Starting Out as a Motorcycle Courier

Many people see advertisements for a courier driver and think of that motorcycle sitting in their garage.

It’s a short step from that to adding 2+2 and getting 4.

What though, exactly is involved in starting to use your bike for courier work?

Don’t Just ‘Launch’

The very first thing to start with is a consideration of your insurance.

A standard personal use policy almost certainly won’t provide cover for commercial use – which is exactly what you’ll be engaging in if you start taking on paid work as a courier driver. In fact, if you do use your bike for reward on a standard policy, the chances are you’ll immediately invalidate your cover. So, don’t do it!

Instead, have a discussion with your insurance provider at the earliest opportunity.

Do the Math

You will be operating as a business and every single business, irrespective of its nature, needs to understand that its projected figures are going to be viable.

As such, you'll need to research the rates for a typical courier driver in your area, whether car, van or bike based, then forecast a realistic income. The next step is to match that against your operating costs.

Remember, your bike’s insurance premium will go up, your fuel consumption costs likewise and don’t forget to allow for depreciation, wear and tear plus increased maintenance costs as a result of your higher mileages.

As a very rough guide, at the time of writing a new motorcycle courier operating in one of the major conurbations should be able to secure income of around £12-15k in early operation. After some years of experience and contact-building, that might increase to around £20-£22k.

That might be less in smaller towns or rural locations where the volume of business will be lower.

Make sure your realistic income projections versus costs seem sensible.

Get Real Experience

Starting up your business is great, but the shine will soon wear off if you’re just sitting at home staring into space with nothing to do.

You need to secure work as a courier driver or rider - and quickly! That will help you gain experience and to build a track record to impress clients in the future.

There are primarily two ways you can go. The first is to work on a self-employed basis, which is probably the route adopted by the majority. The second is to try and secure a position with a courier company as an employee, though usually still using your own transport.

The top tips for the self-employment route are:

• Be realistic about your rates until you build experience.
• Use a work exchange site (where clients and transport/courier companies share jobs and information), because if your only approach is to start ringing around while hoping to get lucky with work, then you’ll struggle.

If you’re looking for employment, you’ll typically need to go through the usual job-hunting process together with associated interviews etc. To be considered, you’ll typically need:

• A clean licence
• To be probably aged 21 or over
• An acceptable level of English and good verbal communication skills
• To be able to write clearly and legibly in English
• A demonstrable track record showing your reliability (though not necessarily in the courier business)
• A verifiable knowledge of the geographic areas largely served by your potential employer and perhaps the wider UK. .

Think About an Accountant

Although not an absolute necessity, if you are setting up your own business, it might be advisable to speak to an accountant.

They can ‘do the books’ for you and very possibly save you money in areas such as tax.

Many a courier driver or rider has considered this to be an unnecessary expense – then been proven wrong!