RICO charge rate and is it negotiable?

I have just learned that Rico offer 45p per loaded mile and 20% more for night deliveries.

Is this common for all RICO depots and are the rates negotiable?

I drive a Combo at cost of 16p per mile. So the rate offered by Rico is minimal. I am looking for approx 70p per loaded mile. Is that unreasonable?

Fourteen years ago when fuel was 78 pence a litre and things where a lot cheaper I subbed for a chap who paid 46 pence a mile which I considered ok but not in 2013

All rates are negotiable.

You tell them what you charge.

They say no

You don't work for them

Simple really

Don't you need a van registered before 2003 to work for them?

My Combo is 2003 and just falls in the LEZ for London and was not rejected by Rico. I have been given a 20 page app form with instructions.

Their price just simply does not add up :(

It adds up nicely for them though!

MK Transport said:

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It adds up nicely for them though!

You could help them out, couldn't you?

To answer the question, yes 70pplm is easily achievable. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise

Thanks for that Speed. I think I will give Rico a miss.

Accepting a low rate only encourages large companies to offer them, thus spoiling it for the rest of the couriers.

I'm only a newbe, but one of the first things I've noticed is how the companies try and drive down the pay. They write 'ASAP' on the ad, but not willing to pay ASAP prices. If we all collaborate on a rate, they they'll need to pay it. But there's so many drivers that will do it for next to nothing. I question whether they have all the insurances and stuff. 70pplm should be on the lower end of acceptability. Unless your doing over night multi stuff, but that's a different type of service all together.

I was asked today to do a 45 mile run with blood samples from a maternity ward to a lab. That's pretty important stuff. especially when a baby is about to pop out. Thats requires pulling out all the stops and concentrating on it. They wanted to pay £25 That's 55pplm. And then add the dead mileage for pulling out the stops and doing it straight away. It works out about 25ppm. I do feel quite strongly about this. So mister 'Dash-it' in Southampton (i will mention names). Do you really think you are qualified to run an Express courier service? Leave it to the people who concentrate on it.

How much would you guy's charge for that?

If we all collaborate on a rate

In Business that's called price fixing and illegal

Good point. How do unions get away with it then? The musicians union has a lower minimum rate and no members go under it.

I did the job in the end and it worked out for me 30ppm including my dead miles. I only did it to get my details in the NHS.

Ahhh you mentioned union!

Fresh Dispatch ltd said:

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I only did it to get my details in the NHS.

Be very careful here about what you are saying, poaching is a no no, regardless of how low you've taken the job at

Was just about to also mention, how would your details be "in the nhs" if you are delivering on behalf of a company?

Plus - there's no way they would ring you direct to transport their emergency bits and bobs unless you are on the suppliers list etc etc. (unless they really are in the shit)

HSP Couriers said:

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Was just about to also mention, how would your details be "in the nhs" if you are delivering on behalf of a company?

Plus - there's no way they would ring you direct to transport their emergency bits and bobs unless you are on the suppliers list etc etc. (unless they really are in the shit)

You mean poo

;-)

Yeah, Funnily enough. My other hat. I'm a musician, and about 15 years ago joined the MU cos I thought it might help me get more work. I was wrong.

I'm not looking at poaching work, just handing my flyers out and advertising and taking the opportunity to do so.

Are you saying you did the job for the company you named? If you did then i think then deciding to slag em off is very bad practise. No one forces anyone to do a job, you quote what you want, and sometimes you'll get it, sometimes you won't.

As for price fixing, i disagree. We have a fixed minimum wage if you're PAYE don't we? Is that not an example of price fixing then? No? Then neither is a minimum rate for subbing work out.

Poaching work from another is difficult to prove. If you're sending out flyers willy nilly and you get a result from one of them, you have, whether you know it or not, nicked that account from somebody else. Or are we saying its only poaching if you know it?

Don't get me wrong, i think poaching is the lowest of the low, and pretty short sighted if you're nicking it from someone giving you work. One account won from the several he has for you that you've now lost is dumb

Point taken

Fresh Dispatch ltd said:

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Good point. How do unions get away with it then? The musicians union has a lower minimum rate and no members go under it.

I did the job in the end and it worked out for me 30ppm including my dead miles. I only did it to get my details in the NHS.

