Shiply.com

"As an owner driver, I have felt the effects of the credit crunch and am always on the lookout for extra courier / owner driver jobs and backloads. When I researched Shiply's service I was attracted by the amount of owner operator jobs on offer, but without the necessity of a long term commitment.

Good feedback ensures future courier work for owner drivers and future customers. As Shiply has a clear method of reporting back on the delivery from the customers point of view, it raises your image as an owner operator and gives the company extra consumer confidence, which is vital in this climate."

Becoming an Owner Driver

Starting out in the courier game can be difficult. Becoming an independent transporter requires a great deal of resolve, as maintaining a good level of customer service while driving long hours is not always easy.

You can become a delivery driver in the UK by a number of routes:

Start-up: If you want to go it alone and reap all the rewards, this is the way to go. You’ll trade under your own name and you can be a sole trader, run a partnership or form an Ltd. New work can be harder to come by however.

Ensure that you have clear ideas about your business venture. Detailing a business plan will help you to see if you’ll have the capacity to be profitable. Think about whether there’s sufficient demand in your area, what your costs will be and how people will find out about you.

Owner driver: Another avenue you can take is to run a courier business serving larger freight companies. You can still be self-employed, but you’ll be running deliveries for someone else. Searching Google for available jobs can help you find leads for new business.

Affiliated: You can become an owner driver for one of the major players, in which case you’ll be in charge of a route, which you can use to generate additional business off your own back. When you contract with a big courier company you’ll need to ensure you get permission to find your own additional work.

Whichever route you take to becoming a delivery driver, the key to becoming profitable will be generating sufficient volume. If you’re operating for someone else, they’ll be able to provide you with a certain level of work, but you can supplement these sources by doing some independent work as well.

Finding Extra Work on Shiply

Most couriers will already know the frustration of coming back from a delivery with an empty van, or the annoyance of making a trip with a half full van. It’s in your best interest to keep your vehicle full until quitting time, to get the most out of your trips and make the journeys as profitable as possible.

This is where we can help.

On Shiply you can search thousands of deliveries that are listed by our users every day. You’ll be able to find consignments to help you fill empty spaces in your journeys. By quoting against other drivers you can win extra jobs to fill those potentially wasted journeys.

Signing up as a transport provider is completely free and will give you the opportunity to quote on thousands of available deliveries. Supplementing your existing work by using Shiply can help keep your van full and increase your profitability.

Whether you’re a new start-up or established player, Shiply can help you find local courier work simply and quickly.