This is now quite common in the delivery sector which has become one of the most advanced in terms of the gig economy. Indeed, it is not uncommon for drivers to work for three, four or even more courier firms during their working week, typically doing so by accessing jobs through a purpose-built app. Under such circumstances, expenses become part of the cost of running a self-employed business. This is the case even if you work as a self-employed driver and only undertake jobs for just one courier firm. Most self-employed drivers – unless they have a particular arrangement with the firm that is giving them work – will, therefore, need to keep their expense receipts and use them at the end of the tax year. By adding up what you have spent to keep your van on the road, for example, you can make deductions from your income as a driver when you complete your annual self-employment self-assessment.

Needless to say, HMRC does not allow self-employed people – including courier drivers and delivery operatives – to add all expenses they incur to the debit column of their books. Claiming for things that are not allowed could lead to a closer inspection of all your finances by the tax authorities. Indeed, in the worst-case scenario, it could be viewed that you are trying to ‘cook the books’ in order to lower your taxable income, something that could easily be interpreted as fraud. Consequently, many self-employed drivers, including van and bike couriers, are cautious and don’t claim for as many expenses as they are really allowed.

In other cases, self-employed couriers will hand over all of their receipts and bills of sale to an accountant. If so, they tend to charge a reasonably large sum to sort out a year’s worth – or more – of transactions, sorting them into allowable expenses and things that cannot be claimed for. In other words, drivers who work for themselves in the gig economy should be a bit savvier about their tax returns and work out what is an allowable expense and what is not. Read on to find out more about allowable expenses in the courier industry and be better prepared for your next self-assessment return which, for the majority of drivers, will need to be completed before the end of January.

Vehicle Running Costs

Unless you use a bicycle to ferry goods around, the chances are that you will be running a motorised vehicle you own to do your work. Even if you don’t own your own van, for example, and lease one or hire it on daily or weekly terms, you will still have to put fuel in it out of your own pocket. Please note that all of these costs are business expenses that can be directly taken out of your nett profit. Since self-employed people who operate as sole traders are taxed according to how much profit they’ve made in a year – not on how much turnover they’ve generated – being able to remove a significant amount of outlay from these figures will make a big difference to most couriers’ tax bills.

Please note that fuel that is consumed for the purposes of work is allowable. This means, for example, driving to a depot to pick up your deliveries as well as each journey you make on your rounds as a delivery driver. However, if you also drive your van or car for personal use, then you will not be able to claim for the fuel used. In other words, you cannot drive to the shops or go on holiday and claim the fuel you have consumed back as a business expense. Given that some of the receipts you have kept after filling up might include fuel that is used for both business and personal driving, the best way to keep on top of this is to note down your mileage after each day behind the wheel. Keep a record of how many miles you’ve driven for work and what has constituted personal use. Then, you can work out the proportion of each at the end of the year. Let’s say, for example, 20 per cent of your mileage was for personal use. If so, then you would be able to claim for 80 per cent of the total sum of your fuel receipts. Even more importantly, such a claim would be more likely to be accepted by HMRC when your self-assessment is filed.

Remember, too, that there are other running costs associated with vans, cars and motorbikes that you can claim for. Any screenwash you purchase, tyres you replace or oil you fill up with all comes with a cost, of course. Again, use the same proportionality method described above to claim for these running costs since they, too, will have a personal benefit to you that you cannot claim for as well as constituting a legitimate business expense.

Other Vehicle-Related Expenses You Can Claim For

Please note that it isn’t just consumables like oil, diesel, petrol and so on that you can claim for if you own your own vehicle. There are other allowable expenses that apply to owner-drivers. If you hire your van instead, then these expenses won’t apply. However, the rental fee you are charged will be considered as a legitimate business expense so long as you only use the van – or other vehicle – you hire for business use.

Firstly, owner-drivers working as couriers can claim their vehicle repair and servicing costs as an allowed expense. Car owners who use a family car for some of the time as a courier driver may not be able to claim such costs in full, however. That said, van drivers who use their vehicles predominantly for business use are usually able to claim for the full costs involved. If you are unsure what is allowed, then seek expert advice in your case. The same goes for road tax and MOTs. Both of these costs are considered by HMRC to be allowable expenses among self-employed drivers who own their own vehicles. In addition, it is usual for the tax authorities to allow for vehicle insurance to be claimed for, especially when the vehicle is mostly on the road for business purposes. If you have courier insurance or some form of goods in transit insurance designed for self-employed drivers, then this can be claimed for, as well.

Other costs that can be claimed are parking costs and toll fees. Please note that these must constitute a genuine business cost, however. If you have parked somewhere because you are visiting an attraction outside of your work, for example, then your parking receipt won’t be allowed. Nor will any parking fines you have incurred because you have not parked legally during the course of your deliveries. Equally, toll fees you have incurred only through work will be allowed. The receipts for any such fees you have paid must show a date you were working and on a route that makes sense given your deliveries that day.

Claiming for Capital Costs

So far, we have looked at the day-to-day spending that all courier drivers experience whether they’re self-employed or not. However, these examples don’t cover the biggest amount of expenditure that most owner-drivers face which is the capital cost of their vehicle. Whether you own your vehicle outright or have taken out a loan to finance it, the cost of a van or car constitutes a considerable business investment. Therefore, it is possible to deduct some of the capital costs of owning it from your self-assessment return. However, you cannot simply claim for the cost of a whole van, for example, in one tax year. This is because your business – from HMRC’s perspective – will continue to benefit from it for several years to come. Therefore, the rules covering capital costs are different than they are for other business expenses.

Self-employed people from all walks of life – not just delivery drivers – are offered a couple of different accountancy choices for capital expenses in their tax returns. You’ll probably have seen the terms ‘traditional accounting’ or ‘cash basis’ if you have ever completed a self-assessment before. Even if you don’t know what these terms mean, the main point to take on board is that they most closely relate to capital sums spent on a business asset, such as a van, for example.

To be clear, people who use the traditional accounting method in which income and expenses are recorded individually by the date they were billed (rather than settled) are allowed to claim for a vehicle they’ve bought as a capital allowance. So long as the vehicle in question is for business use, as most courier vans would be, then they can deduct a proportion of its value from the profits the business has generated, thereby lowering that year’s tax burden. Under this system, both the van’s carbon emissions and the date it was bought would be used to determine the proportion of capital allowance that can be claimed. People who use cash-basis accounting, on the other hand, are only allowed to claim a vehicle purchase as a capital allowance if they are not also claiming for a mileage allowance for its running costs.

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“The great majority of goods that people order through on-demand suppliers nowadays could be handled by our drone delivery capability very easily,” Woodworth said during the interview. As a former chief technology officer at Wing, it seems that the current CEO isn’t simply talking up the possibilities of drones in courier settings but understands both its capabilities and its limitations very well. During his time on the podcast, Woodworth explained that drone delivery solutions are not suited to every kind of consignment. “If I need to shift a few tons of gravel from one place to another,” he said, “then I should still rent a dump truck.” He said that it would be foolish to put it in the back of a family car because it is a question of finding the right delivery mechanisms for the right job. This may come as a relief to those who ply their trade in the last-mile delivery market in the UK where Wing-like technology may soon be making its presence felt.

