CX PRICES

Hello!

If you're a member of Courier Exchange and an owner driver, how much did you pay to join?

I'm going to join and know I can haggle them so just looking for best prices you may have got. I've been offered £325 for 8 months and reduced setup fee by £100 (although they haven't indicated how much the setup fee actually is!).

As an owner driver are you also allowed to sub contract work out? In the event of a breakdown or any other act of god?

Cheers

Well I paid £295 for 6 months back in March so your £325 for 8 months sounds okay to me. With regards to your second query, ODs are usually expected to carry out the work themselves although obviously, in the event of a breakdown, you'd have little choice but to get someone else in to complete the job and pay them accordingly.

Yes you can sub contract work out as an owner drive as there's a few on there that do. As long as you're not sub contracting the work you receive from other companies on Courier Exchange (a big no no and can result in getting your membership getting revoked).

If you do break down whilst doing a job best to get in touch with the company you're doing the job for as they can always resolve the situation by posting the job back on Courier Exchange.

Breaking down?!

That is sooooo not allowed... lol

But yes, accident or breakdown always let the vendor know because it's for him to sort out, not you.

As for your "deal"... sounds good to me.

Cheers for the advice. I'll prob give it a go at that price. There's a lot of work posted on it from in and around my area so will probably work out ok. Cheers!

Put it this way, it does what it says on the tin so can't go wrong. Plus you'll earn your joining fee back in no time so it's worth what you pay for it.

Is Courier Exchange any good? Very tempted but £295 plus vat is a big outlay for a one man band like myself! I'm struggling for backloads at the moment which kills the job.

ams, well if you spent the 295+vat and began covering your backloads plus out bound as well as co loads then earned that 295+vat back with in your first few weeks you would not complain about the fee would you.

I've been in this game a long time and really hesitated about joining Courier Exchange for years. Only last year decided to join, not looked back since. A lot of people within the industry were telling me to stay away and that it's not as good, but you need to experience it for yourself and build up your feedback for other companies to use you. Once the first job comes and you get your feedback depending on how well of services you provide then they'll use you again. Hope that answers your question. :-)

New to this game, what's Courier Exchange? In need of more work around the Derby area.

Courier Exchange site buddy.

Thanks will take a look now, is it a good place to get work from then?

I believe a lot of the guys on here do ok on it. If you scroll down you will see a thread on joined the big yellow, have a read. That will give you an idea. Ideally though you need to get out there and get a few good customers of your own. Exchange sites are OK but I'm not sure you will survive on them alone.

Courier Exchange is good for backloads, not too sure about the hotshots though as most of these jobs go for around 65-70p mark per mile, so you wont make much profit (if any) at all.

A hotshot is a backload if it's going in the right direction, but yes hotshots go for anything between 70-80p per mile. Backloads go for whatever the guy who wants it is willing to go down to.

For example Manchester to London hotshot anything around £150 but if you're a London driver in the right place at the right time you'd say £100 to ensure you get it wouldn't you?

As for backloads they're purely cheap sh** that I wouldn't touch with a barge pole but there are some that load themselves up with bacloads and route it accordingly.

At £31 per month I cant believe anyone who doesn't think it's good value.

This week I have had a backload from Edinburgh to Sheffield paying £160 and 8 miles from where I was tipping. Darlington to Uttoxeter for £120, 6 miles from tipping and today a Wrexham 2 miles from tipping, back to Loughborough for £60.

And 2 of those jobs where outbound hotshots on £1plm.

You get out of it what you put in to it.

A lot of people go on about backload prices, I've even manged to get jobs of it for the sort of prices I'd charge my customers and they'll come back for more. You kind of get to know the ones who are willing to pay more and the ones who'll just want it done on the cheap all the time. Got to know some real good guys on it and some useful contacts.

I was the original poster for joining big yellow. I'm a small van owner driver.

Courier Exchange is not god's gift to success. It is good for building work if you can find solid work locally to get you out and about. That is very very difficult in the current climate.

Then use CX to find profit on returns.

If you think courier work is all about a dedicated exclusive man and van, working for a premium price for a client, then wake up to 2012. No "courier" today is working exclusive, and will take mixed loads. I don't.

Very few jobs pay more than 75pplm, and hotshots means nought, and backload the same. Price it what you need.