Are you a student looking to move closer to Uni, in the term time?
Well, you have some options and the most popular seems to be hire a van, and do it yourself.
Alternatively you can hire a courier company, like Arrow Light Haulage to do it for you. A courier is usually paid on the distance moved and not the amount of stuff that needs moving. The have different insurance from a removal company, so it can be a cheaper option to use a courier for your light removal, than to use a removal company. Using a courier may not suit your circumstances, so it's best to check first and see what you get for your quote.
Arrow light Haulage are happy to collect at several destinations, so it may suit you to split the cost between two or three people, that way everyone saves money!
So, if you are looking to go back to halls of residence or rooms closer to Uni, have a look at the alternative student movers too. You may well pick up a bargain.
Got a bike to send by post? Bought one as a gift and now need to ship it to another destination in the UK? Bought one at Lakeside retail park or on Ebay? Read on, and we will help make your delivery, smoother and help ensure you item arrives in one piece.
If the bike is already assembled, remove pedals and handle bars. Wrap the paintwork with bubble wrap. Wrap the pedals and handle bars with bubble wrap and attach them with tape to the frame.
If you have a box to hand, great place the bike in the box and secure it, its ready for transportation.
If you don't have a box, then wrap in recycled brown paper, and tape securely with duct tape.
You can mark the paper with Fragile, so the parcel carriers are aware its fragile.
I recently conducted two pieces of market research independently of each other, about how people source their couriers. The idea being from the results, I would determine where to focus the advertising budget for the business this year.
The first piece I surveyed a cross section of the business community about how they sourced a courier. In the second piece I asked new customers how they found our services.
The results I think are quite interesting.
92% of people in the first survey said they would use the Yellow Pages to source a courier should they need one. They would ask around for recommendations second, after they had used the Yellow Pages.
In the second survey 75% of our customers found us through a search engine on the Internet. The rest came from a mixture of leaflets and recommendations. Not one mention of a telephone directory, on line or offline.
This confirms my belief that advertising should be a mix of mediums and not focus on just one specific area.
What was also interesting was the business community clearly stated they did not buy on price alone, every customer who used us in the second survey stated we had the best value for money service. The whole package that we offered was better than just getting a price, the care in delivery was exceptional.
Quoting one customer.... 'You delivered a glass display cabinet over 300 miles without breakages. Upon collection your driver dismantled it, wrapped it and then at my delivery address, carefully unwrapped it and re-assembled it. It looks perfect. No-one else would do the job as the cabinet was made of glass and not easily transportable without breakage. I really liked the way you worked on transporting the cabinet rather than telling me how hard, how difficult and it couldn't be done. I will definitely use you again. I don't know why more retailers don't use you, you certainly are a well kept secret.'
When you a Motorbike, Scooter or Quad bike online, delivery is one aspect that isn't often covered. A courier can help arrange safe collection and delivery if your online retailer doesnt provide this, or you have nabbed a bargain on ebay.
So, how to deliver a motorbike...
2 people are required to load a motorbike safely, but one person can unload it.
The same for a scooter or Vespa type vehicle, and a quadbike can take up to 4 people to lift it on, and 2 to unload it.
Firstly the bike is lifted on to our vehicle via a tail lift. The bike is moved so the front wheel faces the rear shutter of the van. Close the shutter (with yourself still inside), apply the front brake, push down hard on the suspension. Your assistant will will strap the bike to the floor hook, wrapping it around the handlebars and then securing it to the other floor hook, making sure its extremely tight.
Release the brake and with another strap, secure the passengers hand grip. This will stabilise the bike ready for transportation. It doesn’t need to be covered as its securely strapped.
To do it any other way risks damage to the indicators and the engine.
You will need a transit sized van or above.
If it seems to much hassle, give us a call, we happily transport Motorbikes, Quadbikes and Scooters throughout the country and to France or Spain.
