Mike Morton founded Direct Courier Solutions in 2010 with a small warehouse, a fleet of vans, and a loyal base of customers in the northwest of England.
But after parting ways with a business partner, Mike decided to change course and build a courier business powered by technology, not vehicles.
Today, Direct Courier Solutions is a remote-first freight forwarder. They rely on Courier Exchange to find trusted drivers, Trustd to handle compliance checks, and SmartPay to simplify payments. The result? A leaner, more flexible way to operate.
Without the Exchange, where would we be? We’re completely reliant on it now – and it’s worked.
Mike Morton, Founder, Direct Courier Solutions
Here’s how they did it
In the early days, Direct Courier Solutions used Courier Exchange mainly to find return courier loads for their outbound jobs. But as the business grew, so did the need for more flexibility.
Mike gave up the warehouse and fleet, choosing instead to build demand and use verified drivers through the Exchange to deliver. With Trustd managing compliance and driver feedback available on the platform, building a reliable network became easy.
“We’ve got drivers across the UK we’ve built relationships with on the platform. It’s no different to having your own courier fleet – except it’s easier and more scalable,” says Mike.
As operations became more efficient, the next step was simplifying payments. SmartPay removed the hassle of paying drivers individually – replacing dozens of transactions with one simple approval process.
“Rather than making 60, 70, 80, 100 individual payments per month… we can now do it in one click of a button,” says Mike. “SmartPay has transformed what we do.”
For Aimée-Jayne Cavanagh, director at Direct Courier Solutions, it’s made month-end invoicing a breeze.
“I just download a CSV file, adapt it for our accounting system, and send it to the bookkeepers. That’s it – five minutes instead of a couple of hours,” she explains.
It’s not just Direct Courier Solutions that benefits from SmartPay – the drivers do too, with faster payments and clearer visibility.
What’s not to like? It’s easier for everyone. If we’re all on SmartPay, the whole thing just works better.
Mike Morton, Founder, Direct Courier Solutions
Results
After 15 years on Courier Exchange, Direct Courier Solutions has built a business that’s simple to run, easy to scale, and without big overheads.
15 years
As a CX member
3,687
Positive reviews
By focusing on trusted driver relationships and making the most of the platform, they’ve kept things lean.
“We are now four people working from home, pressing buttons, and our profit margins are much higher than they ever were,” says Mike Morton.
With the full TEG platform – the Exchange, Trustd and SmartPay – they’re prepared for whatever comes their way.
“There is no ceiling,” says Mike. “We can turn over £100,000, £1 million, £5 million – sat at home, pressing buttons, basically.”
Conclusion
For Direct Courier Solutions, the Exchange has been key to their success, says Mike.
“It’s a perfect business model. All we need to do is market ourselves – the Exchange handles the rest.”
We’ve only ever seen the Exchange as a benefit to Direct Courier Solutions. Without it, where would we be? And that says it all really.
Mike Morton, Founder, Direct Courier Solutions