Nevertheless, Woodworth went on to say that most of what consumers place online orders for from the likes of Amazon, Starbucks and the ubiquitous US retailer, Walmart, is suited to drone delivery systems. Eyeing the million plus brick and mortar retail outlets in the US alone – not to mention the vast number of online stores which looks soon to surpass the two million figure – he pointed out the simple fact that most consumer goods don’t weigh a couple of tons like a consignment of gravel. “Much of it comes in at just a few pounds,” he said. According to Woodworth, this means that such orders are ripe for drone technology which could soon replace fossil-fuel run trucks that cause particulate emissions wherever they’re driven.

Cheaper Deliveries for Consumers

In the podcast, Woodworth claimed that drone deliveries can be up to ten times as cheap when they are compared to older-style trucks. He cited figures published by a European drone delivery start-up firm named Manna, based in Ireland. Whether these figures are truly borne out in the real world and whether they also take into account energy efficiency measures that the global delivery sector has already taken remains to be seen, however. That being said, Woodworth’s comments clearly show that the drone technology sector thinks it has a twin advantage over current delivery models. To be clear, they think it is both cleaner and cheaper to deliver lower-weight items with electric drones.

Despite the undoubted optimism of Woodworth – and others in the technology-driven delivery sector – there are some limitations that the podcast covered. During the interview, for example, Woodworth agreed that the environmental cost of sending a drone to deliver something light, like a book, a prescription or a pair of socks was much more obvious than it was for larger items, such as toaster ovens. He also said that using one drone for something bulky like an oven was not yet compatible with orders of perishable items since they’d slow deliveries down. He pointed out that an iced drink order, if sent with something like a toaster oven, would make no sense, for example, given that the ice would probably have melted by the time the delivery arrived.

Deliveries for the Information Age

It is worth noting that Wing is, at heart, a Google startup company which is seeking to ‘join up’ its operations from the place where people place orders to when they receive them. Wing graduated from Google’s internal idea development programme, known as Google X only as recently as 2018. In just four years, it has gone from taking the drone concept on paper to making it a practical reality.

Indeed, it was only in 2019 that Wing was awarded with an air operator’s certificate from the relevant body in the US, the FAA. Gaining such approvals might take more time in the European Union but if Wing can adequately demonstrate its abilities in the courier insurance market and a strong safety record, then UK approval for its operations could come more rapidly. For now, it is worth noting that Wing is officially designated as an airline and must, therefore, operate according to all of the rules and regulations that cover air operators in the US today. Since it gained its FAA accreditation, Wing has gone on to deliver in excess of a quarter of a million packages. Notably, this number of deliveries has been attained since April of this year. This is when it launched the first commercial drone delivery service of its kind. Restricted to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas for now, Wing says the time is right to ramp up its initial successes in the market to other locations.

Operating Like an Air Freight Company

One of the principles behind Wing’s operational model is what Woodworth refers to as an aircraft library. What this boils down to is the various different sizes and shapes of aeroplanes that air freight operators make use of for their shipments and cargoes. During the podcast interview Wing’s boss said that two and four-engined planes were used for specific functions. “On the delivery scale of drones, however,” he said, “this would translate to ferrying 2.5 pounds of cargo over a six mile-trip or conveying 15-pound cargoes for about 20 miles using larger drones.” Expanding on this idea, Woodworth said that the air freight model translates well to drone technology when you consider that urgent deliveries, such as medication, tend to be smaller and lighter even though they might need to be refrigerated to maintain their medicinal properties. However, he said that Wing’s experience demonstrated that larger loads don’t necessarily require the same levels of urgency so slower drones are more suited to those sorts of jobs.

As you might expect of a sister company of Google, acquiring real-world data has been one of the priorities of Wing’s operations in Texas over the last few months. Woodworth said that because of the amount of flying and testing time his company has already been able to complete, Wing has accumulated a huge amount of data on the core reusable systems that make a drone work. The information collected is already being deployed in newly developed AI algorithms to help with things like avionic systems, battery management, motor controllers and payloads, among other aspects of flying goods. Wing is already making a software system that will help it to choose the drone that will be best for each delivery job that comes in at lightning speed.

Drone Infrastructure

“The infrastructure for drone deliveries will have to be both simple and modular if it is to be a part of the future as we see it,” Woodworth said. Pointing to the company’s other, more recent activities in Australia, he said that Wing had installed drone infrastructure – known as nests – onto the roof of a shopping mall. This allows drones to land safely and to access the power they need to recharge. In addition, they connect to the internet without any human intervention to find out what their next delivery assignment might be. “That is the sort of level of infrastructure configuration that I think the future necessitates,” the technology CEO said.

Of course, the future of drone technology in last-mile deliveries is still uncertain. At the moment, Wing only has licenses to carry out its operations in Texas, Canberra and a location in the Finnish capital city of Helsinki. Nevertheless, Woodworth made it clear during his interview that he and the rest of Wing’s leadership team were focussed on expansion. “It isn’t going to be instant,” he warned. Instead, he said the model they were looking at would be more like adding one city here and another one there for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, in places where Wing does begin operating, he said that consumers could expect expanding zones of operation as drone technology improved. If and when a British city starts accepting Wing deliveries is still uncertain but one is for sure – few would currently bet on this sort of technology not becoming relatively normal in the UK within the next decade or so.

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In a press release, DPD said that it would be using branded robots in the field, ones that were part of an autonomous delivery system developed by Cartken. The idea is that the practical challenges of utilising robots to make real-world deliveries will be better understood as the project is monitored. According to the company’s statement, all of the robots involved will initially operate from DPD’s depot in Knowlhill. This will mean that the robotic carts will need to be able to get from there to the residential areas of Shenley Church End and Shenley Lodge, both a little under a mile from the depot.

Off-Road

Importantly, at this stage of the programme, the robots will not need to navigate the town’s road network. This is because Milton Keynes has a traffic-free network known as Redway. The unitary authority’s Redway network is used by pedestrians, cyclists, scooters and wheelchair users, however, so it is expected that the project will involve plenty of interactions between people and the autonomous robots involved in the experiment. Due to the AI technology that the robotic carts possess, machine learning will be involved so that the robots can master the routes they will need to move through on their own. The idea is that the depot will serve as the robots’ ‘home’ but they will need to rely on their own AI algorithms to find their way to the delivery addresses without further human intervention. That’s to say that the experiment is expected to be fully autonomously.

DPD’s UK CEO, Elaine Kerr, said that this is a really important trial for the British wing of the firm. “We would like to understand the role that robots could play in locations throughout the UK,” she said. Pointing out that delivery robots are a sustainable solution that doesn’t require fossil fuel consumption, she went on to add that DPD truly wants to find out whether such technology could help them to take vans off the road in the near future. Perhaps pre-empting the results of the trial Kerr said that the technology is proven and, thus far, the public’s response to the wider electric vehicle fleet DPD had been amazing.

Confidence

“I have confidence that our customers will embrace these smart robotic devices,” Kerr stated. Noting some concerns about the role of delivery drivers, she added that she thought it was not realistic to say that DPD would be completely replacing its human drivers anytime soon. “We wouldn’t want to do that anyway,” she said, stating that the service they already offer is ‘fantastic’. Nevertheless, the CEO emphasised the fact that DPD has always tried to take the lead on the way to innovate in logistics. “Investing in our network is the next logical step for us, both in terms of becoming the country’s most sustainable delivery company and the adoption of evolving delivery solutions.”

