Courier Company Business Plan Template

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Free Business Plan Template

Courier Company Business Plan Template

Raise funding, plan your fleet, and build a route-level financial model that investors and lenders actually trust. Download our free courier company template or have Avvale's team write the whole plan.

$480B (£380B+) Global Market 2025

5–30% Net Margin Range

$33K–$85K (£22K–£68K) Typical Startup Cost

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The Funding Landscape for Courier Company Startups

Courier companies sit in a fundable sweet spot: the asset base (vehicles) provides collateral, the revenue is typically contract or repeat-customer in nature, and the market has a well-documented e-commerce tailwind. That combination is exactly what SBA lenders, Start Up Loan committees, and equipment-finance desks look for.

In the United States, the SBA approved 70,242 7(a) loans in Fiscal Year 2024, totalling $31.1 billion in guaranteed capital. The average loan was $443,097 for FY2024, ticking up to $477,571 in FY2025. Courier and local delivery businesses (NAICS 492110) qualify for 7(a) loans provided the business is for-profit, has fewer than 500 employees, and meets the SBA size standard for the transportation sector. As of June 2026, current 7(a) rates sit at 9–11.5% APR (variable, tied to Prime at 6.75%). The SBA doubled its cumulative 7(a) and 504 loan limit to $10 million in May 2026 — giving growth-stage operators more headroom for fleet expansion. (SBA.gov, May 2026)

In the UK, the Start Up Loans scheme (British Business Bank) offers up to £25,000 per director at 6% fixed interest with up to 5 years repayment — purpose-built for vehicle and working capital. Equipment finance from lenders such as Close Brothers, Aldermore, and Ultimate Finance lets you acquire a second or third van on a hire-purchase or lease agreement without depleting cash reserves. CBILS successor schemes and the Recovery Loan Scheme (now in its fourth iteration) continue to offer 80% government guarantee for growth financing above £25,000.

SBA 7(a) Avg. Loan FY2025

$477,571

Courier operators typically borrow $50K–$250K for fleet + working capital

UK Start Up Loans Rate

6% fixed

Up to £25,000 per director, up to 5yr repayment

SBA Loans Approved FY2024

70,242

$31.1B total guaranteed capital

SBA 7(a) Rate (Jun 2026)

9–11.5%

Variable APR; Prime + 2.25–4.75%

Investor Pitch Template — Courier Company

[Company Name] is a [city/region]-based courier company targeting [B2B segment — e.g. medical supply, e-commerce fulfilment, or same-day retail] clients who need [key differentiator — e.g. guaranteed 2-hour city-centre delivery / temperature-controlled pharmaceutical runs / dedicated route consistency]. We are raising [$X / £X] to fund [N] delivery vehicles and 90 days of operating capital, reaching breakeven at [month N] on a fleet of [N] vans. Our addressable market in [geography] is estimated at [$X / £X] annually, and our anchor contract with [named client or "a regional retailer under NDA"] provides [X%] of Year 1 revenue with zero customer-acquisition cost. Avvale's 5-year financial model confirms net margin of [X%] by Year 2 under conservative occupancy assumptions.

Courier Market Size & Growth in 2025

The global courier and delivery services market was valued at $479.87 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach $712 billion by 2032 at a 5.8% CAGR, according to The Business Research Company. Alternative estimates from Maximize Market Research place the 2025 figure closer to $508 billion growing at 8.5% annually — the variation reflects how different researchers define the boundary between courier, parcel, and freight logistics, but the directional consensus is the same: this is a large, structurally growing market with a durable e-commerce engine behind it.

The UK is one of the fastest-growing sub-markets globally. The UK courier, express, and parcel segment generated $29.7 billion (approximately £23.6 billion) in 2025 and is projected to grow at a 13.3% CAGR through 2033, per Grand View Research. That growth rate outpaces the global average significantly, reflecting ongoing e-commerce penetration and the shift from in-store retail to direct-to-consumer fulfilment.

