with, Insurance Revolution is here to help.