According to Cartken, its level 4 autonomy and navigation technology are more than up to the job. The firm says that it is viewed as one of the safest last mile delivery solution providers in the world. Currently, Cartken is among the market leaders in autonomous robotics for the courier sector. For example, its systems are currently being deployed by Mitsubishi, a Japanese automotive tech giant in its own right. Furthermore, Cartken has an existing commercial arrangement with one of the leading food delivery firms in the United States, GrubHub. So confident is Cartken in its UK partnership with DPD that a video showing an autonomous delivery robot being put through its paces in Milton Keynes – complete with DPD’s logo and livery – has already been released.

Notifications

Local recipients of parcels being sent by DPD to the two districts in Milton Keynes will be notified in advance that a robot will be making their delivery. At this point, the householder will be expected to advise the system that they are currently at home and in a position to take receipt of their delivery. Only then will the robotic cart be dispatched to convey their consignment to them on the final stage of its journey from the supplier. Indeed, DPD says that the service will allow customers to track the progress of their package more easily than is currently possible with human delivery operatives. The robots being used emit GPS data so that they can be tracked wherever they might be. The delivery system will, therefore, be able to display the progress of the robot on a map displayed on the customer’s computer or smartphone. Furthermore, an additional notification will be sent to the customer when the robot has reached their property and the goods inside the cart can be taken out.

Even the security measures needed to allow for this level of autonomy have been thought of. Cartken’s carts have a secure compartment inside them through which customers can access their delivery. The customer will be sent a code which will allow them to get inside. Once the compartment has been emptied and the door shut, the autonomous robotic cart will then be instructed to return to the depot so that it can make further deliveries. Should the trial prove to be successful, then DPD has already said that it would like to extend the autonomous final mile robotic solution to the rest of Milton Keynes. If so, this could mean that it will begin removing the firm’s delivery vans from the town’s road network.

Anjali Jindal Naik, Cartken’s Co-Founder and COO, said that the Milton Keynes trial constituted an exciting collaboration for parcel deliveries in the UK market. “We are thrilled to be a part of DPD’s sustainability plan,” she said, According to the COO, Carten’s robots are designed to provide sustainable solutions which can integrate seamlessly into the existing infrastructure of settlements like Milton Keynes. This trial is one of a number of green initiatives that DPD has announced in recent times. The courier company has already unveiled plans to ensure it is running over 3,000 electric vehicles on UK roads by the end of 2022. It has also said it will increase this figure to 5,000 electric vehicles by the following year.

Wider Autonomy

Elsewhere, the Co-Op Group has said it will also be trialling autonomous delivery robotics with a completely different system from the one developed by Cartken. In partnership with Bedford Borough Council, the Co-Op has said that three of its stores in the town will move to autonomous deliveries. According to the retailer, this means that up to 45,000 residents across some 20,000 residences in the area will be able to receive their grocery orders from a fleet of autonomous robots made by Starship Technologies. Co-Op stores and Starship – an Estonian firm with headquarters in California – already run some autonomous robot delivery services, so this is an expansion of their current programme. At the moment some Co-Op customers in Milton Keynes, Northampton and parts of Cambridgeshire can have their orders fulfilled by electrically powered, six-wheeled delivery robots.

According to the Co-Op, the stores that will take part in the Bedford autonomous trial are located in the Goldington, Queens Drive and Kempston areas of the market town. For its part, Starship says that its robots are powered by renewable electricity that has no carbon footprint. Unlike the DPD-Cartken model, Starship deals with the commercial side of the operation as well as the logistical one. Grocery orders from Co-Op stores are made with Starship’s own food delivery app. Then, the ordered items are picked as freshly as possible in the nearest Co-Op shop. According to data from the most recent app usage, groceries can be expected to arrive within one hour or less from an order being submitted.

In findings presented in a recently published industry report on autonomous robotics, the size of the delivery robot market in North America alone is expected to rise to around USD $20 million (£16 million) by the end of 2022. Many predict that it will likely double from this figure within the next five years. However, this will ultimately depend on the security and safety aspects of the various autonomous services currently being rolled out. Only when consumers are confident with such systems will they start to become the norm instead of the novelty that they currently are. Time will tell as to how this will impact on traditional last mile delivery services, of course. However, many investors in autonomous tech are betting that robots are going to be playing an ever more substantial role in the years to come.

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Postage Stamp-Style Tracing Tags Developed

One of the big problems for firms handling packages is that the sort of tracking technology that has thus far been deployed has been bulky. As such, the search for something as flat and discreet as a postage stamp has long been sought-after among tech companies as a simple solution to the problem of tracing lower-value items that are despatched in smaller quantities. Now, even envelope-sized consignments should be able to be traced on their journeys around the world thanks to the latest invention of an Israeli supply-chain technology company known as Wiliot.

Wiliot announced in June that it had not only made small tracking tags that could be used with conventional supermarket crates instead of entire truckloads of goods or shipping containers but that it had also struck its first commercial deal for their use. According to the company’s announcement, its first big customer is a supermarket chain named Shufersal, the largest grocery retailer in Israel. The entire company will be making use of the tag-based tracking system to trace much of its produce as it makes its way from farms and suppliers to its stores. Shufersal is now heavily invested in tracing its products from their various sources to each supermarket it runs. What’s more, showing the location of the goods is not the only thing the postage stamp-style tags are good for. According to Wiliot, their technology can measure temperature changes – ideal for perishable goods, of course – as well as numerous other factors that may have an impact on the freshness of goods in transit.

Based in Caesarea, the Israeli tech company is just one of an increasing number of start-ups that are choosing to develop tools aimed at the courier delivery and logistical sectors. They clearly see that monitoring goods as they pass through the various stages of both supply chain and distribution channels is something that the market wants. Importantly, Wiliot’s executives reckon that its system uses devices that are small and inexpensive enough to produce that it won’t just be supermarket chains with fresh goods that will soon be making use of them. The company has already gone on the record to say that it thinks that couriers who ship crates, as well as larger agriculture carriers, will want to adopt the system to offer their clients more accurate and up-to-date information at every stage of the delivery process.

Although Wiliot is currently only working with Shufersal as its primary commercial partner, executives at the firm said that they expect to move into other condition and time-sensitive distribution sectors soon. Many in the logistical industry in Israel have already interpreted this as an ambition to move into the pharmaceuticals and textiles sectors next, both in the domestic market and globally. One commentator suggested that because the tags are roughly the size of postage stamps but contain all-important microprocessors that can provide the required information on Shufersal’s produce crates, they will prove their value in numerous markets. Although, initially at least, they will track fruit and vegetables from farms to store shelves, they can also be deployed for individual consignments of drugs and clothing orders.

Improved Operations?

According to Wiliot, the tiny nature of their devices is the key attribute that makes the traceability system work at the operational level. Indeed, they say it has the goal of solving something of a problem that many supply chain managers face every day. Today, the progress – or otherwise – of many groceries is tracked with larger devices that are placed into shipping containers or individual trucks. However, this means that what happens when goods are unloaded is often not fully traceable as individual crates are split up from one another, perhaps because they’re being sent to different stores or even placed onto alternative shelves within shops.

According to Stephen Statler, the senior vice president of marketing at Wiliot, ordinary and everyday items – such as clothing, vaccine vials, plastic pallets, cardboard boxes and bags of salad – can all be traced thanks to the novel tags because they are linked to the internet. He said that one of the exciting things about this technology was that, like postage stamps, the tags don’t need battery power to work. However, they make use of Bluetooth wireless technology to send information to authorised personnel via the internet. Speaking to the press, Mr Statler said that he reckoned the tags would eventually fall in price to much less than the cost of a stamp and would end up being in the region of 10 cents, about 8 pence.