The best thing to transport Jet Skies is the Jet Ski trailer. If you have just bought one and the shop are delivering, then your next investment should be a trailer.
If the your seller is unable to deliver, then a courier company can help deliver to you. We have delivered several of these, and every time I deliver one I think next year I will get one myself...
Again like the Rowing Boat, the Jet Ski fits nicely into the back of our tail lift luton, and depending on the models, two will fit nice and safely.
They need to be on a padded surface, and strapped carefully to prevent movement and damage. Care is always taken by us, especially when we deliver fibreglass items.
If you would like some advice on collecting and delivering Jet skies (or larger items of sporting goods) then please give us a call.
Looking to save money? Looking to outsource your transport to make great time and money savings?
Then look no further than your local Essex & Kent Courier company, Arrow Light Haulage.
Did you know the average delivery driver earns between 15-18k per year? Plus holidays and pensions, add in the cost of your van, whether you buy or lease, you are looking in the regions of another 5k a year when you add in servicing, insurances etc.
Do you really think you need all the drivers you have? As a company you can make significant savings but cutting back on your own transport and outsourcing the remainder.
Example, you have two delivery drivers that cost your company £40k a year. By having one and outsourcing the other you could save 7k by using Arrow Light Haulage to deliver on your behalf.
Find you are using a lot of agency staff?
Quite often its cheaper to use a courier as you don’t have to train the driver, induct them, or show them how to use your paperwork/trucks/equipment. An Agency driver can cost you as much as £220 (inc VAT) a day, then they don’t get as much done as a regular courier would.
Just because you have a vehicle sitting their doing nothing, it doesn’t mean you are saving money by getting in a temp.
If you are a business based in Essex, Kent, Herts or London who wants to make significant savings on their costs, then give us a call now on 07816 528421
Image via WikipediaJust in Time deliveries. While this type of service is the second costliest ( general aviation charters are the most expensive and it is rare for a company to require these services in the present economic climate).
Companies look at the cost of service to engage an "on-board" courier versus the "cost" the company will realise should the product not arrive by a specified time. Examples of this include an assembly line stopping, untimely court filing and attendance, lost sales from product or components, missing a delivery deadline, even organ transplants.
When you use 'Just in Time' services, you are paying a premium for this, and it's vital that your courier or delivery company can deliver to your deadline.
The most frequent users of this type of service are the medical and legal professions, and needless to say, we do provide services to these companies, in complete confidence.
So if you have a subpoena or non hazardous lab samples, give us a call on 07816 528421 to discuss your requirements.
Being so close to West Thurrock's industrial parks we often complete journeys that start in Essex and finish in Kent. We then source journeys to return to Essex, so we are environmentally friendlier. We absolutely try not to waste fuel and run empty, it's just not green.
To enable us to run at 85% loaded capacity we belong to several freight exchanges, as well as placing local adverts.
What can we collect and deliver? Anything (with in reason, and legal) that can fit into the van. Our vans have tail lifts, so it an item is awkward or bulky, we can fit it on.
As an Essex and Kent courier company, we are happy to collect items for our parcel delivery services - no account is needed!
Image via WikipediaWe often collect large items of furniture from the warehouses in Lakeside retail park, often beds. Because we are flexible on our delivery times, we can collect and then deliver when you are home from work.
So, back to delivering the bed.... Unless a bed is flatpacked and only a single or double, a two man team is required. There are many types of mattress, and the memory foam kind is popular but it needs to people to lift on, and lift off the vehicle as it's so heavy.
The beds we collect are often wrapped in plastic sheeting, which we are happy to recycle if you give it back to the driver.
As part of our premium services we can even install the bed for you, please order this service at the time of booking, it is very popular.
So, if you have bought a new bed or even a bed from Ebay, we can help deliver it for you when it's convenient, we can recycle the wrapping and we can fit it together if it comes flatpacked or needs installing.
Give me a call on 07816 528421 if you have any questions.
