Our Story - From Skimming the Clouds to ‘Doing the Rounds’ 

 

Couriersdepot.com was born out of adversity - back in 2020 when the Covid 19 crisis hit, I was working in aviation, working as a senior crew member for a major UK airline. A job I loved and for over two decades, but when the pandemic took hold, aviation faced an existential threat. All of a sudden, mine and my families livelihood was at immediate risk - it was the most terrifying time as a husband and a father of two children. But what to do?

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It became obvious - become a courier. Before long I’d traded delivering people by jet, to delivering parcels by hatch-back (my wife’s car, as it transpired, made a terrific delivery vehicle…). With my uniform uncertainly hung, it was a surreal transformation to my life - as it was for so many. 

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But this transformation led to revelation - I realised that to do this job you needed ‘kit’. Phone reading gloves (essential in the winter), water-proof running shoes (why do 14,000 steps a day with wet feet?) and headwear with lights to see parcels and house numbers in dimmed light (easily one of the most infuriating thing you have to deal with doing the job). And then, a classic ‘light bulb’ moment happened - if they needed this stuff, then every courier needed it…

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And so, it began - I contacted an old friend who was a wiz at website design, put the concept to him we went to work developing the categories to accommodate all the needs of the modern courier. We went from friends to becoming Co-Founders - it was an exciting time.

Couriersdepot.com was born.

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The Beginning 

Because I was doing the job, day-in, day-out, it was easy to identify what products to list, but only the best were chosen, and wherever possible products with warranties - it was to be a curated listing, with the idea to make couriersdepot.com the John Lewis for couriers. 

Lights, camera & action! The next step was video production for product promotion - caps, trainers and a series of guides on insurance. Suddenly, I was a You-Tuber (another surreal moment, this one tinged with a different feeling of trepidation) 

The Business Grew

With the end to the Pandemic, flying was ‘back in the air’, and I was running long-haul aircraft across the Atlantic. By now though, the business had a new direction - B2B. Time for it too to fly high…

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Identifying cost saving services and products became the new focus, and building a novel suite of enabling services became the priority.

Quickly identifying a legal area that many delivery companies are unaware of, was Manual Handling training. To ‘plug this gap’, a partnership was established with Virtual College, an award-winning training company that  provides Online Training - ideal for courier companies that need their drivers on site every day, rather than taking time off and compromising the business’s ability to service its clients requirements. I’d seen this happen first hand, rounds left ‘uncovered’ due to injury, not good. 
 
Next up was recognising the need for a fuel card provider for the sole trader through to the HGV Fleet owner. Answer?Fuelmate - the UK’s largest family owned fuel company that offered services beyond just fuel cards. Through Fuelmate, we were now able to offer a comprehensive range of fuel cards, from diesel or petrol through to a combination of fuels, be it electric, hybrid, petrol or diesel - right through to an HGV fleet operators daily fuel needs being satiated. 

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But there was one thing that we really wanted to offer - a quality, commercial insurance service and tie in with a brokerage that would form a strong partnership. Enter Taveo, an insurance company that employs the latest in technology - AI, automation, and data science to offer policies optimised for the needs of fleet managers able to reduce fleet operators between 20 & 30% on insurance premiums - an incredible saving.

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The latest partner is one that, quite simply, is a game-changer - PostTag. Why? It shows the courier exactly which door to go to (or which block of flats - I can tell you, they’re a nightmare to work out…). PostTag have developed the equivalent of a hand held super-computer of an app for the courier. PostTag delivers by providing pinpoint accuracy via its destination data crunching engine for the courier. Armed with PostTag, delivery drivers will save time, fuel, emissions, and ultimately vehicle wear and tear - logistics companies will win all round, with very healthy looking KPI’s.  

To keep a couriers’ vehicle serviced we offer ancillary vehicle services via Pro-Tyres, EV charging units through Zero Charge, and of course our curated product listing for the modern courier - this is where we started after all…

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And yet, there was still something missing - a means of giving back. Because couriering is an intensely physical job, we wished to find a charity that was mobility orientated - it was a must. We were very happy when we came across one that provides wheelchairs to the developing countries of East Africa, and swiftly met with them to establish the partnership. We plan to join them on one of their trips at the earliest opportunity, and whilst there film the work that they’re doing, and invite our partners too. This is what we’re about, and we can’t wait. 

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The Future

Looking forwards, we have new partners waiting in the wings, who will be onboarding shortly, but like any business build exercise, we have to be pragmatic. Researching each sector is critical, developing a sounding board and evaluating the potential of solution providers and assessing their ‘fit’ to our service proposition. Flying high? We’re definitely approaching cruising altitude…

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Couriersdepot.com - For All Things Courier - And Beyond.

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Welcome Aboard!