According to some academics in the United States who have been taking an interest in Wiliot’s technology, the system could do more than provide a better tracking method for retailers and suppliers of perishable goods, however. For example, one professor at Penn State University, Mark Capofari, who specialises in supply chain issues, commented that he thought greater visibility in the industry would solve many of the problems the sector faces right now. He cited the current inability to fully track smaller consignments of food, something that leads to operational inefficiencies and, in the worst cases, to food waste. He also suggested greater transparency in the sector might lead to fewer personnel costs for courier firms. Certainly, Wiliot has not been shy in making the case for less theft and wastage of goods thanks to more accurate traceability, something they think is one of the system’s major plus points.

Blockchain Technology and the Logistics Industry

Although the use of blockchain technology is often mostly associated with the world of cryptocurrencies – in order to create a publicly verifiable account of ownership of digital assets – it can also be deployed in the supply chain sector to great effect. One way that some suppliers are using blockchains is to generate a so-called digital passport for products so that when they leave their warehouse, they can be more easily tracked at each stage of their journey. Digital passports that are held in a blockchain include information on where products are now, to whom they have been sold as well as when and how they were made. The tracing functionality that blockchains have means that end consumers can be more readily assured that they are buying products that are the genuine article and what they claim to be.

Of course, this is a great thing for suppliers of high-end and one-of-a-kind items that would like to prove the provenance of their goods. However, it isn’t just top brands that can benefit from blockchains in the supply chain in this way. For example, companies that promote themselves on shared ethical values might want to provide evidence that they are operating properly. Blockchains allow them to trace goods from their origin so they can prove they’ve been traded fairly, for example, and not interfered with or exchanged for unethical goods in the supply chain. Overall, like Wiliot’s technology, the basic idea is to help companies to become more transparent in what they are doing, thereby establishing greater levels of trust with their customers.

For some, this is less to do with the origin of a product or commodity but the way in which it is handled by the supply side operations themselves. In other words, courier firms and logistics companies that have invested in sustainable fuels and more ecologically sound vehicle technology now have the blockchain technology at their disposal to provide a more trackable service to their clients that proves the goods they handle are being dealt with sustainably. For instance, blockchains are already being used to trace the carbon emissions associated with individual consignments as they make their way around the world including the last-mile delivery process.

This has led some to ask whether Wiliot’s tacking system – or something like it – will soon help to make all consumer shipments, no matter how small, as traceable as entire container loads. Zvika Fishheimer, Shufersal’s executive vice president, certainly seems to think so. He said that the capacity to see the progress of every crate of fruit and vegetables in real-time was nothing short of revolutionary. Indeed, he thinks that tracking that such items are being maintained at the right temperature throughout the entire delivery process has the potential to change the industry forever. With more traceable goods on offer to consumers and more trust in them thanks to blockchain verification processes along the way, it is hard to argue with this sort of sentiment today. Given that wasted food alone costs the global economy an estimated $940 billion each year – about £770 million – any operational efficiency improvements at a time of increasing household financial pressures are likely to be very welcome indeed.

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When it began trading, the Berlin-based start-up seemed to be at the very heart of the last mile delivery business during various periods of lockdown across Europe in 2020 and 2021. Unlike the likes of Deliveroo or Uber Eats, however, Gorillas’ offering was somewhat unique insofar as it made use of so-called dark stores. From the customer’s perspective, they would receive their order as though a Gorillas employee had been to their local supermarket and found everything that was needed on the shelf, only to pay for it at the checkout and get it to the client within about 10 minutes. However, Gorillas’ business rationale meant that it used dark stores – distribution centres and shops that aren’t open to the general public – to fulfil locally placed orders more rapidly than would be possible by heading to a store.

Despite its initial rapid growth as a start up enterprise, Gorillas announced in May that it would be pulling out of several trading territories in Europe altogether for the time being. In a statement, the company said that this would allow it to focus its attention on what it regarded as its key markets more closely. Crucially, for anyone working for Gorillas at the moment, the company said that the UK remained one of its most important markets. In its statement, Gorillas executives said that the firm was currently moving from a “hyper-growth” model that it had been used to for the previous 24 months to one that offered a clearer “path to profitability”. Clearly, such as move has raised eyebrows in the sector because the once all-conquering Gorillas seemed to be able to do no wrong. So, is the change something to do with the way Gorillas is set up or does this move say something about the wider grocery delivery sector as a whole?

Gorillas’ announcement came with the news that it had decided to shed about 300 jobs from its global workforce. “With this difficult decision,” Gorillas’ statement read, “[We are]… ensuring that we strengthen our position in the long term, both strategically and financially.” The firm also said that its move came as a result of a difficult economic period for the tech industry as a whole. It is understood that the majority of the jobs being lost are those in the company’s German headquarters in Berlin, perhaps offering an indication that the move is more to do with the technological side of the business rather than the delivery aspects of its service. That said, on top of the German staff cuts, Gorillas said it intending on ceasing its current operations in Spain, Denmark, Italy and Belgium altogether. This indicates that the success – or otherwise – of its business model hasn’t always been evenly distributed in different markets. “Gorillas will now focus on five strategic markets,” the statement read. Along with the UK, these will be made up of Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United States.

It may not be that surprising that Gorillas has made the move to limit its backroom staff and the territories it operates in for a time when you consider that in the region of 90 per cent of the company’s turnover is generated from the five markets it intends continuing to offer services in. In short, the strategy appears to be focusing on trying to achieve a profitable business model in those countries rather than trying to achieve market dominance at a loss in places that haven’t necessarily seen the value in Gorillas’ business model. Perhaps the decision-makers at Gorillas have looked at the way other delivery tech startups have invested so heavily to achieve market penetration that they haven’t always given sufficient attention as to when spending should stop and profit generation ought to begin. It is also worth noting that when Gorillas first got going in 2020, it was one of a number of rapid delivery start ups that responded to the pandemic and the public’s demand for groceries without having to attend stores in person. Gorillas might have started out with some competitors in its chosen marketplace but it certainly seems to have gained the greatest reputation among them as the leading brand.

Gorillas’ growth has undeniably been rapid even though it may not have grown as evenly across Europe as it might have liked. After it achieved such spectacular inward investment last year, Gorillas’ publicly shared valuation had reached an enormous $3.1 billion (£2.5 billion) which constituted a remarkable feat for any company that was only in its second year of trading. Nevertheless, as many industry commentators have observed, while large amounts of investment have been thrown at various delivery service start ups operating in the rapid delivery market since the pandemic struck, operating profitably has remained a significant challenge across the entire sector. For some, as the leading light in the sector, Gorillas may have had the furthest to fall, not least because of the great expectations that it continues to inspire among investors. Indeed, despite the fact that it has raised so much investment in such a short period, some have said that the company faces significant debt liabilities with some of its key suppliers. One report cited a monthly expenditure of up to $75 million (£60 million) just to handle its cash flow situation with its suppliers.

