Bike couriers - How do I get started?

[TOTO]

Hey falks. Are there any Bike Couriers on KB?
I've been thinking and it seems like something i would like doing since it involves riding a bike for a job .

I'm interested to know how should one start as a bike courier ?

Would it be a suitable job for a Uni student ?

How does one get paid - I presume for each delivery?

Recomendations on a bike to use ? I've seen Scooter Couriers (on 150cc Scooters) - is that a better option than a bike ?

Recommendation on a Courier Company to work for ?

Any insights of the trade ?

I understand that answers to those kind of questions can be quite long so i'd be keen to meet you say in Motomail Motorcycle Cafe for a chat. Coffee and Doughnits and muffins will be on me. If thats the case please PM me.

many thanks in advance boys and girls

TOTO

[hellnback]

Why not ring a courier company??

[TOTO]

Why not ring a courier company??

I'll be doing that shortly. I'm still interested to hear opinions of the job from someone who has or is doing it. Live experience counts in my opinion.

[Luckylegs]

PM Hellraiser, he is/was a courier

[TOTO]

PM Hellraiser, he is/was a courier

Will do that. Thanks.

[Squiggles]

Hey falks. Are there any Bike Couriers on KB?
I've been thinking and it seems like something i would like doing since it involves riding a bike for a job .

I'm interested to know how should one start as a bike courier ?

Go get a goods and services license, and ring places like Pace etc
You have to own your own vehicle and act as a contactor, you do your own taxes etc and the overheads require i think between 20-30hours per week to make the normal wage you'd get somewhere else, after that its extra. I'll search for the calculations i did, but some of the stuff is fixed (like insurance, cost of hiring the radios etc)


Would it be a suitable job for a Uni student ?

No, thats why im not doing it, they're not after part timers

How does one get paid - I presume for each delivery?

Correct I dont really remember though, i was guaranteed a couple of grand a month for the first couple of months while i learnt to be suicidal

Recomendations on a bike to use ? I've seen Scooter Couriers (on 150cc Scooters) - is that a better option than a bike ?

I was going to do it on a GN, you dont really want to do it on a scooter due to small wheels, or a trailie/sportsbike because of the seat height (you're getting on and off it every 10 minutes. I have seen people doing it on both. Theres a guy who does it on a hornet i think, but it looked like a 900 and that'd be a bit heavy on the gas

Recommendation on a Courier Company to work for ?

I was going to work for pace, i forgot who the other option was, with the other option you had to hire the gps unit and bits, and buy your own luggage

Any insights of the trade ?

Didnt do it in the end, but went along with a van guy for a day, was quite intense

I've still got my goods and services licence, so close to going all the way, then i decided id try the uni thing. Would have been fun though i reckon.

I was planning on using a GN because there wasnt going to be a motorway component for a fair while, being pushed backwards and fowards through the city. GN had the low seat height, air cooled, easy to maintain component to it

[TOTO]

Thanks for that Squiggles. Very interesting.

You say 30hrs a week - that doable , I do 24 at the moment but i;m sure I can squeese another 6-7 hours to work in. I waste that time anyway

[Squiggles]

Thanks for that Squiggles. Very interesting.

You say 30hrs a week - that doable , I do 24 at the moment but i;m sure I can squeese another 6-7 hours to work in. I waste that time anyway

I dont remember the specifics, they're all scrawled down on paper at home (what i thought it would take to make it profitable), will dig em up and let you know. Quite a few costs though, not including the regular servicing of the bike, and then theres the risks, you are your own business

Whatever it was, they were only keen on me doing it fulltime, you started in the morning and went to the evening, and i wasnt really going to be able to just stop midday for a couple of hours for lectures

I even tried to get employed between the breaks, should try again (what with the end of year break being 4 months this time round )

[Mr Merde]

Dont know much about this country but I worked in that field for 2 years in the UK. Intercity from Cardiff.

Its bloody hard work. Speed is the essence but tickets cut into your profits. Fuel prices also kill your profits. I was only paid for the delivery so the return trip was at my expense. So make sure price for the jobv will cover fuel for both directions plus a profit for you minus the running costs of the bike, tax etc.

I clocked up 250,000 miles in 2 years. I was knackered. I went through 3 bikes, 1 blew the electrics, another written off by a car driver and the third stolen.

I had to put a new rear tyre on the bike every month and service it every weekend (if I wasnt working).

My social life took a hammering, my family life died, I lived on caffine in all sorts of forms. Used to stop at the services and get filter coffee pot with the grounds in it but no water, filled it up with coke and let the grounds infuse the coke with even more caffine, instant caffine buzz which usually got me home. There were times when I just had to sleep and I usually found a spot for me and the bike and used it as shelter.

In short it was great fun at times, I saw lots of the country, met lots of interesting people and carried some really weird stuff (live trout to Scotland). I got cold, tired, hot, exhausted and absolutely fed up with being on a bike. The pay was great to start but as fuel prices went upo it became unecconomical to continue.

Try it, you may like it but be warned its not the easiest of jobs.

Pontification over

[barty5]

i did it for 7 years in around auckland in a van though fuckin hard work money was never that great as for the sub60 guys dont know how they made any money doin 200- 350 ks a day makin $2500- $4000 a month i had a good run till 911 them half customers left town went from 8-9g a month down to 4g in 6 months and your over heads dont change wouldnt ever do it again you will find most of the companie wont give a toss about you i worked for NZC which is freightwat group (sub60 nzc post haste etc etc) once your signed on there contract they dont really care as long as the freight gets there.
whatch out for the contract they can tie you in to long out caluses when i started it was 1 month which never changed for me (thankfull) by the time i left they were finding so hard to get drivers to stay the new guys had 3 plus months to get out makes it real hard to get another job yeh sure ill take the job ill start in 3 months dosnt work so well with employers.
Guess im sayin look in to it real carefull.
Also b be carefull guys i use to know who were on bikes expected that the guys would have a fall within the first 6 months tryin to go flat out and not being as carefull as they should no the roads think that s why a lot went to scooters style bikes not quite so fast less chance of getting in trouble.

[UberRhys]

PM Hellraiser, he is/was a courier

PM danchop here on KB. Last I heard he was a courier running a Suzuki UZ125 scooter

[Hellraiser]

PM Hellraiser, he is/was a courier

It is true i am a motorcycle courier and i work for Pace, i also have 3 people that work for me at pace 1 in a van & 2 on motorcycles, feel free to give me a call or i'll post up the info later when i have a bit more time ...... lol you will find my ph # in my profile.

It's a great job can get a tad tiresome in winter but that's when you make the most money cause traffuic suxs and even though i ride 10 - 12 hours a day i still can't wait till the weekends to ride some more.

[Dave-]

what about just normal mail delivery for nzpost?

[sinister^]

TOTO, I think Pocketcracker is a courier

[TOTO]

Wow so its not just zoom here zoom there. Very inetersting. Thats what I ment when I said real world experience counts.

Apprechiate your input falks.

Thanks a Million.