Blimey i've never known it so quiet, I have spent most of the day making sales calls to push us forward.
What a slog doing call after call, Still we can't be dispondent it's got to be done.
Is everyone quiet too???? or just a trickle of work like us.
It's still too quiet
Posted in General Discussion.Skip To Latest
Nottingham & Derby Couriers
3179PW Courier Services
1302Yep it's quite in East Yorkshire as well could do with some regular work, even my own customers are quite
PTC Sameday
540Quiet here too but i would have had work if I already had my xlwb!
quieter than quiet man mcquiet from quietville...but normally is jan and feb so nothing unusual there. And as you rightly say....a good time for sales & marketing
Nottingham & Derby Couriers
3179I wouldn't say normally i have looked back at last years booking sheets and we're about 35% down on bookings.
I might call the local chinese takeaway to see if they need any drivers!!
might have secured my contract with tnt special services, been quiet for 3 months here + overdrawn
Hi Guy,
1st time on the discussion board, quiet up here in Scotland too, averaging 1 job a week at mo, so same as everybody else networking with other couriers in the area and trying to get my customers.
Willing to tranship at the border if anybody has anything coming up this way.
Nottingham & Derby Couriers
3179TNT Special services, I believe they are still paying subbies 25pplm..........Just like they were in 1999.
I hope i am wrong.
i don't think you are wrong no...not good
90 p per loaded mile for transit + 60 p per loaded mile for small van
PTC Sameday
540TNT Special Services? Do you have to wear beret?
leeesen vurry carfulley.....i shal say zees only wance
very quiet here in South Wales
PDN UK
5After a busy 2 weeks in January the work has now dried up. This is my first Jan/Feb and can't help but wonder when will it get better? All the more seasoned OD's seem to be saying this year is the worst ever?
I've done quite a bit of work for TNT (last year) and they pay 54pplm for a small van. Even the calls from them have stopped :-/
and anyone prepared to drive around at 54 to 60p per mile just adds fuel to my argument....how can we ever get the rates to what they should be if drivers continue to take work at these prices....100 mile job ( 200 actual driven miles) for £54 less fuel (4 gallons?) £25 leaves you with £29 gross profit less wear and tear, insurance etc for what?...4 hrs work...madness
PDN UK
5I know what you're saying, 54pplm is an insult. However, at times like this when there is little or no work (it would appear) then it's better than nothing at all. We gotta eat!
Manadon Despatch
584Rob's right though Phil. It's not simply a case of you having enough to eat. You need to think longer term. If you're running around as cheap as chips now, what are you going to do if your van needs fixing or in a few years time when you need a new van? Garages and dealers don't accept peanuts as payment ... they prefer hard cash and the odds are that you won't have any to give them.
Then what'll happen is you'll quit cos you can't afford to keep going and some other mug will take your place doing exactly the same thing. In the meantime, the rest of us are having trouble charging a decent sustainable rate because companies are preferring to use a quick turnover of cheap drivers working for peanuts.
Kexby Couriers
221Is there any way that we can push to get our industry regulated?
It is a case of 'one for all all for one' We must find a way to go forward, and unite!
PDN UK
5^^^^^ I totally agree, the industry needs regulating.
I don't use TNT as my main source of work, I would have to put in a hell of a lot of hours to get by. How people work for another national who pay 46pplm I'll never know..
i'd like to think so but i have my doubts
if we all joined up to form a body and that body had a mission statement and set of rules with things like an ethics and a moral code of practise that companies who joined had to abide by AND Companies needing a Courier HAD to use then we'd have a chance BUT there will always be those that don't join and do their own thing...and there will always be Companies who don't care about anything other than getting something from A to B as cheaply as possible.
I've lost work to a major courier company who is cheaper, invariably takes too long, adds waiting time to boost the job price and is generally shite, and my customer knows all this but still uses them cos they can't afford the service they need. They know we're sooo much better, they get more for their money, like realistic eta's, automated pod's and no out of hour surcharges but it makes no difference wotsoever....accountants run firms, the guys on the shopfloor don't so what do i do?....sit tight and demand my rate, or offer a better service for less?
Dilemna isn't it
PDN UK
5It certainly is. It is a shame companies are choosing price over quality of service, but it's a sign of the times, as we all know.
Doo Moves
242Glad to see im not the only one who is quiet, did a lot for Interlink this time last year,(not ideal) but paid the bills, this year lucky if i get one day out of them. there numbers seemed to have dropped, have to hope a few more of there guys have sickies..
Lets hope it picks up for us all soon.