It should also be noted that Gorillas is just one of numerous technology firms that have decided to take organisational steps to protect them from changing consumer demands in the light of the so-called cost of living crisis. Other companies that have felt the heat of harsher economic times include the buy-now-pay-later Swedish fintech business Klarna. It announced that it would be cutting 10 per cent of its employees about the same time as Gorillas made its announcement. There again, Hopin, the London-based online events platform, said that it had decided to shed at least 12 per cent of its staff earlier in the year. More direct competitors with Gorillas, such as Deliveroo and Just Eat, also faced some financially challenging times. JP Morgan downgraded stock valuations in both firms – Deliveroo dropped by 1.4 per cent, or 1.24 pence, to 85.92 pence per share in May while Just Eat’s valuation fell by 0.8 per cent, or 14.2 pence, to 1,706 pence per share in the same period. The investment bank cited a lack of consumer funds for takeaways and delivery services as the reason for its decision.

Of course, how such changing macroeconomic conditions will affect Gorillas – and other operators in the last mile grocery sector – remains to be seen. One academic, Sianne Ngai from the University of Chicago, warned that firms with gimmicky business models could be in for difficulties as household budgets tighten. Speaking to the British press, the cultural historian noted how quickly things had changed for Gorillas. “Everyone was a winner when everyone had access to capital… when trillions of dollars had been injected into the global economy,” she said. “As many companies enjoyed high valuations, [at that time]… this was favourable for Gorillas, as well.” However, Ngai noted that the global markets had been turned on their heads in March and had continued to worsen since then. She noted that cautiousness was what was driving markets and that tech companies, particularly those with low or negative margins, faced a strong economic headwind. As such, Gorillas decision to concentrate its efforts on only certain markets may be the right response to a changing world economy.

If investors are now looking for lower-risk but more profitable businesses, Gorillas – and others in the technology-based last mile delivery sector – will only have a short period of time to alter their business models, shifting from a time of rapid expansion and attempt to gain market dominance to that of profitability. Based on its public recent announcements, this appears to be exactly what Gorillas is trying to do. Few will be able to ignore how successful Gorillas may be in pulling this off given its spectacularly meteoric rise in the sector.

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Working as a self-employed van driver can be an exhilarating and fun way to earn a living. The job comes with many great benefits such as having a flexible schedule that allows for you to arrange your working time when it suits you best. In fact, the demand for self-employed couriers or van drivers has never been higher than it is now. Large companies like Amazon, eBay and other internet retailers are all looking towards self-employed van drivers to deliver packages to their clients. However, as is the case with every job, there are also a few downsides to being a self-employed delivery driver. Luckily, there are plenty of gadgets that delivery drivers can use to make their job that much easier. In this post, we will be taking a closer look at some of the must have accessories that every delivery driver should invest in.

Navigation System:Whether you use your trusty smartphone and Google Maps or a dedicated GPS unit to the to get around town, navigation is an absolute must have for every delivery driver. Having a accurate and easy to use navigation solution makes it easier to get around town and complete your deliveries quickly and efficiently. Since not all navigation devices are created equally, it is important to make sure that you check the specifications of the device that you are interested in. For example, does it come with free map updates? Does it offer real-time traffic updates? Does it allow you to avoid specific routes or areas? All of these functions come in handy at one point or another and you might kick yourself later down the line for not having them.

Phone Mount:As a courier and responsible driver, road safety should always be your first concern. This is why it is always a good idea to invest in a mobile phone holder that will allow you to securely mount your phone while you are driving. It is best to opt for a phone mount that can be fitted to your vehicle’s dashboard so that your mobile is always in your eye line. This way, you do not have to take your eyes off the road when you need to consult your navigation system. However, it is important to remember to not use your phone for texts or other distracting activities while driving as this can cause you to lose focus and might lead to an accident. Investing in an universal phone mount is also a good option because you will not need to change phone mounts later when you get a new phone.

1. Phone Charger or External Battery: For many couriers, their phone is their lifeblood. Despatchers often contact couriers by phone to arrange deliveries and many use their phones as their primary navigational tool. For this reason, it is essential that mobile phones never run out of battery. Having a good external power bank or reliable car charger on hand can make all the difference in keeping your device charged and ready to go when you need it most. When choosing an external battery, opt for one with a large enough capacity to fully recharge your phone at least once. Prices for external battery banks have dropped significantly in recent times and this affordable accessory can be a true lifesaver in times of need.
2. Proper Clothing: As the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad weather, only inadequate clothing. This is especially true when it comes to couriers since self-employed delivery drivers often have to work in unforgiving weather conditions such as cold, rain and snow. Being dressed properly for the weather makes it much easier to do your job effectively and keeps you from getting a chill or flu. In addition, being dressed professionally sends a message to your clients that says that you are serious about your job and that you can be trusted. First impressions count and getting repeat customers is much easier when you look the part.
3. Dash Cam: While things generally goes smoothly, problems are unavoidable and will rear their head at some point. This is especially true when it comes to traffic and since courier drivers spend a lot of time behind the wheel, the chances of being involved in an accident is higher. Installing a dash cam in your vehicle gives you an extra layer of security and makes it easier to finalise insurance claims when an accident does happen. Installing a dash cam can even lead to a reduction in your insurance premium and they act as an objective witness when you need one most. Dash cams are not very expensive and this small improvement can give you a lot of peace of mind.
4. Lower Back Support: Operating a vehicle all day long can wreak havoc on your back and adding something as simple as a lower back pillow to your arsenal of tools can make it much easier to get through busy days. This is especially important for couriers who often work with heavy packages and drive long distances. After all, investing in your health is the best investment that you can make.
5. Hydration: Remaining hydrated as you go about your deliveries is essential for your health and to keep your energy levels up. Carrying a thermally insulated metal water bottle with you will ensure that you always have access to cool water. This can be a lifesaver on a warm day when you have several different deliveries to complete. In addition, using a reusable metal bottle cuts down on plastic waste and protects the environment, which is a great benefit for everyone.
6. Sunglasses :A good pair of sunglasses is an indispensable tool for every courier. Being out and about all day long in bright sunlight can harm your vision and sunglasses with UV protection is a good way to eliminate the harmful effects of the sun and they make you look more dapper when going about your deliveries!

These are just a few of the basic items that a self-employed van driver can use to make doing their job easier and most of the items on the list are not extraordinarily expensive items but they can make a big difference. However, it is not only gadgets that can make it easier for couriers, simple lifestyle changes are just as important. Working as a self-employed van driver can be a great source of income and a very engaging and enjoyable job but it is also hard work and requires a lot of energy. This is why it is important for every courier to ensure that they make enough time for meal breaks and that they take care of their nutritional needs. Being self-employed, most courier drivers do not have benefits such as sick leave and this is why it is important to do everything that you can to ensure that you always remain in tip-top shape. Driving all day long in busy city streets can be stressful and places a large strain on your mental capabilities. Taking a short break every now and again gives your brain the chance to take a breather and makes sure that you are always 100% focussed when driving.

In Conclusion:

Using the above gadgets and tips can make your job as a courier much easier and allows you to work more efficiently. The self-employed van driver market is already fiercely competitive and couriers need advantage that they can get to rise above the competition. Adding these gadgets to your arsenal makes it easier to get more deliveries done without breaking the bank.

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To be clear, Renault, as a multinational manufacturer that operates in global markets, is not looking to do the traditional thing that many technology companies have been attempting – to consolidate the last-mile courier sector – but to change the way last-mile deliveries are conducted. In truth, this means a shift in last-mile modes with an accompanying change in mindsets among couriers. The company, which has its headquarters in Paris, announced in May from the French capital that it would be combining electric cargo bikes, delivery drones and electric vans within a single system that would herald the dawn of a new era in the last-mile delivery concept. If successful, its plans could make a significant difference in the sector, not least in the UK where Renault already possesses a significant market share.

