Copyright (c) 2012 Alison Withers
A need for reliable courier services to transfer information, goods or documents quickly and reliably over distance has existed since humanity began to settle in communities and both organised forms of government and of trade started to emerge.
The earliest known examples were the messengers, who ran miles to their destinations. Other examples were the use of homing pigeons and riders on horseback.
Armies have always relied on efficient courier services not only to transfer orders and information to and from the field to HQ but for soldiers to keep in touch with their families and for their families to send supplies and news of home.
One of the earliest recorded examples in the UK was the late 15th Century military courier network supporting an English army fighting in Scotland and called the Royal Post. It transported messages between London, where the court of Edward IV was based and the army located in Berwick-on-Tweed.
Since then the courier industry has developed into a sophisticated operation using a variety of vehicles from container trucks to vans and motorcycles and operating at global, national and local levels offering a range of services to both businesses and consumers.
Although most courier work is contracted to businesses courier services are used by private individuals too, particularly for transporting items that are fragile, valuable or too bulky for a normal postal service or the family car, or where people do not have their own transport.
Items transported can range from boats and cars to refrigerated goods, documents and small packages.
Locally based courier services have the advantage in offering this type of service, which can be same day or next day depending on the urgency. Often next day services will involve a pick-up from the customer's address, an overnight drive and delivery to a specified time at the destination.
Drivers are more likely to have good local knowledge and know of alternative routes to cope with unexpected local events such as accidents, local traffic patterns at peak times of the day or adverse weather conditions and there is a need to avoid delays.
When considering which courier service to use the most important customer requirements are security, confidentiality and reliable on time delivery.
If the requirements are for regional or local delivery it can be an advantage to investigate a locally-based service because their rates may compare favourably with some of the larger global services. They may also be better able to comply with precise delivery times and it is often the case that a smaller local company will try harder to ensure its customers are satisfied.
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A local courier service with local knowledge can make all the difference to making sure important consignments arrive on time. By Ali Withers. http://www.rpdistribution.co.uk
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