Learn how BHA Couriers grew beyond Bristol with Courier Exchange, building national reach through trusted drivers and strong supplier relationships.
Tristan Bacon — Published 7 July 2026
Based in Bristol, BHA Couriers has grown from a small courier startup into a business supporting customers and deliveries across the UK.
Fifteen years after starting the business, Brian and his team now use Courier Exchange to give their customers national coverage, subcontracting over 200 jobs a month on the platform.
That is what makes Brian’s story so relevant. He has not built BHA Couriers by relying on chance or chasing every load going. He has built it through direct customers, trusted supplier relationships and using Courier Exchange as a practical tool to take a Bristol-based business nationwide.
Get access to 15,000+ loads a day on Courier ExchangeBe your own boss. Set your own hours. Make your own money.
BHA Couriers began in 2011, when Brian and a friend decided to start a courier business together while Brian was still working at a private school.
“I’ll tell you what. You do all the driving. I’ll do all the paperwork.”
That was the starting point. But while the original setup worked, Brian quickly realised he wanted more from the business than a small local operation.
His business partner was happy to keep things simple. Brian wanted to build something broader, something that could grow.
Eventually, they went their separate ways. Brian kept the business going, later changing the name to BHA Couriers in 2018 when he went limited.
The business is now based in Bristol, but Brian’s focus has always extended well beyond one local area: build a professional courier company that can serve customers properly, operate nationally and create a reputation people can trust.
Before Courier Exchange became a core part of the business, Brian had used other platforms. But they felt cut-throat, inconsistent and lacked the confidence that comes from knowing who you are working with.
He could see the risk in that straight away.
On cheaper platforms, there was less visibility around drivers, fewer checks and less reassurance that the person taking the job was the right fit.
The feedback process of CX gives that quite good and clear, and then you can choose a pick and choose who you want to use rather than a guess and stab in the dark where some of the rivals do not fare as well as the CX system. Brian Arkless, Director, BHA Couriers
The feedback process of CX gives that quite good and clear, and then you can choose a pick and choose who you want to use rather than a guess and stab in the dark where some of the rivals do not fare as well as the CX system.
There were also problems with employed vans and drivers. Like many courier businesses, BHA found that relying too heavily on a fixed fleet could create just as many issues as it solved.
“I had a lot of problems with drivers saying, no, no, I’m not coming in today.”
That made it harder to stay flexible and deliver the service customers expected.
As Brian spoke to more people in the industry, one platform kept coming up: Courier Exchange.
At the time, he was already trying other options, but the feedback was consistent. If he wanted scale, volume and a stronger network, CX was where he needed to be.
So he made the switch.
“We’ve never looked back since.”
What convinced him was not just access to more work. It was the quality of the network, the ability to check feedback and compliance, and the chance to build working relationships with drivers he could come back to again and again.
Brian describes Courier Exchange as “a problem solver” because it gives him “the option with a national reach”.
That changed the way BHA Couriers operated. The Bristol courier company could expand its reach and support customers nationally, and fulfil jobs through a trusted network of couriers across the country.
BHA Couriers brings in work through its own direct customers, then uses Courier Exchange to help cover jobs across the UK when extra capacity is needed.
It works by combining a small in-house driver team with a wider network of trusted subcontractors found through CX.
That means Brian is not just taking work from the platform. He is also putting a significant amount of work back onto it.
“We’re bigger givers than we are takers.”
That setup gives BHA much more flexibility. Instead of overcommitting to a large employed fleet, Brian can use Courier Exchange to find trusted courier subcontractors, which enables him to support public sector contracts, government project work, furniture deliveries, specialist timber jobs, veterinary samples and other awkward freight that does not fit neatly into standard pallet or parcel networks.
Just as importantly, Brian uses the platform to build repeat supplier relationships.
“You did a job for me last week. You did a cracking job. Thank you very much. Would you like to do it again?”
That is how the network becomes more than just a list of names. It becomes an extension of the business.
For Brian, Trustd has been a genuine improvement.
“Trusted is good for me.”
That matters because compliance is not just a tick-box exercise for BHA Couriers. Brian is also using Trustd as part of his wider screening process while working towards additional accreditations.
He sees real value in knowing that drivers on the platform have already gone through checks, especially when the business needs to move quickly and still stay compliant.
As long as the members are Trustd on the CX, they will already be pre-checked for all those details. Brian Arkless, Director, BHA Couriers
As long as the members are Trustd on the CX, they will already be pre-checked for all those details.
That extra layer of visibility helps reduce risk and gives Brian more confidence when choosing who to work with.
Brian admits that SmartPay took some getting used to at first.
“SmartPay was a little bit of a thing to swallow, but now I think we’re over the hump. It works fine and it’s good.”
That kind of honesty matters. It shows the change was not frictionless from day one, but it also shows how that hesitation faded once the process became part of the routine.
Now, SmartPay simply supports the day-to-day running of the business in the background.
“It’s instantaneous.”
With the accounts side handled by his team, Brian only tends to hear about payments when something unusual needs attention. Most of the time, it just works.
One of the biggest outcomes from using Courier Exchange is the flexibility Brian has built into the business.
BHA Couriers has its business base in Bristol, supported by a remote team and a structure that gives Brian more time to focus on the bigger picture rather than getting dragged into every call and every invoice.
It then gives me the freedom to operate on a laptop on a mobile phone anywhere I want to in the world. Brian Arkless, Director, BHA Couriers
It then gives me the freedom to operate on a laptop on a mobile phone anywhere I want to in the world.
That flexibility did not come from cutting corners. It came from putting the right systems, people and platform in place.
Brian now has experienced support handling much of the phone traffic, an accountant managing the books, and part-time operational help covering day-to-day tasks. That has reduced his workload and given him more space to focus on where the business goes next.
“My total workload’s gone down immensely.”
The real impact of Courier Exchange on BHA Couriers is not just more jobs. It is more control.
The business has grown beyond the limits of its local area without needing to build its own physical presence across the country. From its Bristol base, BHA can support a broad customer base, move work nationally and keep service standards high.
That has also helped BHA stand out in the market. The business focuses on reliability, direct customer relationships and a clear standard of service.
“I’m a firm believer you’re only as good as your last job.”
That mindset has helped BHA keep customers, build trust and grow steadily over time.
If another courier business asked Brian whether Courier Exchange is worth joining, his answer would be straightforward.
“Yes, I would recommend the CX.”
But his recommendation comes with a practical reminder: the platform is a tool, not a business in a box.
It’s not an instant business… it’s a tool that gives you national reach. Brian Arkless, Director, BHA Couriers
It’s not an instant business… it’s a tool that gives you national reach.
That is exactly how Brian has used it. BHA Couriers may be based in Bristol, but the combination of direct customer relationships and the Courier Exchange network means the business is not limited by its postcode.
And for BHA Couriers, that approach has clearly paid off.
Be your own boss. Set your own hours. Make your own money.
