The Courier Shop

What skills are needed to become a courier? and are academic skills essential?

Aside from a current clean driving license, the main skills a courier needs is patience.

Delivering other peoples cargo or freight (or even documents)

means working to their schedule and that may not always fit in with your own. Patience is a vital skill when working as a courier. There may be waiting time, or even customers absent from the collection point. Waiting is part of being a courier, waiting time (being paid to wait) is a perk of being a self employed courier, although not fo r a courier that works for a private company.

A good courier has other essential skills needed as well, these include

• Map-reading and navigational skills – the ability to operate a satellite navigation system is useful
• Good health and physical fitness – heavy lifting and frequent lifting is involved
• The ability to work alone and keep to tight schedules, you will often work on your own unless it’s a two man team delivery. These type of jobs are few and far between for a self employed couriers.
• A responsible attitude to safety, reckless people will not last long if they gain employment as a courier
• A basic knowledge of motor mechanics is useful but not essential, a blown tyre or loose wire can make a difference to your timekeeping, a little know how helps in a big way.
• A passion for driving and getting to know the local business community – if you don’t like driving, this really isn’t for you

A good courier company will vet and assess their employees as its important to employ the right ones for their business. Ones that are heavy handed with the freight or packages won’t last long. It’s very important that cargo arrives in one piece or a company will have to claim on their insurance. Often reckless employees are not covered by insurance, and this will come from the companies profits. If you are an employed courier you will not last very long if you are heavy handed or clumsy. If you are self employed, you will not be employed by that company again.

Academic skills are not essential but basic skills are, the ability to read and write in the English language are very important. A customer will supply documentation to go with the goods and the courier will need to be able to read this and be able to differentiate each document and match it to the corresponding loads.

There is more to being a courier than throwing the goods on the back of a van and driving off into the sunset. If you want to be successful you need to do some research. Research is a vital skill for a person looking to become a courier, it can save them money and heartache in the short term and enhance their career in the long term.

Sarah Arrow
The Complete Courier guide is an essential guide for self employed couriers looking to start their own courier business.

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