So, you know your route, you’ve got to the depot and you need to load up.
Mmm – having a crate full of parcels before you can be daunting, so how to go about it?
Pull the parcels out of the top of the crate for as long as you can until you can’t get them out without opening the cage door – this way you’ll reduce the cage fall of parcels and keep the area as tidy as possible for as long as possible, making life easier.
Just one, very important thing to note here before we move on - if your depot has outside loading and inside loading and the weather is looking like it might rain - do not do this outside. Rather, just wait until there's a space inside to do so.
Why? RAIN MESSES UP BAR CODES!
Seriously, you do not want water on your parcels labels as if the bar codes get wet, you run the risk of them breaking up and not reading, and you'll be stuffed. The affected parcels will very possibly have to be returned for a new label and you'll be down on your volume and ultimately income - plus you'll have parcels in your car taking up space that will complicate your round.
So, you're now pulling parcels out of the cage, start a line of parcels on the floor, grouping each road together with your first road at the top, and then in descending in order. You’ll be scanning each one, so have the bar-codes face up so that you can scan each parcel easily and therefore quickly - you’ll often find a group of parcels for the same address – happy days! When this is the case, try to squeeze them up together with all the bar codes as close together as possible – it will make scanning up even quicker. These will often become your consistent, regular drops; they’re really into online shopping! Now this might seem basic, obvious even, but when putting your parcels out in a line, be sure to keep each road separate. It’s so easy to get them mixed up and it can drive you mad when out on the road trying to find a parcel that’s three lines of parcels back in your carefully loaded car! When you’ve got all your parcels all lined up, this may sound obvious, but SCAN THEM! Even a seasoned courier will line their parcels up, get distracted and then load them up into their car or van. Believe us, there is nothing more soul destroying than having to unload your vehicle, re-scan your entire round and then re-load them, all the while other drivers are finishing off loading and making there way out.
So you’re all scanned up, now how’s best to load up?
Well, it’s quite simple – load your last parcel first in the back of your car/van (many people start this job using their own car, and many people do, particularly Yodell & Hermes drivers). If you are using your own car, be sure to maximise space by checking out the ability to fold down the rear seats, being sure to tuck any headrests on the foot-well floor or somewhere in your home. Making the most of every space is key if using your own car, tuck parcels from clothing companies such as those by ‘BOOHOO’ etc. into the gaps by the door – and if you have multiple bags for the same drop, tape them up through any handle they may have so as to keep them altogether and simplify your workload. Be sure to have the bar codes facing outward though so that it’s easier to scan them though, or you’ll have them flapping about and not able to keep track of which parcel you’ve scanned and which one not!
Your front passenger seat will become your last loading area - so this is where you'll load your first roads parcels (so when you're looking at all your parcels in the line up, you can discount your first roads parcel allocation from your boot loading, that's a nice feeling). It may well be that depending on your round and the numbers for your first and your second roads on your round, that you can use the front seat and floor space for both. For sure that will not always be the case, but you'll get into your own groove and able to easily discern what you can and can't get away with.
Just going back to the front seat area, as you go through your round, you'll be using this space to stack up your parcels for each road. So just as you'll load up this area with parcels for either the first road or indeed both the first and the second, once they're done you'll use it for the next road and so on. At the end of the day, maximising the load space of your car will allow you to pack as many parcels in the back as possible – and if you’re being paid per parcel, your earnings!