Global Market (2025)

$479.87B

Growing at 5.8% CAGR to $712B by 2032

UK Market (2025)

$29.7B

13.3% CAGR forecast to 2033 — one of the fastest globally

US Share of N. America

82%

US dominates the North American courier market

UK Market Leader

~25%

Royal Mail market share; Evri ~14%; DPD ~12% (2024)

Who the Market Belongs To — and Where Independent Operators Win

At the national scale, the UK market is dominated by Royal Mail (approximately 25% market share), Evri (formerly Hermes, ~14%), DPD UK (~12%), and Amazon Logistics (~17%), with InPost/Yodel completing the top five after InPost acquired Yodel in April 2025 for approximately £106 million. In the US, the big three — FedEx, UPS, and Amazon Logistics — dominate national parcel volume, but the last-mile and B2B same-day segments remain fragmented.

Independent courier startups do not win by competing on volume with these carriers. They win on three things the nationals cannot easily replicate: speed of dispatch (a single dedicated run beats a national carrier's consolidated route), relationship (knowing the client's receiving staff, door codes, and special handling requirements), and niche specialisation (medical supplies, legal documents, high-value electronics). Those three factors command a price premium that brings net margins well above the 5–8% typical of sub-contract parcel work.

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Startup Costs & Capital Requirements

Launching a single-van courier operation costs roughly $33,000–$85,000 in the US or £22,000–£68,000 in the UK, depending on vehicle condition, geography, and whether you start as a sole-operator or immediately hire drivers. The ranges below are based on composite data from courier industry sources including SharpSheets.io and the Courier Exchange's 2026 startup guide.

Cost Breakdown

Delivery vehicle (used cargo van — Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, or equivalent): $10,000–$30,000 per vehicle (£8,000–£22,000). Refrigerated conversions add 30–50%.
Commercial auto insurance (per vehicle, annual): $1,500–$3,000 in the US; £1,200–£2,400 in the UK. Personal car insurance is voided for commercial use — this is non-negotiable from day one.
Goods-in-transit and public liability insurance: $500–$1,500 per year (£400–£900). Required by most B2B clients before they will sign a contract.
Business registration, permits and licences: $250–$2,000 in the US; £100–£800 in the UK. See Licensing section for full detail.
Route optimisation software (Routific, OnFleet, Spoke): $125–$600/month. Routific starts at $150/month for up to 1,000 orders; Spoke starts at $125/month for 1,000 stops.
Fuel card, GPS tracking hardware: $300–$1,200 upfront (£250–£950). Real-time tracking is expected by B2B clients and helps defend against insurance claims.
Marketing — website, Google Business Profile, local directory listings: $1,500–$5,000 (£1,200–£4,000). A Google Business Profile alone costs nothing and drives meaningful local discovery.
Working capital — first 60 days of driver wages, fuel, and overheads: $8,000–$25,000 (£6,000–£20,000). B2B clients typically pay on 30-day terms; consumer gig platforms pay weekly. Model the cash cycle before you launch.

Funding Routes

In the US, SBA 7(a) loans remain the primary route for courier startups — vehicles provide collateral and the SBA's 80–90% guarantee reduces lender risk significantly. Equipment finance (hire-purchase or operating lease) from lenders including National Funding, Balboa Capital, and Lendio lets you acquire additional vans without consuming your working capital line. Many operators combine a small SBA loan for working capital with equipment finance for the fleet.

In the UK, the British Business Bank Start Up Loans scheme (up to £25,000 at 6% fixed) is the most accessible first vehicle for sole operators. Close Brothers Asset Finance, Aldermore, and Ultimate Finance all run van hire-purchase products tailored to owner-drivers. For operators planning a fleet of 3+ vehicles from launch, the Recovery Loan Scheme (80% government guarantee) opens doors to £50,000+ term loans. Our bespoke business plan service includes SBA-compliant and lender-ready 5-year financial models covering all three scenarios.

