It was the summer of 2013 and having been laid off from my office job some months before, I was trying to get back on the hamster wheel and earn my way. I returned from the shop to the dreaded “We have missed you” card. “We’ll try again tomorrow”. I was getting nowhere with online job applications. Of the countless CVs and forms that were sent and completed (probably over 100), only a handful had the courtesy to reply and only two gave me an interview. I’ve never been good at self-aggrandisement, so it was no surprise to hear the corporate bull feedback of “You need to learn stock answers.” I flipped the miss you card over and noticed “We are hiring” written at the bottom. So in the tone of Jeremy Clarksonious 2000 AD “Delivering a parcel? Well, how hard can that be?”
As it turned out, very! Now, indeed, one parcel on its own might not seem very daunting, but how about 50, 100, 150, or how about 300 during a particular busy time like the run-up to Christmas? A week after filling out the application form on my computer, I met up with the Area Manager. I quickly realised this wasn’t an interview, more this is what the job entails, are you interested? I said yes, signed the forms and I was in business. A refreshing change from all the usual pretentious crap like “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Which when push comes to shove doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. Apart from customer service skills, you can almost take all you have learned in your professional life and throw it away as doing this job is like nothing else, even if you have done other driving work. In this profession, driving is only half the game, if that. It can leave you feeling highly stressed, fatigued, bruised, and battered, mentally and physically, but it can also feel like the best job you have ever had.
I started part-time, filling in where necessary. Which was just as well because if I went in the deep end of full-time, I’m sure I’d have been another statistic of those that had tried and failed. My first day consisted of 90 parcels. I arrogantly thought I knew the area since it wasn’t far from where I lived. Oh no I didn’t! I got to the depot at 9 a.m. and didn’t get home until 7:30 p.m. However, my manager was satisfied I did a good enough job, and so I was given this round every Saturday. It was not until I got my own rounds and went full-time that I really learned the art of being a courier.
All the well-known delivery companies, DPD, Parcelforce, DHL, UPS, Evri, Yodel, and not forgetting Amazon, which have created their own network, operate on what is called the multi-drop model. As the word implies, each driver is given multiple parcels to deliver, usually within a set area. Each company has its own way of sorting and splitting up areas (called a round) depending on many factors, such as parcel volume, total square miles, closeness to the nearest depot, etc. Depots from all the big firms are dotted all over Britain and come in all shapes and sizes, from the huge national and international hubs to tiny local units. Evri is probably the most local in this aspect, with many of the rounds very close to the depots. In fact, Evri operates differently to every other major player; this is a hangover from before internet shopping was even shown on Tomorrow’s World and mail order was the main way of getting goods without going to the shop. I’m sure many of you remember your Mum or wife looking through the Kay’s catalogue, and when no one else was looking at it, you flicked straight through to the underwear section.
Originally called Parcelnet and then Hermes, Evri is quickly catching up as a more serious and professional delivery firm; indeed, it is now going to merge with DHL. In 2022, it opened a 340,000 sq ft “superhub” which is apparently the largest parcel distribution centre in Europe, capable of processing up to 1.1 million parcels daily. Still, some of the amateurish problems remain, such as couriers loading up outside in all weathers, the use of cars to deliver parcels, and the reliance on a third-party insurance top-up so couriers are legal. Couriers can still sort out their own hire and reward insurance if they wish.
So that brings me onto the problem that afflicts all the major players in the industry, and that is customer service or the lack of it. Only last week, a parcel I had delivered by a DPD driver was left in a neighbour’s bush (no giggling at the back) by the door of their ground-floor flat. I don’t even live in a big complicated block. I could surmise the problem by quoting the well-worn phrase “The cost of everything, and the value of nothing.” That is not to say that couriers are necessarily poorly paid; most couriers have the option of earning at least what would be called an average wage, even after taking into account the courier’s vehicle costs and other expenses. The bigger problem from a courier’s perspective is working conditions and the fact that businesses never seem to want to keep the good couriers, or are not bothered when a courier leaves. A bigger emphasis is placed on getting the parcels out of the depot and dealing with problems as they happen. I’ll touch more on actual earnings and costs later.
There are a few intractable problems which make it impossible to give a service that pleases all the customers, all of the time. These are issues that affect all carriers. The sheer volume of parcels, profit per parcel that amounts to pence rather than pounds, and it is inevitable parcels will get damaged and lost. Ever wondered why your next-day parcel didn’t come, even though it reached the local depot? It was more than likely mis-sorted and was put into the wrong crate. “Why on the tracking does it show my parcel not moving for a week?” Highly probable it ended up under a crate and no one saw it until the crate was moved. Where things fall down, of course, is how things are corrected or not. It is not hard to find complaints from irate customers, fired at all firms splashed across social media. Indeed, there are countless Bookface groups dedicated to each company’s failings, giving people a platform to vent their anger and frustrations. Not only at the problem but also the feeling of helplessness at trying to remedy the situation. Many are left at the mercy of the dreaded chatbot, which you may know, are about as useful as the proverbial chocolate teapot. I advise customers with any problems to contact the company they bought their goods from. That is who your contract is with, not the carrier.
