Categories: Tips & Advice

Haulage and Courier Companies: Learn the Major Differences

For a long time, the transport industry has been an integral part of the economy because of the need for effective delivery of goods and parcels from one point to another.

Majorly, two options come to mind in regards to the delivery of goods. You can work with either haulage or courier companies to make sure that your goods are delivered effectively and safely at your preferred destination point.

Fundamentally, you will choose either of the two depending on the type of goods you want to deliver and where you want them delivered. There are differences between haulage companies and courier companies, as explained below.

Characteristics of Courier Companies

Courier companies provide parcel delivery services to individuals and businesses countrywide, with some having a worldwide operation. In other words, courier companies are not limited to where they can deliver parcels.

They can do nationwide deliveries as well as worldwide deliveries, depending on their business capacity to do so. The companies that deliver parcels to different places do multi-drop deliveries.

For example, a company such as Parcelforce delivers goods to individuals and businesses in the UK and across the world.

Another significant characteristic of courier companies is that they transport small packages like parcels and letters. Generally, a courier service involves the transportation of a relatively small shipment. For example, if you live in London and you want your parcel for less than 150 pounds delivered to you, you will need to use a courier company for the delivery.

Moreover, courier companies don’t necessarily get into contracts, though they may be contracted by particular businesses to deliver parcels for them within a specified period of time. In most cases, they advertise through different channels and get customers for delivering one-off parcels.

This means that individuals and businesses can contact a courier company any day, at any time to have their parcels delivered. It’s also worth noting that courier companies are not always aware of the content of the parcels they are delivering, as long as they transport to the location specified by the customer.

Of great importance still, it’s notable to point out that a courier company provides both next and same-day deliveries depending on the details of the order. This shows that a recipient can receive a delivery within a short time.

Again, a customer can track the package’s journey, thus having the much-needed peace of mind as one waits for the delivery.

Characteristics of Haulage Companies

Haulage companies, unlike courier companies, transport larger and heavier items, thus making them heavy transport service providers. For businesses that majorly deal with heavy hand transport, it is convenient for them to use haulage companies to deliver their goods. For example, if you are transporting a large container, you can only use a haulage company for effective and safe delivery. In the same vein, a general haulage transport may include the transport of light goods, but this refers to the delivery of a large number of items to a single destination rather than delivering a number of goods to various destinations. Under normal circumstances, in this type of goods transportation, there are no multiple stops like it is in courier deliveries. Hauliers make few stops, if any because they only have one destination. Since the package is meant for only one delivery point, a haulier doesn’t have to make multiple drops along the way. Also, unlike in courier deliveries, it can take days to deliver the items on transit.

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Another fundamental characteristic of haulage companies is that they often work with contracts. This is based on the need for individual companies to send large deliveries regularly. For instance, if you have a company in the UK, and you regularly send large shipments to France, you enter into a contract with a haulage company to be delivering the items for you. Therefore, it is because of the regular heavy items transport that haulage companies enter into contracts with different companies.

Summary

Haulage and courier companies are essential in today’s day and age when the need for delivery of items is increasing rapidly.

Individuals and businesses can make use of these transport services to have their shipments delivered to their destinations. While courier companies serve both individuals and businesses, haulage companies mostly work with businesses that transport heavy items on a regular basis.

In essence, courier companies can greatly benefit from online shoppers, while haulage companies can do business with large companies that deal with heavy transport deliveries. Having known the differences between the two transport services, you can now make a choice on which one to use, depending on the goods on transit and where you want them delivered to.