As a courier company, we deliver some unusual things but mostly we deliver in confidence.
What do we mean by that? We mean unless we get the customers permission to discuss what we have delivered for them, then we won't mention it. In the courier world there has been some discussion around a company that delivered an item to a celeb via the BBC.
Nice publicity? perhaps for the courier but what about you, the client? When we deliver your items, we don't think about whether or not this could make the news, we are concerned with getting the item to your customers as fast and safe as possible. We do not put our drivers in jeopardy by adverting high value and famous clients. That's just not cricket!
In the past we have delivered all sorts of things from a varying range of values whilst our clients can be reassured that unless they say so, we won't be telling anyone. Next time you book your parcel, courier or messenger services ask them about their confidentiality agreement.
There are two ways of moving your outbuilding, erected or dismantled. An erected building will be quicker and easier to move, but would need specialist transport. It would need to be moved on a flat-bedded vehicle with HIAB facility.
Apart from cost, you would need to take into consideration two other factors 1. Would the building survive by being lifted in one piece 2. Is your Shed, Gazebo or Summerhouse close enough for vehicle access?
If the answer is no, to either of the above then it’s not possible to transport your outbuilding in one piece. It needs to be dismantled.
When dismantling make sure you have at least one helper, make sure you have all the correct tools before you start. It’s also advisable to have a box or plastic bags to keep all your nuts and bolts etc safe in one place.
Under normal circumstances you would start with the roof and work your way down.
If you cannot do this, we can organise assistance as part of our premium services.
Once dismantled ensure all doors, widows and air vents are secured. A good courier company (like us ) will make sure all glass is covered to reduce the chances of breakage in transit. Remember glass isn’t covered by many insurers.
One last thing to consider, when booking your courier service make sure you have the measurements, and the dimensions of the largest parts.
To book the wrong size vehicle can cause all sorts of problems, too big and it’s going to be expensive and too small, well it’s not going to be delivered in one piece….
We are happy to advice and give you a no obligation quote call me on 07816 528421 or email me.
Press Release: Arrow Light Haulage Subject: Publications of three e-books to help freelance couriers, hauliers and the transport industry. Word count - 880
Credit Crunch - Learning lessons from history
In the last recession many families substituted the main income by becoming taxi drivers. Now the
world has moved on but the problem is the same.
With the increase in household bills, a rise in mortgages payments and the explosion in the price of
petrol, virtually every family is starting to feel the pain of the credit crunch. At the same time,
because most people are cutting back, many income streams, maybe even the job of the main
bread- winner, is becoming less secure.
It is no surprise then that many families are seeking new ways to balance the books. After a while
you realise you can only cut so much out of the budget, before you have to look for new ways to
increase the amount of money coming in.
Here is where the history lesson comes in - the taxi driver can become the courier in today’s
market of home delivery, Internet services and house moves. No “knowledge” is required as in
London black cabs, no HGV or PSV licence needed. How difficult can that be?
Kevin and Sarah Arrow have got together with Linda Mattacks to produce a series of three
E-Books for would be couriers. Book 1 tells you how to start up, book 2 shows you how to grow
your business and book 3 is all about you and your brand image.
Book 1 is written by Kevin Arrow and plots the course for anyone wanting a career in this fast
growing profession. Based on sound economics, life experiences and a practical 'know how' this
book is a “How to go about it” for any driver who wants to get in to the courier business.
He puts his experience on the line and lays it out for you. Since starting out working for a multi
national courier company in the mid 90s, and a life long fan of every thing green, he now owns and
runs Arrow Light Haulage, one the few green courier services in the country.
The first book in this series drives home best practice, acceptable behaviour, and time saving tools
to make you; your van and that all-important parcel arrive at your destination in one piece. It
includes everything you ever wanted to know about obscure time saving and fuel efficiencies; the
best sat navigation for the job. It tells you how to work with your client, the best web sit es to get
freelance work and even how to set up your business, what is required to open a business bank
account and how the family can support you whilst you are on the road.