Chris Watson
69one of the reasons why its quiet is the amount of people now doing this job, only so much work to go around, time and time again we see people saying this is my first Jan etc, and with people doing LWB jobs for as little as 45 ppm its no wonder work is scarce.my advice would be NOT to rely on these sites for work... either this CX or other... finding your OWN customers is key to this game. Good luck everyone
Its all very well finding your own accounts but what happens when they ring you and you're already out doing a job....turning work down isn't good PR so you ring someone else to help out or you use an exchange site...
Exchange sites have their place...without them we'd all spend hours ringing around trying to find someone or god forbid...saying no.
Exchange sites help us all compete with the Big National Courier Companies who try to get shot of the smaller companies through buy outs and pricing policy.
Anyone in a Sprinter moving at 45p per mile isn't helping the cause its true, but thats not the fault of exchange sites, thats the fault of him and anyone stupid enough to use him
Chris Watson
69I wasn't mocking work exchange sites, I was only commenting on ways for people to become busier, cx etc is great once your out and about, however I know I couldn't survive off just the cx. If it came to a week where their was only the one job booked id get out this game as quick as I could. Incidently am I right in thinking there hasn't been a job posted on here all day?
true true....a combination of a bit of your own work, a bit of subbin thru your own networks and exchange sites and you have a nice little business in which to develop and grow...apart from maybe jan and feb lol
Website Admin
6679I think you're right Chris, nothing posted today... the first time I can remember for years excluding probably Christmas day.
Also you're right in saying that a combination of your own work and using an exchange site is probably for the best. It's what we've always said - get your own customers and make use of an exchange site to potentially get the odd extra job or return load, but also make use of mtvan so you don't have to say no to your customers.
I feel wat u aresayin I'm waiting for tnt to reply 90p per loaded mile for transit + 60 for small van work, it reassures me that they will probably take me on cos not alot of people I've spoken to are prepared to work for them.
I've taken a job on anyvan exchange site from cambridge to w1 for 49 its near enough doin it for nothing if anyone wants it thats closer
Chris Watson
69Ah AnyVan, now there's a good source, much better than Shiply, which seems to be full of overnight companies doing it at overnight prices.
Website Admin
6679Guys,
Check to see if there's anything worth quoting for on Delivery Supermarket - www.deliverysupermarket.com. It's new (but growing) and therefore much smaller than AnyVan and Shiply, but equally there's less competition from couriers. It's our sister site and quite a few couriers have picked up good jobs from it at decent rates - I watch the positive feedback coming in.
It's free to use, no hidden charges or anything so worth putting a few quotes in.
i think the problem with a lot of exchange sites (with the exception of cx and mtvan) is they are full of ebay and similar loads...i.e not really what you'd call sameday jobs, which is why i don't use em.
For me there is absolutely no point in making your site look busy with jobs that aren't worth bidding on...i'd rather have a quiet exchange site with quality work, than having to scroll thru endless piles of sh** to find a "proper" job.
AND
these exchange sites offering to cover the one off joe bloggs delivery of a sofa from john o'groats to lands end for £30 keep "helping" out these people who are then going to keep expecting these kinda rates. Without exchange sites offering these jobs they would have to have a reality check and pay the real rates or not buy the goods in the 1st place.
Why do we continually dumb down our industry?
Quiet down here in Brizzle too! (thats Bristol to those not familer with farmer type dyaleck!) nothing in today, so been busy making those calls and visiting a few companies, but similar story alround me thinks!
Ironically got my first ever job out of freight alerts today ready for saturday, was begining to think it was a wasted investment!
and therein lies the problem....too many exchange sites spreading wot little work there is too thinly.
We don't want to have to join them all, there should be no more than 3 sites that we can all join content that any work there is, is on 1 of the 3.
The problem is that certain vendors are putting their jobs on more than one site, then don't necessarily mark them as sold when its sold on another site.
And how many of those put on here are already sold?
On CX there is the ability to book a job direct so as to avoid unnecessary bids, and more over to avoid couriers gettin fustrated at failed bids.
jan feb august...quiet months...always have been...its nothin new
Enjoy this discussion? Check out these related topics: SEEMS A LITTLE QUIET TODAY, Quiet Forum, Quiet times, Quiet, QUIET BEFORE THE STORM, Quiet time, has august been a quiet month, It seems quiet today what about everyone else, quiet innit, Quiet times ahead.
Reply To Topic
We invite anyone involved in the courier industry to share their knowledge to other on the mtvan courier forum. If you're a member then sign in to post, if you're an owner driver or courier company then please sign up for free.
For more information on what you can discuss on our courier forum please see our courier forum guidelines.