How to Start a Delivery Business

Demand for courier and delivery services is booming, thanks to a shift in buying trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you want to start a business or work as an independent contractor, delivery services can be attractive. Many believe the need for delivery services will continue even after COVID-19 becomes a memory.

Courier and Local Delivery Service

The market size of the couriers & local delivery industry in the US has grown 5.3% per year on average. These are the numbers between 2015 and 2020, according to IBISWorld. Contact work through delivery service companies like GrubHub, DoorDash, Postmates has sparked growing interest. If you lost your job due to Covid-19 or simply wish to maintain your own schedule while making some extra money, you’re likely to consider this option.
For anyone thinking about starting a small business, courier and local delivery services offer significant benefits. No formal education or training is required—simply a reliable vehicle and good communication skills. It’s also easy to set up as a home-based business, which means you don’t have rent or utility costs.

Three factors to consider when starting a delivery business:

1. The main capital expense of a delivery business is a vehicle (usually a van, car or truck, but sometimes bike deliveries are popular in urban environments). That includes the necessary insurance and preventive maintenance costs, as required.
2. It’s vital to have a system that documents when a product is received, sent out for delivery, and received at the destination. While this system helps with organization, it also provides a paper trail to prevent false claims about mishandled product.
3. Fuel and repair costs can vary, and it’s important to plan for both. A reliable routing tool offers big advantages with the creation of efficient routes for savings in mileage, fuel, vehicle wear and tear and driving time.

Online Routing System

MyRouteOnline’s online routing system is designed to help delivery businesses. It’s an affordable option that allows you to set up multiple routes, with as many as 300 addresses in one run. Using an easy to use route planning system can reduce the time it takes to plan delivery routes, and resolve the problem of getting lost as well as minimizing wear and tear on vehicles. All this adds up to more savings in both money and time.
Simply go online before you begin your deliveries and plug in all your addresses, with time gaps to allow for great customer service to clients. Once your route is planned, just save it and go. You can access the route from any smartphone and go hands-free. The route planner does all the work for you, getting you where you need to go in the most logical and efficient way possible.
MyRouteOnline can help document receiving and delivery times, helping with the paper trail, as well as strengthening customer service with more accurate estimates on delivery times. Customers always value reliable delivery companies that show up and communicate well.