Based in Essex, Arrow does everything a courier company should do. It uses green fuel, the drivers
are encouraged to keep to the speed limits to save fuel, and the clients are enticed with
carbon-offset proposals.
So what does book 2 do then? Whether we have been in business for generations or are first
starting out, we all have one thing in common.
It doesn’t matter what you sell or how you make your money, this problem is as old as the oldest
profession in the world. We need more customers.
Book 2 tells you how to quickly establish yourself and grow your business. You could provide one of
the best courier services in the country but that doesn’t help if it’s a well-kept secret. And you’re
unlikely to have, or want to spend, a lot of money promoting your business when it’s just starting out.
As in book 1, the Arrows have enlisted people who run their own business practicing what they
preach and Linda Mattacks of CoZo is no exception. Linda runs a company that specialises in
helping owners of small businesses to develop their own skills to do just that:
With over 25 years’ experience in sales training, market research and direct marketing, Linda has
produced a “How to win, keep and grow customers” E-book that’s equally of use to courier start
ups, young companies and established firms alike. It explains how you can not only survive but also
thrive in a tough market – without overtly selling.
Book 2 shows you how to get yourself and your company known for all the right reasons to the right
people - those who could become your customers and those who could introduce customers to you.
And keep your customers once they ‘come on board’.
When you finally close books 1 and 2 and read through the notes you made, you realise that unlike
most self help books, there is important information on every page including how to avoid known
hazards and take advantage of profitable opportunities.
Forget the rude, aggressive “man in the rusty white van” that stamps all over the road. With these
two books you’re moving into a completely different league.
And the best bit – Like any trilogy you have to wait for book three, which is all about you and how to
live your business. It’s about personal brand image.
In summary Book 1 is about starting a courier business. Book 2 is shows you how to grow your
business and Book 3 is all about you.
These books are not books of dreams. They have been written from the experiences of LUCK –
Labouring Under Correct Knowledge.
Credits Kevin and Sarah Arrow – Arrowlighthaulage.co.uk. 01375 643 897 Linda Mattacks – Sellingforbusiness.co.uk 020 7209 1284 David Edwards – Bigriverlife.com
Doll's houses can be great collectors items and the right ones can have a very high value.
Depending on how well they are made depends on whether they will travel well in the post.
Some are made of ply wood which can be very flexible, so careful packing is needed to prevent splits and breakages in the wood. If the item can be flat packed, then do so for transporting. Then wrap the sides individually in bubble wrap, this is so they don't scrape against each other in transit.
If the item cannot be flatpacked, then you need to look at packaging it in a large enough box to protect it, but not so large it takes you over the volumetric weight that it's safe for one person to carry!
Wrap the interior and furniture items separately where possible.
Antique Doll's Houses cannot be flat packed and would need very secure packing indeed to get it to arrive in one piece. Again in this instance I would recommend a dedicated courier van to complete the delivery.
The item can be protected with soft felt blankets and strapped securely to prevent damage in transit.
If you have a Doll's has that you are selling on Ebay or through a specialist auction, consider your transportation methods carefully.
You are most welcome to call or email on 07816 528421 and we can advise you how to pack, safely and securely.
Image via WikipediaBut at Arrow Light Haulage, we love it.
Ugly freight (sometimes called non-compatible) means your freight is not suitable to be delivered in a standard pallet or parcel network.
It could be because it’s too late, too awkward, too bulky, too precious, too urgent, too fragile, or even two man. ;-) .
It could might some assembly or installation on delivery. We are happy to do that.
As our customer you may like us to break a pallet for you, and re-wrap into smaller individual consignments then dispatch through our parcel network (we have had 100% success rate this year). We are happy to do that for our customers.
You may like us to store it and then deliver it at a later date. You've guessed it, we are happy to do that too.