Another tip here is as you transfer parcels from the boot to the front seat, place the first parcel on the front seat closest to the drivers seat, with the label facing it, with the rest of the parcels in order for that road the same way - this will make life so much easier when delivering. You may then find yourself loading up the next roads onto it as well, but what you can do is have that roads parcels in the floor feel, stacked up the same way if there's not enough space on the seat. That way, you're making the most of the area and reducing the number of times you're having to get out the car and transfer parcels from the boot. Now, something to say in all fairness about this - it will take time for you to know exactly which order to place them simply due to the idiosyncrasies of the layout of each road thats on your round, but over the course of your first two weeks you'll start to get a feel for it and things will slowly fall into place. It may be totally straightforward, but there can be variables to road number layouts, so just bare this in mind. One thing to do is to make notes in your phone about each road that will help you and will trigger your memory and make your round easier to learn - things such as codes for entry phones into flats, or noting that 62a Acacia Av is down an alley by No. 62. Getting to know a round to the point that you know how quickly you can do it in is where you will eventually find yourself, and that is a good place to be. Sure, there can be variables, and life throws curve-balls every now and again, but in time you'll get to a place where you feel comfortable with the round and then able to expand your work, depending of course on the set up of the depot and the demands from the volumes it handles. If you're having to learn two rounds at once, then you've got quite a challenge there - just follow our advice and you can't go too far wrong! One thing you can tap into is that there will always be someone at the depot who will have done the round that you're doing - ask them if they have any tips for you about it, they could give you some really helpful really help you never know!
Line your parcels up from the back of your car (or van) from one door to the other, left to right, road by road if you can, but don’t worry if you can’t – that next parcel will be there going from one road to the other! Space is critical, and so be as brutally efficient as possible from the get-go in getting as many parcels in each 'line' as possible. Stack them on top of each other if you have an exceptional number – left to right, last house number first and then layer it again if you can, but some parcel sizes may make this tricky. It can be challenging for sure, and you'll get to know how best to work the space that you've got. One thing to remember, is that by the time you’ve got to the last few roads of your round, you’ll be sorting these parcels into the front seat – you’ll have that nice feeling of being almost done, ‘on the home straight’!
Loading up and cramming everything in, finding a space for that long thin cardboard box holding ‘what the heck have they ordered here?’ can be likened to a giant game of Tetris – you’ll know what we mean when you get stuck into it. An important thing to remember as we come out of the current season, is that the light will eventually reduce, which will make looking for parcels a little more tricky. Now might be a good time to make sure you're ahead of the game and get yourself a beanie with a light or a cap with little LED lights tucked underneath. This will ensure that you're not scrabbling around trying to find parcels in the back of your car and getting stressed at the same time - and yes, we've definitely been there! (and it's not a good place to be, still got a nervous twitch from it...OK, just kidding)
The worst things are boxes, ruddy great big things that just take up way too much space – some courier companies allow you to ‘carry forward’ overly large parcels to the next day, so long as the parcel itself isn’t a ‘Next Day’ item, meaning that it’s got to be delivered that day no matter what. Some parcels can be outside of the agreed dimensions, and so refereed to a larger vehicle better designed to take such items. The saying ‘don’t ask, don’t get’ isn’t around for nothing…If something is just too big ask the depot manager and see if they can be flexible about it. One other tip - if you do collections, have a separate bag in the front seat well area for them to keep them separate. It could be a bin bag, but preferably something distinctive which you won't get mixed up with anything else - one of the 'bags for life' supermarket bags could do, or an Ikea bag. Having something to put them in and keep them separate will really help, and will save you precious time having to sift through them amongst those you need to deliver!
So, you're all loaded up, your car looks like it's never looked before and it may be that you can't see out the back window. It goes without saying that you now need to be extraordinarily careful in manoeuvring your car - if you've never had to drive it on wing mirrors alone just take your time as the last thing you need is an accident. Check your mirrors, check, and check again!
Once you’re all loaded up, set up your ‘ETA’s you’re good to go – if your round is some way from the depot, do this when you get to your first ‘drop’ so as to maximise your time. However, there’s just one more, yet essential thing one should do before setting off – use the depots facilities (go for a wee!). One of the hazards of the job is needing to find a toilet when you’re out on your round, so minimise the grief by ensuring you do this most basic of things before you head off – you’ll be super grateful you we can assure you. Like is said ‘it’s the little things in life that matter’!
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