FAQs

A ‘load’ refers to goods a shipping company would like you to deliver. 

A ‘load poster’ is anyone who advertises (‘posts’) loads on The Exchange. 

It’s for self-employed couriers, those about to become self-employed couriers, large courier companies and shipping companies.  

When you join, you get to see the advertised ‘loads’ in your area. You can then contact load posters and offer to deliver their loads, for a fee. 

Couriers can log in to our mobile app and see nearby ‘loads’ that shipping companies (‘load posters’) need delivering. You can then quote a fee for delivery. 

That means you can find loads to deliver in your area. And you can find backloads when you get there, so you can even make money when driving home. 

Definitely! To give you peace of mind, our onboarding team help make sure you make your money back.  

Our business only works when you succeed. That’s what makes joining a safe bet. 

No. The Exchange is a marketplace. Couriers can use it to find work, and shipping companies use it to find couriers. 

The figure hovers around 13,000 each day (excluding duplicates). That makes The Exchange the UK’s biggest courier marketplace by quite a distance.  

To see the live loads in your area, register your interest now. 

Shipping companies (‘load posters’) pay you for delivering their ‘loads’. The Courier Exchange doesn’t pay you; it’s simply a tool you can use to make your own money. 

No. On The Exchange, the price you set is the price you get. We never take a cut of your fees. 

Our onboarding team give you all the details once you join. They make sure the money you make exceeds your joining fee. We call it The Exchange Promise. 

This varies. Register your interest and one of our team will show you how many loads there are available in your area – live. 

The Courier Exchange is a courier marketplace. It’s the UK’s biggest courier marketplace, in fact.  

On The Exchange, shipping companies advertise ‘loads’ they need couriers to deliver. Couriers then propose terms and prices for delivering the loads. When shippers accept, everyone wins. 

We recommend that the van be no older than 5 years, however, we have no van age restriction when it comes to joining the Exchange. If the van is in good working order, looks presentable and has the required insurances, there won’t be any issues. The colour of the van doesn’t matter either. 

Please remember, the condition of your vehicle is often one of the first things a customer sees, so having a clean and well-maintained vehicle will likely lead to repeat bookings. Reliability is essential if you want to make sure you provide the best service.  

Load posters specify this when posting loads. If you’d prefer not to load and unload your van yourself, you don’t have to!

Each load posted specifies payment terms. That might be 14 days after you’ve invoiced. 30 days after you’ve invoiced. Or 30 days after the end of the month – which is normal for businesses. 

Most Exchange loads are one-offs. But you’ll probably find you’ll work with the same load posters over and over again. After all, if a business needs you one day, the chances are they’ll need you the next.  

We’ve partnered Voce Van Hire, Empire Van Hire and Flex Drive Ilford to give our members the best rates on leasing vans.

http://www.vocevanhire.co.uk/  

https://www.empirevanhire.com/  

https://flex-drive.co.uk/ 

We have several plans available, and prices vary depending on what you need. Register your interest and our team will give you up-to-date prices. 

Unfortunately, you’ll need a van to join The Exchange – although you can lease one very quickly from our partners BCD. Register your interest and our team can give you more information.

‘Load posters’ – ie, shipping companies – have varying needs. You can have a small van. Or a big van. Luton vans are popular thanks to their capacity. Register your interest and our team will give you more details. 

If you don’t already have it, our team will help you get everything you need to join. You’ll need… 

• A van 
• A valid driving license  
• 2 proofs of address (dated within the last 2 months)  
• Hire and reward insurance (specific to light haulage or courier use) 
• Business insurance 
• Goods in transit insurance (with a minimum cover of £5,000) 
• If you wish to expand your courier activities into Europe, CMR cover 

Register your interest if you’d like our team to give you more details. 

The Courier Exchange is the UK’s biggest courier marketplace.  

Load posters regularly post more than 13,000 loads a day (excluding duplicates).

Posts typically sell within 4 minutes, and around 5,000 posted loads remain unsold every day.  

It’s a busy, busy place. 

We can tell you average fees per delivery in your area. Register and a member of our team will let you know. 

We don’t regulate or get involved in load prices. You decide your rates and negotiate them directly with the load-poster. If you don’t know what price to quote on a load, you can use our average price per mile guide: https://info.transportexchangegroup.com/help-centre/how-much-should-i-charge-per-mile 
 

The Exchange makes it easy to manage your account either using our desktop platform or Driver app. Within our desktop and Driver app, the Diary lets you review all your load history like bookings acquired/loads sold and the income generated. 

Before allocating a load to a subcontractor on the Exchange, you must agree on rates and payment terms with the other member. After they’ve completed the load and provided you with the necessary PODs and invoices, you will pay them just like you would any other member on the Exchange. 

You can generate electronic PODs (Proof of Deliveries) on our Driver app. With an e-signature feature included in the app, you can present PODs to your load-poster with zero fuss. Remember: having a POD is crucial to getting paid. Without one, there’s no actual proof that you’ve successfully completed the load. 

Before we grant someone access to our platform and Exchange community, we initiate a rigorous vetting process. By checking their insurance documents and licenses, we ensure that they’re fit to operate on the Exchange. We also require them to register their business on Companies House.  

Looking up a member’s reputation is easy. Everyone is left a “feedback rating” after they’ve completed a load or made a payment. You can get a good idea of the member’s level of professionalism by checking their feedback when deciding to work with them.  

Once you’ve joined the Exchange, all our members fall under the protection of our Rules, regulations and General Policies of the Exchange. To learn more, read our Rules, Regulations and General Policies of the Exchange: https://info.transportexchangegroup.com/help-centre/the-rules-regulations-and-general-policies-of-the-exchange 

Courier Exchange isn’t just a load board. Behind the technology is a large team with 20 years’ experience in market-leading freight tech. Our membership includes over 7,000 vetted logistics professionals across the UK, Ireland and Continental Europe. 

With easy TMS and Telematics integration, digital accounting tools, digital PODs and invoicing, real-time maps and a free mobile app, you’ll enjoy full control of your business with profitable opportunities. Members have access to account managers, onboarding, training academy, customer services and complaints teams – all teams working hard to help you grow your business on the Exchange. 

Whether you’re an owner driver, courier company or forwarder, you can choose to work nationally or internationally. Our network consists of over 7,000 members across the UK, Ireland and Continental Europe. You have the freedom to decide how far you’d like to travel when transporting loads. Whatever your preference, national or international, Courier Exchange can work for you. 

We’d love you to join our trading community.  

It’s as easy as, 

1. Registering your business on Companies House;  

2. Providing us with the following documents relevant to your business type (owner driver or courier company):   

• 1 x valid Driving License  
• 2 x proof of address dated within the last 2 months  
• Your private limited company (Ltd) registered on Companies House   

3. Completing our 30-minute online training. 

There are two types of traders operating on the Exchange:

1. Load posters
   Load posters are members looking for couriers to deliver their freight. Load posters post loads, receive quotes from couriers, and allocate loads to couriers.
   
   
2. Couriers
   Couriers move freight on behalf of load posters. Couriers quote for loads, win new business and deliver loads.