If it’s a problem for pallet networks and other couriers, it’s no hassle for us.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and your ugly freight is beautiful to us.
Arrow Light Haulage is a professional Ashford, Tonbridge & Sevenoaks courier and delivery company. We collect and deliver time critical goods and deliver them anywhere in the UK. We are part the UKs biggest transport network, so even though we are based close to West Thurrock, Essex we have the resources to collect from anywhere within 60 minutes or 30 minutes (premium service).
Our drivers are polite and well trained, they know your reputation is in their hands. We do the job right the first time, so the need for re-deliveries at your expense comes with using a cowboy not a professional courier. You get what you pay for, next time you get a cheap quote for a courier you need to ask why its so cheap...do they pay their drivers at the least minimum wage? Are they insured? Do they have the correct equipment to complete your delivery? Are their drivers helpful, clean and polite? Quite often you won't find out until something has gone wrong and then its too late.
" I thought I would go cheaper after all it was only delivering clothes to a deadline, how hard could that be? I went with another courier and in a month I was billed £30,000 in fines from missed deadlines and port fines. I learned my lesson, professional couriers make the difference and are worth every penny and are not that much more expensive..." Paul - Lightning Despatch
"It got there on time with ArrowLight Haulage, for the first time in months we don't have customers complaining about late deliveries or spillages and our equipment is still in perfect condition" Brenda, LCS
We also collect and deliver for private customers. Items such as rare guitars bought from Ebay, the new owner didn't want to entrust it to a parcel company, he didn't want to take the chance it would be broken in the warehouse or in-transit.
We have even offered the government the use of our services, they certainly wouldn't lose valuable data when they used our services. :-)
Our parcel and delivery services for packages up to 15kgs is just £9.99 plus Vat for our customers, thats 5kg more than Interlink or DHL give you! There is no fuel surcharge to take you by surprise, no over weight or late collection fines, our prices are static.
Parcel deliveries collected in Essex, Kent or East London can be delivered throughout the UK, certain parts of Scotland are exempted but can be covered by our Express Delivery Services.
If its just Essex to Essex, we can do your parcels overnight for £7.99 plus Vat up to 15kgs, again more than the other local parcel companies offer. Again no Fuel surcharges, no hidden extras, just one flat rate.
We are part the UKs biggest transport network, so even though we are based in Stanford Le Hope, Essex we have the resources to collect from anywhere within 60 minutes or 30 minutes (premium service). Our drivers are polite and well trained, they know your reputation is in their hands. We do the job right the first time, so the need for re-deliveries at your expense comes with using a cowboy not a professional courier. You get what you pay for, next time you get a cheap quote for a courier you need to ask why its so cheap... do they pay their drivers at the least minimum wage? Are they insured? Do they have the correct equipment to complete your delivery? Are their drivers helpful, clean and polite?
Quite often you won't find out until something has gone wrong and then its too late.
" I thought I would go cheaper after all it was only delivering clothes to a deadline, how hard could that be? I went with another courier and in a month I was billed £30,000 in fines from missed deadlines and port fines. I learned my lesson, professional couriers make the difference and are worth every penny and are not that much more expensive..." Paul - Lightning Despatch
"It got there on time with ArrowLight Haulage, for the first time in months we don't have customers complaining about late deliveries or spillages and our equipment is still in perfect condition" Brenda, LCS
We also collect and deliver for ebay sellers and customers too. Items such as rare guitars bought from Ebay, the new owner didn't want to entrust it to a parcel company, he didn't want to take the chance it would be broken in the warehouse or in-transit.
We have even offered the government the use of our services, they certainly wouldn't lose valuable data when they used our services. :-)
Our parcel and delivery services for packages up to 15kgs is just £9.99 plus Vat for our customers, thats 5kg more than Interlink or DHL give you! There is no fuel surcharge to take you by surprise, no over weight or late collection fines, our prices are static.
