Scheduled courier service for regular and contract runs
Regular courier runs at fixed times: daily branch or lab collections, weekly stock transfers, inter-site mail. We agree the slots, routes and standing instructions once, then run them until you change them.
- Fixed collection and delivery slots
- Standing instructions briefed to every driver
- Invoiced through a business account
What a scheduled run looks like
A scheduled courier service is a job that repeats. Instead of booking each journey, you agree a pattern with us once: where, when, how often and what happens at each stop. Then it runs.
Typical regular work includes:
- Daily lab or clinic runs. Samples collected from GP surgeries or clinics at set times and taken to a laboratory before its cut-off.
- Branch runs. A bank, estate agent or builders' merchant moving paperwork, keys, stock and returns between branches every afternoon.
- Weekly stock transfers. A warehouse in Northampton topping up shops across the Midlands every Tuesday and Friday.
- Inter-site mail. Internal post, documents and small parts moving between offices or factory sites that are a few hours apart.
- Production runs. Components from one plant to a finishing or coating shop at the end of each shift, and finished parts back the next morning.
Where a run has several stops, it works as a planned multi-drop route that repeats on a schedule.
Fixed slots and standing instructions
Each run has fixed collection and delivery slots, such as "collect from the Derby site at 3.30 pm, deliver to the Nottingham lab by 5.00 pm". The slot reflects what your sites need: a lab's receiving cut-off, a branch's closing time or a production line's shift change.
Standing instructions record everything a driver needs to know, so it does not depend on one person's memory. They usually cover:
- where to park and which entrance to use at each site;
- who to ask for, and who may sign;
- what is collected and what is delivered at each stop;
- what to do if something is missing or not ready;
- what to bring back, such as empty transit boxes or returns.
We try to keep the same drivers on a regular route where possible, but we do not promise it. Good standing instructions mean the run works properly whoever is driving.
How to scope a contract run
The quickest way to get an accurate price and a run that works from the first day is to give us the full picture at the start.
- Locations and frequency
Every collection and delivery address, and how often each is visited: daily, specific weekdays, weekly or monthly.
- Volumes
Typical and peak quantities on each run: boxes, cages, pallets or envelopes, with rough weights. Seasonal peaks are useful too.
- Time windows
The earliest and latest times at each stop, and which of them are fixed and which are flexible.
- Goods and handling
Anything fragile, high-value, confidential or temperature-controlled, and any packaging rules you follow.
- Reporting you want
The KPIs you want reported, such as collections in slot, deliveries on time, POD returned and exceptions, and how often you want to see them.
- Contacts and escalation
Who we call when something goes wrong, at each site and centrally, and out of hours if the run operates then.
From this we can recommend a vehicle, which might be a small van for a document run or a Luton with a tail lift for cages. Our van size guide explains the typical capacities.
Proof of delivery on every stop
Every collection and delivery is recorded with signed proof of delivery: the recipient's name, the time and a signature, with a photo where useful. On a regular run this builds into an audit trail you can check when a branch says a delivery never arrived. Our article on proof of delivery explains what is captured and how to use it.
This record matters most in regulated work. A legal or financial courier run moving signed documents between offices, or a sample run for a medical or pharmaceutical customer, needs a clear chain of who handled what and when.
Account invoicing
Scheduled work is normally run through a business account, so you receive invoices rather than paying job by job. Accounts are available to approved businesses, and credit checks apply. Tell us at the start which references you need against each job, such as cost centre, site or purchase order, so the invoices match your own records.
One-off jobs booked on the same account, such as an urgent same-day delivery, appear alongside the regular runs.
Reviewing routes as volumes change
A route that was right last year may not be right now. Branches open and close, a lab moves its cut-off, and volumes grow until a small van is full by the second stop.
We suggest reviewing a contract run at regular intervals, and whenever something changes on your side. A review looks at whether the slots still match your sites, whether the vehicle is still the right size, and whether stops could be combined, split or retimed. You can also change the schedule between reviews: tell us and we will update the standing instructions before the change takes effect.
If you want to discuss a regular run, request a quote with as much of the scoping detail as you have.
FAQ
Common questions
Will we get the same driver every time?
We try to keep the same drivers on a regular run where we can, because a driver who knows your sites and contacts works faster and makes fewer mistakes. We cannot promise it on every day, as holidays and sickness happen. That is why standing instructions matter: they make sure any driver we send knows exactly what to do.
Is there a minimum contract length or volume?
There is no standard term we can quote here. We agree it when we scope the work, based on how often the run operates and what it involves. A sensible way to start is a trial period on a single route: review it, and then add further runs once you are happy with how it is working.
What happens to a scheduled run on a bank holiday?
We operate on bank holidays, so the run can go ahead as normal if your sites are open. If they are closed, tell us and we will stand the run down or move it. It helps to agree a bank holiday plan when the contract is set up, so nobody has to remember on the day.
Can a regular run carry clinical samples or medicines?
Yes, provided they are packaged correctly by the sender. Diagnostic specimens sent as UN3373 Biological Substance, Category B need triple packaging to P650. For medicines, we follow the temperature, handling and documentation requirements you set out, and a refrigerated van can be used where the goods need it.
How is a scheduled courier contract priced?
On the same factors as any job, which are distance, vehicle, timing and extras, but worked out across the whole pattern of runs rather than one at a time. Regular routes can often be planned more efficiently than one-off bookings, and we price the pattern as a whole. You get a written price for each run before it starts.
Can we book one-off jobs as well as the regular run?
Yes. Once you have an account, extra jobs are booked in the normal way and appear on the same invoice. Customers often add an urgent same-day job when something cannot wait for the next scheduled run, or an extra collection during a busy week.
Last updated