Apart from UPS, all the other companies rely on self-employed drivers in some form or another, who own or lease their own vehicles. DHL have a mixture of contracts, PAYE, and self-employed; DPD also have different contracts and have a franchise model where you can lease the van from them. Amazon uses local courier companies, and their Flex model is similar to Evri where people can turn up in whatever vehicle they have. Unionising the workforce is hard due to the self-employment, divide-and-conquer mixed contracts situation; it’s a bit like herding cats, but it’s not impossible. GMB, who have embedded themselves within Evri, have managed to somewhat improve things. A lot of Evri couriers are now on what is called an SE+ contract, so at the cost of a percentage of your parcel rate, you can get holiday pay and a pension. One of GP’s favourite luvvies, Ken Loach, recently made a film called “Sorry We Missed You”. It did highlight correctly, however, some of the brutalities of the job. Having your van stolen from you, getting fined by the company you are contracted to, and arsehole managers.
Another problem with these self-employed models from a customer service perspective is that due to HMRC rules, such couriers cannot be “workers under instruction”. This is what a manager told me once, so any in-person training or dialogue is always a bit offhand and off the record. This would explain the increase in the use of online training spaces. If then working for one of these companies is little more than a financial transaction, then are you really going to care and give a five-star service? The staff turnover at all of these places is huge, and the workforce is dominated by immigrants; many look like recent arrivals, either from the Boriswave or they have just come across the Channel in a dingy. I’ve heard of couriers giving it up on their first morning, and another courier has gone and taken the parcels off them. It really is sink or swim if you have been given 80 to 100 parcels on your first day with little to no training. DPD are a bit better at training new recruits before letting them loose. Amazon Flex is watch some videos and off you go.
If you have stuck at it, you will, if you haven’t already, get the option of having your own round. Amazon Flex will offer no such option. I think couriers still learning or not knowing a round increases the probability that the service customers expect or have grown to expect, will take a big hit. Indeed, my own customers are always saying to me after I’ve returned from time off, “I’m glad you’re back.” Of course, mistakes will still happen, even seasoned couriers will cock up from time to time. All drivers have to learn somewhere and no amount of training beforehand will give you all the tools necessary to hit the ground running.
Depending on the company and the situation, if you are doing well, you will soon be asked if you want more work either permanently or covering someone who has gone on holiday. It is also highly possible that there is a failed round that morning as the permanent courier has been taken ill or, more likely, his or her vehicle has broken down. Clutches, suspension, tyres, brakes, and starter motors all take a battering. In fact, recently, my van back door broke, and I was unable to open it as the cable inside the door which operated the top latch broke.
So what can you earn and is it worth it? Most SE couriers are paid per parcel or drop. This links back to customer service because if the parcel isn’t delivered, you don’t get paid. If you are delivering a widget from Temu or rags from Shein, are you really going to bother the elderly infirm neighbour if no one is in? And if they are a regular customer and you know they are never in and are at work, are you really going to carry the parcel over for tomorrow when they are at work again or just hide it? The maximum turnover possible if you are self-employed is in the region of £60k. To earn that though would require so much from you and your time for that to be a realistic proposition. However, £40k to £50k is realistic for most people working full-time. Working for Evri at 50p a parcel though will have you struggling to surpass £25k. Unless you fancy doing 200 parcels a day, six days a week for the whole year.
If working through an agency or 3rd-party company, some will get a set amount regardless or get paid per mile. Some will get a flat rate per day and a per parcel/drop amount on top. What you get per parcel or drop can vary massively. Evri pay a different amount for each parcel depending on the size and the weight. Plus every parcel will be paid the full amount no matter how many you get for the same address. Others will pay a flat rate and, depending on the company, only per drop. Or only a token amount for all of the parcels at that drop on top of the drop rate.
Transport costs can also vary wildly. Doing a small round in a town or city in your own car, with no finance outstanding, for a few hours a day isn’t going to cost you much at all. Then at the other end of the scale is doing 100 mile+ a day around rural Scotland in a brand new LWB Transit. Your parcel/drop rate should be at a level that reflects your time and outgoings; however, this is not always the case. So you should always ask what rate is before accepting a round and simply refuse if the numbers don’t add up.
The next topic that is important but can be overlooked is fitness. Not necessarily strength, though there will be heavy boxes, but more your general condition. In the same way, the most used items in vans take a beating, so the most used things on your body will too. Backs, knees, ankles, and so forth will have to take a lot of punishment.
The right clothing is also necessary. Some depots will not even let you through the door if you are not wearing steel-capped boots and a high-vis. UPS and DPD enforce the use of branded uniforms, the former using the classic brown look. At Evri, you can wear what you like, and no one will stop you from wearing Crocs. Branded jackets and tops are available, though if you wish to wear them.
In part 2, I’ll discuss more on the day-to-day aspects of being a courier.
© 2025 Mattg820