Surely you have completely contradicted yourself, you say about sticking together and setting a minimum rate and then go and do a job which is a really poor rate. Also if like you say you did it to get in with the nhs then this amounts to attempting to poach as the company who you have slated but still done the job for is the one with the end user customer. If you ran quite a way empty to do a job for a company who pays proper rates and you want to get in with them, then thats different but to do a job for someone at a poor rate, just to try and get in with the end user is totally unacceptable and as speed says, poor practice. If people get this impression of you then they will not give you work. As you are new to the courier industry my helpful advice would be to take a step back and look at who you want to work for and at what rates and how you go about obtaining end user customers. Cold calling to local companies, no problem but giving out flyers or trying to get in with anybody connected to a company you are subbing for is in my book of morals a big NO!

Clients or controllers demand that we;

• have adequate insurance for van, GIT, public liability and even breakdown
• conduct CRB checks
• keep our vehicles in clean presentable order
• keep ourselves in clean and presentable condition
• pick up asap
• deliver immediately
• wait patiently at collection
• wait patiently at delivery
• lift heavy items
• don't complain directly with customers
• observe health and safety regulations
• be courteous at all times

Then it should not be too much to request;

• a fair minimum rate for each mile traveled to get the job done safely, securely and on time

Loaded miles and back loads should be privileges for couriers and NOT haggling tactics for clients.

[Admin: There's a button to help you make bullet lists at the top of the editor, alternatively you can type then by using a hyphen. Please check the preview area below the editor before you click post.]

MK Bikes said:

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Fresh Dispatch ltd said:

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I only did it to get my details in the NHS.

Be very careful here about what you are saying, poaching is a no no, regardless of how low you've taken the job at

If you have done a job for someone and he hasn't paid you despite reminders etc. For six months or more then you don't need to consider it to be poaching IMHO. But if he paid you promptly then you really MUST NOT go over his head.

Parcel Delivery Network said:

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Clients or controllers demand that we; • have adequate insurance for van, GIT, public liability and even breakdown • conduct CRB checks • keep our vehicles in clean presentable order • keep ourselves in clean and presentable condition • pick up asap • deliver immediately • wait patiently at collection • wait patiently at delivery • lift heavy items • don't complain directly with customers • observe health and safety regulations • be courteous at all times

Then it should not be too much to request; • a fair minimum rate for each mile travelled to get the job done safely, securely and on time

Loaded miles and back loads should be privileges for couriers and NOT haggling tactics for clients.

This is EXACTLY what it should all be about

This should be part of everyones terms and conditions AND those that run exchange sites

Well put

Apart from the lifting heavy items, which is against health and safety regulations

And should be known as the Courier Charter

Parcel Delivery Network said:

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Clients or controllers demand that we;

• have adequate insurance for van, GIT, public liability and even breakdown
• conduct CRB checks
• keep our vehicles in clean presentable order
• keep ourselves in clean and presentable condition
• pick up asap
• deliver immediately
• wait patiently at collection
• wait patiently at delivery
• lift heavy items
• don't complain directly with customers
• observe health and safety regulations
• be courteous at all times

Then it should not be too much to request;

• a fair minimum rate for each mile traveled to get the job done safely, securely and on time

Loaded miles and back loads should be privileges for couriers and NOT haggling tactics for clients.

[Admin: There's a button to help you make bullet lists at the top of the editor, alternatively you can type then by using a hyphen. Please check the preview area below the editor before you click post.]

If you're not happy with the rate you're offered, then tell the guy the rate you want. If you can't agree a rate then politely decline and look for other sources of work.

Rico/City Sprint/Crown et al, have contacted us at various times over the last two years. After about 15mins of phone call detailing all their requirements and bigging up the amount of work they have. They then told us the rate which they pay.

At this point I politely stop them in mid sentence and remind them that it's not about what they are willing to pay us but whether they are prepared to meet our charges.

Needless to say we haven't ever worked for any of them and in all honesty, I don't think we've made ourselves any poorer for it.

Scott.

Speed Couriers Nationwide said:

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And should be known as the Courier Charter

Possibly need another topic created on a Courier Charter to vote on what should or shouldn't be included.

It will be interesting to see what the end result of it would be.

There's a few threads already reating to a "standard" and tbh i can't see anyone having a problem with what you put. I can't see the need to add much else either other than to say that none of these ideas will ever get off the ground unless the likes of you and i and everyone on here and elsewhere adhere to them.

I would go further and suggest that anyone not affiliated to such a body of ethics or code of practise shouldn't be allowed to trade but thats pie in the sky.

The only ones that'll ever provide the standards we're looking for at the end of the day are the very people that use us... End users and other courier companies, and if they don't care then it will always be a pipe dream.