Parcel deliveries collected in Essex, Kent or East London can be delivered throughout the UK, certain parts of Scotland are exempted but can be covered by our Express Delivery Services.
If its just Essex to Essex, we can do your parcels overnight for £7.99 plus Vat up to 15kgs, again more than the other local parcel companies offer. Again no Fuel surcharges, no hidden extras, just one flat rate.
Brakes are your enemy. When you step on them, you have spent gas to go nowhere. Think ahead to limit the amount of brakes that you need to use. Trust me, it becomes a habit very quickly and you no longer have to think.
Coast to red lights. Why use gas when you are going to have to stop?
Coast down hills. I see a lot of people gunning it just to have to brake when they reach person in front of them.
Coast to green lights far ahead of you. If it has been green for a LONG time, you might not make that light by the time you get there. That will force you to brake (see #1).
Don’t tailgate… …In fact do the opposite. Leave plenty of room between you and the person behind you. If the person needs to slow down a little, you can coast to catch up a little instead of using your breaks.
Take three rights instead of a left.UPS drivers do this in metro areas like NYC and found that they save fuel that would have been spent idling. Only look to do this at those really difficult left turns.
The House of Commons Transport Committee is to look at road taxes and charges. It has several questions it wants answered, including what taxes and charges are paid to the government by road users, how much cash do they raise and how does this compare with national and local government spending on roads? The committee also wants to know the effect of on individuals, businesses and the economy. It also wants to know about other ways of charging for road use; e.g. truck tolls and if foreign vehicles should pay to use UK roads. If you have any points you’d like to make, get writing and tell them by Monday 29 September 2008.
More from Laura Kibby on +44(0)2 072 190 718 or kibbyl@parliament.uk
Can anyone think of any reason why foreign trucks should be exempt from our future road charges and tolls?
Image by finishing-school via FlickrIf it was just about jumping in a van and driving from 'a' to 'b' anyone could do it, but the sad fact is, it's not that easy. Do you need a courier? Here are 10 reasons why we think you do, so if you have parcels and packages that need delivering give us a call on 0844 884 3331 or 07816 528421 and we will help you choose the right service for your delivery.
1. Dedicated Driver and Vehicle - Rapid response collection of 30 minutes and direct delivery to destination -or part loads if you need to save money and it's not so urgent.
2. Safety - Your goods are looked after and not placed with lots of other items - Risk of damage greatly reduced, there are certainly no footprints on anything we deliver! Fragile is no problem for us.
3. Time critical - When it can't wait until tomorrow, because your client needs it now
4. Valuable up to 25k in one consignment (Items that cannot be transported via Royal Mail due to their Value)
5. Professional - our courier is an extension of YOUR company, peace of mind that your hard earned reputation is still intact.
6. No Resources , You don't have the vehicle or staff to carry out the delivery
7. 24/7 Service We work no matter what time you need us
8. Helpful Staff - Our team can assist you throughout the whole process
9. Free Account Facilities - We offer free accounts to companies - Subject to acceptance
10. Cost Effective - We can greatly reduce your transport costs, call us to find out how.
Call Kevin on 07816 528421 or 0844 884 3331 (local rate)
The Essex & Kent based courier and parcel delivery services. We have been successfully trading since 2002 :-). About us, well we love films, enjoy reading books and going to the cinema. We are passionate about our work and Kevin is part time Eco-Warrior (he is a full time courier ;-)) Sarah is a working mum, and they enjoy working together.
Welcome to the West Thurrock and Dartford courier blog
Call us for a no obligation quote on 0844 884 3331 and speak to Kevin directly. Browse our wrapping, packing and strapping tips and feel free to leave a comment - your feedback is welcome.
Turn choices into direction
-
Is the way you live your life a bit too 'random' ?
We all live such busy lives - and make choices about all sorts of things
every day - but are the choices...
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) will make sure all glass is covered to reduce the chances of breakage in transit. Remember glass isn’t covered by many insurers.
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