Because Renault has developed what it regards to be a total business solution for the last-mile courier sector, it has needed to come up with a name for the concept that tries to convey what it is all about. Renault’s marketing executives have come up with E-Tech Master OptiModale, a name that might not be that memorable but which gets the conceptual shift across. Some commentators in the United States have already dubbed the OptiModale systems a triple threat to the current last-mile market, something that could affect smaller operators particularly adversely if take-up of the system ends up high.

Electric Power

E-Tech Master OptiModale is made up of an electrically powered delivery van which, on its own, is hardly a groundbreaking concept. However, the custom-built body of the van doesn’t just allow it to convey multiple parcels for both commercial and domestic deliveries but it also means that the vehicle is able to deploy both e-bikes and drones when it is optimally efficient to do so for the final part of the journey. According to Grahame Neagus, who heads up the light commercial vehicles division for Renault Trucks in the UK and Ireland, the OptiModale concept not only allows for greater flexibility in last-mile courier work but is more sustainable than current operating modes, too.

Speaking to the world’s press, Neagus said that the new Renault Trucks E-Tech Master OptiModale vans would be able to help the world address the urgent need to improve the quality of air in urban environments by generating less pollution in cities from deliveries. Neagus reckons that this can be done while improving accessibility for couriers and boosting the operational productivity of operators at the same time. “By making use of more than one mode of electric transport,” he said, “OptiModale represents an all-in-one solution that is not only sustainable but an approach that will transform the fast-growing parcel delivery market.” What’s more, Neagus claimed that the new courier solution was one that could be replicated successfully in any market in the world.

Multiple Delivery Options

So, on the face of it, although Renault’s principal offering is an electric van, the business solution will rely on multiple delivery options being deployed at the final stage of the process to maximise operational efficiency. That being said, as all self-employed courier drivers will already know, it is the van – as a business proposition – that will lay at the heart of the offering. As such, it is worth looking a little more closely at what is on offer with the OptiModale solution in terms of van capacity. To be clear, this is not a hybrid solution but an all-electric, 3.5-tonne van officially referred to as the L3H1 E-Tech Master van. The vehicle sports a low wheelbase cab. Power is supplied via an R75 electric motor which comes with a 33kWh battery pack. This means that it can be driven in the region of 80 miles between charges, so the overall solution is only likely going to suit urban delivery drivers to begin with until the range can be improved somewhat.

Nevertheless, it is what else the E-Tech Master van comes supplied with that marks it out as a new last-mile delivery solution and not just another electrically powered van. To begin with, a four-metre-long low loader Luton body designed by Horton Commercials is attached to the van’s cab. According to Renault, this functions as the van’s ‘mothership’. This part of the vehicle comes supplied with a folding shelving system that is designed for modern parcel deliveries, helping to present each consignment in the most efficient manner possible for the operator. Crucially, it also has a heli-drone pad system that the operator can use to deploy delivery drones in appropriate locations. What’s more, there is an electric cargo bike storage bay. As such, the E-Tech Master van possesses a bike lift that allows the operator to deploy e-bikes directly, too.

Third-Party Technology

Although the combination of an electric van serving as a localised yet mobile base of operations with drones is likely to cause the greatest amount of interest in the OptiModale system, the inclusion of the e-bike should not be overlooked. This is because this is among the most established of technologies Renault has chosen to include within the business solution. Essentially, this is because the e-bike Renault has selected for the Optimodale solution the flagship model made by Larry vs. Harry of Denmark, the eBullitt. Currently available on the UK market on its own for a price tag that is in excess of £5,000, the e-bike is capable of hauling up to 100 kilos worth of smaller parcels.

As such, it is a significant decision from the French vehicle manufacturer to buy in an e-bike that already has some traction in the marketplace rather than to develop its own, bespoke two-wheeler. Perhaps this is because the eBullitt offers up to 31 miles of assisted cycling on a single charge which is likely to be more than enough for a van that is only probably going to be travelling around 80 miles over the course of a working day. Note, however, that once the e-bike is back on board the E-Tech Master van, its battery can be fully replenished within four hours from the van’s remaining supply.

Located on top of the electric bike storage unit and lift is where Renault has chosen to place the system’s retractable heli-drone pad. Like the eBullitt bike, this system is bought in and not something that Renault has designed from scratch, again pointing to the fact that the French manufacturer is looking for a reliable and established system from day one for the OptiModale solution. The pad allows parcel-carrying drones made by UAVTEK to be deployed. UVATEK is a British-based company that is best known for its Magpie drone system, the one Renault has opted for here. This is a quadcopter model. The drone is able to able to transport about two kilos of payload for almost 40 minutes depending on the weather conditions. According to Renault, this is the ideal drone for the most time-sensitive deliveries because it is able to bypass traffic congestion or to take more direct routes over the countryside and watercourses in a consistently reliable manner.

Twin Teams

Perhaps surprisingly for a last-mile delivery solution that is built around operational efficiency, however, OptiModale has been designed as a two-person system. Under the concept Renault has envisaged, one member of the team will take charge of the van while the other team member wither takes the e-bike into areas the van cannot easily reach or deploys the Magpie delivery drone from the top of the van. In this regard, Renault’s solution isn’t that different from an approach Amazon announced in 2021. Whether or not two people running one last-mile delivery service will be as efficient as either the executives at Amazon or Renault think it could be remains to be seen, however.

Despite this question mark, Renault is committed to this commercial arena for the longer term, it seems. Renault’s research and development investment into last-mile mobility solutions is high and conducted now through its Mobilize brand. Mobilize has been given the task of innovating and testing technologies for electric and autonomous vehicles throughout the group as the French carmaker seeks to support carbon neutrality and take steps towards a more circular economy. This may be the last time, therefore, that Renault announces such a courier-focussed business solution with bought-in, third-party equipment.

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As such, there is no single criterion you can judge vans on. To put it another way, there is no way of saying – definitively, at least – which the best van for self-employed delivery drivers really is. However, there are certain things that all owner-drivers want from their vehicles so it is still possible to make an assessment of the relative strength of the various vans there are on the market today. If you are considering purchasing a new van or want to explore the used van market to get away from hiring your working vehicle every day, then read on. This independent guide to courier vans will try to take as honest a look as possible at the current state of the van market in the UK today. Whatever you decide to buy, make sure you’re better informed about all of the options available to you.

Option 1 – No Van At All

Before we start looking closely at the most popular vans in the UK for self-employed couriers or multi-drop delivery drivers to own, it should be remembered that vans are necessarily the way forward. Many delivery drivers make a perfectly good living driving a car instead of a van. This may well be the best option for you if you also need a vehicle to transport your family around on the weekends and evenings you are not working. People with more than one child will often not be able to use their van for personal purposes due to the lack of seating. As such, a hatchback or an estate car with rear seats that fold down is often the preferred option and one you shouldn’t rule out. Although adding extra storage capacity with a trailer might not offer the security of product safety you need as a multi-drop delivery driver today, a roof box is a viable option for many. Remember, though, that insuring a car for delivery use will often be as expensive, if not more, than taking out a policy on a van. This is largely down to the higher residual cost that cars tend to retain, mile for mile, compared to most vans.

