FAQs

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.  

This will be specified on the load requirements when posted. This information can, however, be discussed with the load poster directly when negotiating your booking rate. 

Payment terms are clearly shown on member’s posted load and you can see it before quoting. On average, 90% of our members pay 30 days from invoice/end of the month and 5% pay as soon as 7, 14 and 21 days from invoice/end of the month.  

 You can make use of our feedback system to find companies who are rated highly for paying early or on time according to their payment terms. You can view any member’s payment rating before working with them.  

We have a network of over 7,000 vetted logistics companies who post thousands of loads daily to the Exchange. While most of these loads are ad-hoc/one-off, long-term relationships are often formed off the back of these loads. Contracts for regular/recurring loads do exist on the Exchange, but they aren’t as common as one-off posted loads.  

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’re also partnered with Business Choice Direct (BCD), giving our members competitive rates on all courier-related insurance. Give them a call today and don’t forget to mention the Exchange so you can get the best rates: https://courierexchange.co.uk/bcd

Membership duration is a minimum of 12 months. Payment for membership is taken in advance in addition to an accreditation fee which helps you get up and running compliantly on the platform.

Starting at £99.99 for an owner-driver plan, we have several others featuring tools and solutions tailored to your business goals: https://courierexchange.co.uk/couriers-pricing/ 

Alternatively, you can give us a call today and we’ll help you choose the right plan: 0208 993 7100

Unfortunately, we don’t accept cars on the Exchange. The companies on our system prefer vehicles not to have any windows where the goods are on display. A van is more professional and better suited to running a courier business.    

It all depends on what you feel comfortable driving. Being the biggest freight exchange in the UK, you’re lucky because you have thousands of load opportunities for smaller vans up to Luton vans.  

Keep in mind that larger vans mean higher operating costs, but you are not restricted to smaller loads, so your profit opportunities are wider.

For insurance, you must have:  

• Hire and Reward Insurance for the transportation of other people’s goods (specific to light haulage or courier use); 
• If you already have business insurance, it must state that your business is either courier or haulage; 
• Goods in Transit Insurance with a minimum cover of £5,000; 

• If you wish to expand your courier activities into Europe, you must have CMR insurance (Convention Relative au Contrat de Transport International de Marchandises par la Route).  
• If you offer specialised services, you will need ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution), FORS (Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme) and Waste Transportation Insurance, among others.  

In addition to having the correct insurances, you also need: 

• 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  

If you need insurance, give them a call on (number) and mention us to get the best rates and tailored insurance for your business type. Courier Exchange has partnered with Business Choice Direct (BCD) to provide our members with the best rates for courier and haulage insurance: https://courierexchange.co.uk/business-choice-direct 

This all depends on your van specifications, location and availability.  

Our platform comes with an extensive directory for relationship-building opportunities. By advertising your live availability to our Exchange, you are opening yourself up to loads posted by 7,000 other members. By using the Journey solution on the platform or mobile app (Future and Return Journeys), you can tell our system where you’re going so we can match you to suitable loads on your way back.  

You set or negotiate your rates directly with the load-poster. We can provide you with an average price per mile guide based on your van specifications, but the rest is decided by you.  

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 visiting their rating when deciding to work with them.  

We cannot guarantee a precise standard of performance on the Exchange. It is solely our members’ responsibility to operate professionally. If a member has received a particularly poor rating they don’t agree with, they have the option to dispute it by raising a complaint. At this point, our complaints team investigates the matter on behalf of the member who raised the complaint. Once an agreement is reached, they will be informed of the outcome by our team.  

In the most severe cases, we have the authority to suspend or revoke a member’s account until the matter is resolved between both parties.  

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 is the UK’s leading freight exchange platform for same-day courier and express delivery. With 7,500+ trusted logistics companies in our network, it’s the perfect place to find thousands of daily load opportunities, build lasting business relationships and reach profit goals with our digital tools and solutions. 

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. 

