If you’re in the logistics industry that means you probably know exactly what goes into doing courier work. However, that may not be the case for your friends, your family or even your significant other. If you find yourself getting lots of questions about what exactly your chosen profession involves, just show the person asking this article. It’s sure to shed a light on what the general public may not know about being a courier.
1) You Need People Skills
Believe it or not, this kind of work takes seriously good interpersonal skills. The job requires you to interact with a variety of people from all walks of life on a daily basis. It’s common knowledge that you’ll need to confirm the package’s descriptions and check with both the recipient and the sender that the relevant paperwork has been completed, so it won’t benefit you to be shy or withdrawn. In fact, it’s very helpful to be comfortable with small talk and making conversation with strangers, as this is a career where you meet new people just about every day.
2) You’ll Get to Use Many Different Types of Vehicles
Courier work isn’t necessarily confined to a van or a car. You may get to complete your deliveries using a motorbike or a bicycle (especially in urban environments), or even a boat or light aircraft if you’re working in one of the world’s more remote regions.
3) You’ll Need to Have Excellent Navigational Skills
Sure, Google Maps, sat navs and GPS may be commonplace in this day and age – but those with a career in courier work should have top notch navigational skills nonetheless. There will be times when you won’t have service or your device will die, and you’ll often have to be able to figure out the quickest route somewhere – all while you take weather and traffic conditions into account.
4) You’ll Be Required to Have Specialist Insurance
Drivers who use vans, motorbikes or cars will, of course, need standardised vehicle insurance – however, you may need to supplement that with courier insurance to make sure you are covered for all eventualities. Professional drivers are exposed to different risks than those who just use their vehicles to commute to and from work, so it’s important you make sure you’re properly protected.
5) You’ll Be Delivering All Sorts of Packages
If you decide on a career in courier work, you’ll be required to deliver all sorts of packages. Your cargo can include DVDs, books, purchases from online shopping, watches, jewellery, letters, furniture… the list goes on and on. You may even play a role in saving a life, as some non-standard deliveries can include transporting organs and blood to those in need.
For many, being a delivery driver is the dream job. After reading this article, hopefully those who are not familiar with the logistics industry will have a better understanding of what this career entails.
Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier work in the express freight exchange industry. Numerous transport exchange businesses are networked together on their website, trading jobs and capacity through what is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange in the UK.
This article is copyright free.