Option 2 – The Ford Fiesta

The Ford Fiesta was first introduced way back in 1976 and it has been in almost continuous production in many territories around the world ever since. The three-door panel van variant of the hatchback has been around since the car’s first generation which remained in production until 1983 in the UK. Of course, there are very few examples of those still plying their trade on British roads. However, Ford still makes new Fiesta vans and this highly practical – if small – van is still a very good option, especially for localised deliveries in urban environments where getting in and out of residential streets rapidly would be a plus. Today’s Fiesta vans may only offer 0.96 cubic metres of storage but they are economical to run being rather light and relatively cheap to insure.

Option 3 – Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner

Sharing the same platform, the Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner are basically the same vehicle despite a few styling variations. Both French-made vans are extremely practical and provide owner-drivers with that all important fuel economy whether they are constantly stopping and starting with deliveries a few streets from one another or travelling between towns and cities on trunk routes. Although most of these vans are four-door panel vans, they are also sold as five-door passenger vans. The latter will compromise the amount of storage room you can use but this makes the two vans very versatile and even something that will work well as a family car. One of the most important things to note about the Berlingo, in particular, is that Citroen has included a sensor that will inform you when you have loaded too much into the back of the van. That’s good for both safety reasons as well as helping drivers to avoid excessive use of fuel by dragging around too much weight with them.

Option 4 – Ford Transit Connect

Although the Ford Transit is seen by many as the quintessential panel van design, the smaller and more efficient Transit Connect is often preferred by savvy courier drivers. It will accommodate medium-sized packages and offers a sliding side door for ease of unloading on a busy road. Okay, the Transit Connect won’t compete with a fully sized Transit but these vehicles are cheaper and there are plenty of good examples on the second-hand market. Transits tend to be used by construction firms and building contractors. As such, they can sometimes be worn out which is not ideal for owner-drivers. The storage capacity is just under 4 cubic metres, too, so that is usually more than enough space for a full day’s worth of deliveries for many couriers. With an expected fuel economy of about 55 miles per gallon, this is a good option for both city-based delivery drivers as well as those who’ll need to use their van on the motorway to get between drops.

Option 5 – Vauxhall Vivaro

This British-built van may not be a huge hit in European markets but it sells well in the UK and justly so. The Vivaro is a larger panel van offering owner-drivers more than enough storage space for multi-drop delivery routes. There are various versions available, too. Whether you opt for the longer, L2 version of the Vivaro or not, you can make use of the van’s handy through-loading facility, ideal for long, thin items that would otherwise need to be strapped to the roof. A 1.2-metre high by 1-metre wide door on the side of the Vivaro means that loading and unloading from any angle is rarely problematic. The third generation of the Vivaro is only three years old so you can find some bargains on the second-hand market for older versions. Even better, the Vivaro-e has recently been launched. Running on batteries, this version of the van is supposed to offer something like 143 miles of range. The practical reality for a delivery driver will be less but that’s still enough for many drivers who work in only certain neighbourhoods who don’t require a large range.

Option 6 – Nissan NV 200

The NV 200 is able to offer just about 4 cubic metres of storage in the back so it is able to compete very well with the likes of the Transit Connect and the Berlingo. However, it does very well because of its standard rearview camera, ideal for couriers who work in tight spots or who need a bit of extra electronic assistance when manoeuvring. Available in both four and five-door variants, the NV 200 provides sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle. This is especially useful when making deliveries in residential areas when parking for a moment on the wrong side of the street may be the only sensible option. The Japanese manufacturer has been producing NV 200s since 2009 and has even produced taxi versions of it around the world. This fact alone should tell you all you need to know about the van’s fuel efficiency. Both diesels and petrol versions are still around. However, if you want to run a zero-emission van, then the all-electric version of the NV 200 – the inspiringly named e-NV 200 – may be the best choice for you.

Option 7 – Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

There is a good reason you see so many Sprinters on the road being driven by couriers and it is because this van delivers in nearly all the departments that are important. Firstly, you get a raft of features with the Sprinter. Owners can expect things like hill start assistance, electrically powered steering and active brake assistance when cornering, too. With a storage capacity of 14 cubic metres, the Sprinter is ideal for all sorts of couriers, especially those who deal with larger consignments from time to time. The wide-opening of the rear doors makes loading and unloading a breeze while the sliding side door adds to the van’s reputation as a highly practical vehicle to drive. The third generation of the Sprinter, which is still in production, comes with a choice of a manual gearbox or three different automatic gearboxes, one of which operates as a nine-speed variant.

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Working as a self-employed van driver is a relatively new concept and offers an excellent and exciting way for anyone with a driving license and a roadworthy vehicle to earn money. More and more people have taken up the challenge of becoming self-employed and working as van drivers, which has resulted in a boom in the supply of delivery van drivers. This means that it can sometimes be challenging for van drivers to find a steady stream of jobs. While the ongoing pandemic has greatly increased the demand for parcel deliveries, the effects are likely to reduce again as the world returns to normality. Luckily, there are several different ways in which self-employed van drivers can ensure that they have a steady stream of deliveries and income. Read on to discover how you can keep your business growing:

Marketing

Many self-employed van drivers forget to think of themselves as businesses and not just van drivers. However, as a self-employed van driver, you are essentially running your own business and should operate it as such. No modern business can function without marketing and nor can a self-employed van driver. There are several different ways in which you can market your services to potential customers and not all of them cost money. Marketing is not always a complicated concept and despite what many people may think, it is possible to do your own marketing without spending a dime. Some of the ways in which you can use the internet to market your services include:

Social Media Marketing

Use tools like Facebook and Instagram to let people know that you offer delivery services. While these social media networks offer paid-for advertising options, it is not always necessary to use them. You can create a page dedicated to your delivery service and regularly place posts that advertise the services that you offer. In addition, ask family and friends to share your posts so that as many people as possible can see them. By doing this, people will become aware that you offer delivery services, which is the first and most important step to getting work. Later, when your business has grown a bit, you can also use paid-for marketing services to reach even more customers.

Have a Good Website

We all know that the internet is the busiest marketplace on earth and a simple Google search is the first thing we reach for when we need something, including delivery services. Having a good website is extremely important because it enables customers to find you and make contact easily. Every website should offer basic information such as a description of the services that you offer and the different types of goods that you can transport. In addition, you should use search engine optimisation techniques to make your website easy to find when people search for it on the internet. While you can easily create your own website with one of the many online website creation tools that are available today, it is often a good idea to get professional help involved. Your website is like a storefront so it should look professional and inviting to potential customers. You should also make it possible for customers to contact you directly through your website so that you can strike the iron while it is hot. First impressions count and your website is the first impression that customers will have of you and your delivery services.

Use Courier Platforms

There are several different courier platforms available and they all have one common goal, connecting self-employed van drivers with customers who need deliveries made. Registering on one or more of these platforms is a good way to gain access to more job offers. Many of the well-known courier platforms charge a small fee for using their service but this fee is well worth paying when you consider the number of delivery jobs that you can pick up from one of these platforms. However, it is important to make sure that you do enough research before deciding on a specific network. Look at things like comments from customers and drivers to make sure that the courier platform has a good reputation and that delivery drivers are treated fairly.

Use Technology as Much as Possible

There are several different applications and tools that are specifically designed to help self-employed van drivers manage their businesses effectively. Being able to manage every aspect of your business precisely is essential because it helps you to build a solid reputation. Applications can help you to plan routes and estimate delivery times accurately which is great for your reputation because it keeps customers satisfied. Applications can also help you to manage your costs effectively so that you can reduce operating costs and increase your profits as much as possible.

