motorcycle courier jobs

[Captain Nemo]

due to my impending redundancy, the low chance of getting a job doing what i do now and my ongoing requirement to eat, i need to look at doing somethin "to put me on" until i can get a highways job again.

i had a thought about doing a bit of courier work, how realistic is this?, any ideas how i go about getting a courier job, any special requirements other than having a bike, insurance, relaiability and the ability to find your way and not **** off the customer?

to anyone already working as a courier, im not intending to **** anyone off by making it sound simplistic, im simply trying to look at earning some money using the skills i already have

[Biker Biggles]

Do you mean in London?If so theres one or two bods on here who do/have done it.

[muddi]

Have 3 mates who are courriers, its long unsociable hours, doing a lot of miles in every kind of weather - yes even snow and ice!! And its not 8 guaranteed hours of work a day, some, times they are sat around for hours only to get a job at 5pm to go into the centre of town in rush hour. Sometimes they are home by 6pm sometimes 9-10pm depending on where in the country they have been sent. One lad has to deliver in London for 8/9am so he is usually getting up around 1.30am to go to work. Ohh and they pay aint all that good either.. but they all do it as they are all true bikers and love to ride,but even they get a bit cheesed off at times..

So go into it open minded, its not just riding round country lanes on ya bike in nice weather, but might be worth giving it a go - you might love it, if not, at least you have tried it. Good luck with whatever you do after redundancy.

[Seggons]

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=125185&highlight=courier

[timwilky]

Mate of mine was a bike courier. He realised is customers did not understand the concept when he was asked to pick up a pipe sample in London and deliver to Preston.

He rides all the way down and finds the company. and they produce a 10ft long 5" diameter steel pipe. When he says he was on a motorcycle. Oh we thought you would have other vehicles. We have, but you never stated the size/material. and as we advertise and call ourselves motorcycle couriers we would assume our customers wanted high speed motorcycle deliveries.

Still he went to another company to pick up some engineering drawings. As he waited for them to be printed off, he looked at some already done. "Do you understand them", "Yes, I was a draughtsman once", "Oh, and can you do that sort of stuff", pointing at the drawings. 2 days later he started on a 6 week trial and eventually became their design manager.

[Stu]

You told both those stories so much better in the other thread ;)

[timwilky]

OK Stu, perhaps I cannot remember just how long the pipe was or between where. However, the gist is still very true. He was asked to take a pipe sample a very long way. When he gets there it turns out to be a bloody big heavy pipe and they assumed that a courier would also have a truck. And that he got a new job by looking at some drawings whilst on his clients site.

[husky03]

keep it in your head that if you spend all day riding during work it does lose the appeal when your off-i've not been out in my playtime since i started riding at work

[Captain Nemo]

at moment, my main concern isnt wether ill be still enjoying biking, its more if ill still have a house to park it at.

so to be honest, im not botherred if it puts me off bikeing for a bit, im in leeds as well, not london, wondering if theres even much of a market up here

[ixlr8]

Since a short time after my last post in the other thread, while couriering, I've fragmented my tibia and did associated nerve, muscle and tendon damage, am just relearning how to walk after many hours in theatre, and am yet to be able to ride 18 months later. See if you can find something less dangerous.

[yorkie_chris]

at moment, my main concern isnt wether ill be still enjoying biking, its more if ill still have a house to park it at.

so to be honest, im not botherred if it puts me off bikeing for a bit, im in leeds as well, not london, wondering if theres even much of a market up here

I have seen a couple of courier bikes about in leeds if that is any use to you

[muddi]

All three of my mates work for a Leeds Courier - they still have to travel to London and all round the country. None of them are loaded and they all have to work long hours to come out with a half decent wage.

[Sid Squid]

On the subject of working as a courier now, in 2010:
...I wouldn't go back to it as very simply the industry is all but dead, the circumstance that lead to it's birth and prosperity just doesn't exist anymore, there's no money in it and what's left is subject to heavy competition.
I was lucky enough to work in the industry during it's boom years, there was lots of work and and lots of people earned very well. But that situation is long gone.
And about riding for work making you lose your enjoyment of bikes:
Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't get enough, still can't! During the years I was despatching I still went out at the weekend for a blast and on holidays by bike. Hating biking? Bizarre.
See if you can find something less dangerous.
I'm very sorry to hear of your troubles and I don't want to make light of the risk of riding a bike but I myself worked as a courier for about 8 years all together - I never once had an accident whilst at work.
It's riding a bike - there isn't any magic at work that makes leisure miles riskier than work miles.