• 1 x valid Driving License 
• 2 x proof of address dated within the last 2 months 
• If you have your own private limited company (Ltd), to be registered on Companies House 
• Your own van with insurance (Hire and Reward insurance and Goods in Transit insurance)

There are two types of traders operating on the Exchange:

1. Load posters
   Load posters are members looking for carriers to move their freight. Once a suitable carrier is chosen and a rate established for the load, the poster will accept the quote and allocate/sell the load to the carrier.
   
   
2. Carriers
   Carriers quote on loads according to their vehicle specifications, location and availability. 

Membership duration is a minimum of 6 -12 months. Payment for your chosen plan is subject to an accreditation fee, both of which need to be paid upfront. 

Starting with £56.95 for a Starter plan, we have several others featuring tools and solutions tailored to your business goals. Give us a call today and we’ll help you choose the right plan. 0208 896 6728 

Aside from an accreditation fee of £169, there are no additional costs. We don’t take any commission or brokerage fees on the profit you make using our Exchange. Power to you!  

You can cancel a booking if you need to, but should you cancel after the load poster has already accepted your quote and allocated the load to you, you will be liable for a cancellation fee. This cancellation fee is between you and the other member – we don’t get involved. Always check the member’s payment terms and conditions as well as cancellation policies before accepting a booking. 

The load poster will pay you once: 

1. You’ve successfully delivered the load; 

1. You’ve captured the load recipient’s E–signature and checked with the load poster on how they prefer to receive PODs (either as a hard copy or digitally through our driver app); 

1. You’ve submitted your invoice and POD to the load poster according to their instructions. (Some may ask you to post a hard copy of each to their chosen address before they can pay you.) 

The load poster will have payment terms (30 or 45 days from invoice/end of the month), so pay attention to this before accepting the booking as this is when you can expect payment.  

The Exchange platform can be accessed using your desktop PC’s web browser or your mobile phone’s web browser. All you need to log in is your username and password.  

The system is cloud-based, making it extremely convenient for the busy fleet manager or owner driver out on the road. Only once you’ve completed your online training and supplied us with the necessary documentation, will we be able to give you access to the platform.  

The great thing about our smart load-matching system is that you don’t have to worry about looking for carriers. They’ll find you. If a load posted to our Exchange matches the specifications of a carrier’s vehicle size, location and their availability, the carrier will receive this real-time load alert and be able to quote on it. From there you can either accept the quote or negotiate by phone call, email or using our built-in freight messenger. 

The load alerts you receive as a carrier will all depend on your van’s location and availability. You can use your Driver app to quote on loads that suit you. The parameters in which you receive load opportunities all depends on how you’ve set up your notification preferences. If you’re looking for a load on your way back, so you don’t return empty, you can also arrange this by using the ‘Journeys’ feature on the app. 

Quoting for loads is easy using our desktop platform or app. If the load poster accepts electronic quotes, you should see a green button on the load card that says, “Quote Now”. Other members prefer receiving quotes via email or phone call, so read the load instructions carefully. Most of the time, quotes are accepted electronically using the “Quote Now” button.   

You must receive confirmation that your quote is accepted, and you’ve secured the load before attending any collection point.  

For more information, visit the Help Centre: https://info.transportexchangegroup.com/help-centre/how-do-i-quote-for-a-load

To make the most of the opportunities available on Courier Exchange, we recommend that you keep your GPS tracking on for your app so you can receive alerts throughout the day. As most of your time is spent on the road, using the mobile app to search and quote for loads is the best way to keep a steady supply of work. When you’re done for the day and going home, you can turn off your tracking and update your status availability to “I’m unavailable”. When you’re ready to start quoting on loads again, update your status and ensure that your GPS tracking is on to receive load alerts. 

Courier Exchange is committed to protecting sensitive data and personally identifiable information it holds about its members. All our data on members is protected by our Privacy Policy (https://help.transportexchangegroup.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360018439019-Privacy-Policy) and 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 is a secure network. Your contact details are only visible to other members of the Exchange. The other members operating on the Exchange can see your van insurances like goods in transit and public liability as well as your up-to-date licenses.