Partner with Online Retailers

Online retail is growing at a tremendous pace and this results in a much higher need for deliveries. Partnering with an online retailer and making deliveries on their behalf is an excellent way of growing your business and keeping your delivery van busy. Some of the large online retailers, such as Amazon, are known for partnering with self-employed delivery van drivers so it is well worth your time to investigate this option. You can usually find information about potential cooperation models and job opportunities on the websites of online retailers, which means that all that is required to get started is a little research.

Partner with Online Retailers

Online retail is growing at a tremendous pace and this results in a much higher need for deliveries. Partnering with an online retailer and making deliveries on their behalf is an excellent way of growing your business and keeping your delivery van busy. Some of the large online retailers, such as Amazon, are known for partnering with self-employed delivery van drivers so it is well worth your time to investigate this option. You can usually find information about potential cooperation models and job opportunities on the websites of online retailers, which means that all that is required to get started is a little research.

Browse Through Online Job Boards

Another way of finding delivery gigs is by browsing through online job boards. Many companies that are looking for delivery drivers might advertise on these job boards and it might be worth reaching out to them to check if it is possible to work as an independent contractor. While this option requires a little ingenuity and time, it can be well worth your while.

Be Reliable

It is important to remember that it is often much easier to acquire new customers than it is to maintain existing ones. By delivering consistently reliable services to your existing customers, your business will automatically grow thanks to word-of-mouth advertising. Since no other form of advertising can beat the results that can be achieved through personal recommendations, it is well worth ensuring that your customers are happy to recommend your services to other customers. By ensuring that you deliver reliably, your customers will usually be more than happy to recommend your services to other customers.

In Conclusion

Being a self-employed delivery driver can be a great challenge and a rewarding career choice. It offers flexibility and allows you to be your own boss but it also requires a lot of work in order to be successful. One of the most important aspects of working as a self-employed delivery driver is having a constant and reliable stream of delivery requests. This means that marketing and job acquisition is one of the most important aspects of being a modern self-employed van driver and you should dedicate enough time and resources to ensure that your business grows. With today’s modern technology and the internet, this is easier than it has ever been before and by creating a website and social media presence, you can make it easy for your customers to find you.

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As a self-employed van driver, your vehicle is one of your most important tools. In fact, we can even go as far as to say that choosing a vehicle is one of the most important decisions that will have to make because it will have an impact on almost every aspect of your daily job. With so many different vehicle models being available, choosing the right one can quickly become tricky. In this post, we will be taking a closer look at the different things that you need to take into consideration when choosing your next delivery vehicle and, hopefully, make your choice a bit easier. Read on to discover more.

Size

This is most likely the most important consideration because the size of the vehicle also determines the type and number of packages that you can transport. Usually, a larger van is a good option because it allows you to transport a more varied selection of goods but having a bigger van can also come with a few drawbacks. To start with, larger vans are often more difficult to manoeuvre through city traffic and finding parking can be challenging. With this in mind, its worth be considering using a smaller van when you mainly make deliveries in a tight city environment. Unfortunately, when it comes to delivery vans, there is no one size fits all option. This means that it is important to objectively look at your daily deliveries and then decide on a van that works best for the type of goods that you deliver most often. Also, remember to take the height of the vehicle into consideration, some vehicles offer a “hump roof” and this is an excellent option for when you need to transport tall items upright.

Cost

Once you have decided on the van that works the best for you, it is important to shop around for the best price. The temptation to start off with a brand-new van purchased directly from the dealer is always there but remember that you are running a business and, therefore, must be sensible when it comes to costs. It is often possible to find excellent second-hand vehicles that can be bought for much less than new models. However, always do as much research as you can about the specific vehicle that you are interested in before making an offer. This includes making sure that the vehicle has a good service record and that it has been maintained well. The last thing that you need is to buy a cat in the bag.

Financing and Insurance Options

In many cases, self-employed van drivers opt to purchase a delivery vehicle via a leasing agreement or other form of credit. Since many financial institutions work closely with vehicle dealers, it might be worth your while to find out if your financial institution has any special offers available for van drivers who are in need of a van. In addition to this, financial institutions often work with insurance providers to give clients access to a one-stop solution that includes both financing and insurance. Opting for such a package makes it easier for a self-employed van driver to start delivering packages and earning some money as soon as possible. However, do check the specific terms and conditions of any leasing agreement carefully before accepting it. Many leasing agreements stipulate the number of annual kilometres that are included in the lease costs and exceeding this amount can be costly. Since delivery drivers can often cover several thousands of kilometres per year, this is an important consideration.

Fuel Economy and Maintenance Costs

Remember that vehicles also come with recurring costs, and it is important to evaluate these before making a purchase. By reducing your running expenses as much as possible, you can increase your profits. Since fuel will be one of your biggest running expenses, it is extremely important to look for a frugal vehicle that consumes as little fuel as possible. Also remember to take maintenance costs into account, which includes replacing consumable items such as tyres. Every small cost adds up in the end so taking the time to look for a vehicle that offers a good balance between practicality, versatility and efficiency is critical if you want to run a successful business. It is also important to look at the total cost of ownership of the vehicle, meaning that you should calculate the maintenance costs per kilometre based on the expected lifecycle of the vehicle. This might sound complicated but it can be done relatively easily and it gives you the vital information that you need to make the right choice.

Electric Vs. Fossil Fuel

An ever-growing number of self-employed van drivers are considering switching to electrically driven delivery vehicles. In response to this, vehicle manufacturers have been introducing more electrically driven delivery vehicles that offer several excellent advantages. While it is true that electric vehicles are more expensive to purchase, they have much lower running costs than their fossil-fuel counterparts. In addition, the governments of several countries are offering various subsidies which are designed to make it easier for people to switch to electric vehicles. If you are frequently making short trips in a city environment, an electric delivery van can offer a lot and is well worth considering. On the other hand, electric vehicles do still have several limitations and they might not be well suited to longer trips or deliveries in remote areas that do not have readily available charging points. The easiest way to find out if an electric vehicle is a right choice for you is to take a look at your average delivery roster. If you make frequent short trips in large cities, an electric vehicle is almost certain to be beneficial to you.

Special Modifications

If you require special modifications such as a loading track or refrigerated compartment to make your deliveries, it is important to make sure that the vehicle you have in mind can easily accommodate the required modifications. While this is usually only applicable to larger vehicles such as lorries, there are speciality vans that can be used to deliver refrigerated goods in congested city centres. If you require these types of modifications, it is important to make sure that the van you are interested in can handle them because needing to make major changes after you have purchased the vehicle can be a very expensive exercise.

Branding

Many delivery drivers opt to have their vehicles branded so that they stand out amongst other delivery vehicles. Branding is a good way to give your delivery service its own unique twist and character, but it is also another expense that you need to keep in mind when making your financial calculations. Aside from this, you should also confirm that any delivery agreements that you might have in place with your customers do not prohibit personalised branding on your delivery vehicle.

In Conclusion

As a self-employed van driver, there is no more important tool than your vehicle and choosing the right one is one of the most important decisions that you will have to make. Delivery vans come in all shapes and sizes, so you should take the time to carefully evaluate your needs and make a decision based on the results of this evaluation. Remember to take all the costs, both obvious and hidden, into consideration when choosing your delivery vehicle as this will ensure that you don’t have any headaches from hidden surprises further down the road. While it may sound tricky, choosing the right vehicle for your business becomes easy when you follow these simple tips.

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