Revenue Model & Per-Vehicle Economics

The number most courier business plans get wrong is the per-stop cost. Gross revenue per delivery is visible; cost per stop requires building a real driver-hours model against route density. A courier business that prices on gross revenue without stress-testing the cost per stop routinely adds vehicles before reaching profitability on the ones already running.

Typical delivery pricing by segment, based on data from BusinessDojo and BusinessPlanSuite:

Local same-day B2B delivery: $20–$50 per stop (£16–£40). Higher if the client requires timed delivery windows or same-day cut-offs. This segment produces the best margin per stop.
Overnight national parcel (own account): $50–$100 per shipment (£40–£80). Requires carrier partnerships or own linehaul — more capital-intensive to run independently.
Sub-contractor parcel routes (Amazon, FedEx Ground, DPD): £80–£150/day (UK) or $120–$220/day (US) depending on route density and stop count. After vehicle running costs, net take-home for a self-employed owner-driver is typically £40–£80/day.
B2B contract retainer (dedicated route, fixed weekly volume): $400–$2,500/month per client account (£350–£2,000). The anchor-account model: one medium-sized B2B client at 30+ daily stops produces more stable margin than three ad-hoc consumer routes at the same volume.

Worked Unit-Economics Example: 3-Van Direct-Contract Operation

A 3-van courier business in Birmingham, West Midlands (or comparable US city) averaging 28 deliveries per van per day at a blended rate of $32 per delivery on direct B2B contracts generates approximately:

Gross Annual Revenue

$806,400

3 vans × 28 stops × $32 × 300 working days

Driver Wages (35%)

$282,000

Including employer taxes and benefits

Vehicle Running Costs (20%)

$161,000

Fuel, maintenance, tyres, depreciation

Est. Net Profit

~$274,900

34% margin on direct-contract-only book

The same volume on a pure sub-contractor model (working under a national carrier's route) would produce a net margin of 6–10% after the carrier retains their share. The difference illustrates why moving from sub-contract work to direct client accounts as quickly as possible is the single most important strategic lever for a new courier business. Gross margins across courier operations typically range from 20–40%, with net margins landing at 4–12% in the sub-contract model and 18–30% in a mature direct-client book, per BusinessDojo (Oct 2025).

Small courier businesses reach profitability at roughly 800–1,500 deliveries per month per vehicle, depending on service type and route density. A single-van operator doing 30 stops per day across 25 days/month hits 750 deliveries — just below the threshold, which is why two-van starts (or one van plus a sub-contractor partner for overflow) tend to reach breakeven faster than single-van starts.

Three Courier Business Models Compared

There is no single "right" model for a courier startup. The correct choice depends on your capital, your local market, and how quickly you need to reach breakeven. The three most common models for independent operators are direct-contract B2B, sub-contractor parcel gig work, and niche specialist courier. Here is how they compare on the metrics that matter to lenders and investors:

Model	Startup Capital Needed	Typical Net Margin	Time to First Revenue	Revenue Predictability	Named UK Examples
Direct-Contract B2B	£22,000–£68,000 (1–3 vans)	18–30%	4–12 weeks (contract onboarding)	High — contracted volume, fixed weekly revenue	Most independent regional couriers; Absolutely Courier (London)
Sub-Contractor Gig Routes	£8,000–£20,000 (1 van)	5–10%	Days (register with DPD/Evri/Amazon)	Low — route allocation changes; no volume guarantee	DPD franchisee drivers; Evri self-employed couriers
Niche Specialist Courier	£30,000–£120,000 (specialised vehicle + compliance)	22–40%	8–20 weeks (regulatory approval + client audit)	Very high — often sole/preferred supplier agreements	CitySprint (medical/legal); Absolutely Couriers; Speedy Freight

Most successful independent couriers start on sub-contractor routes to generate cash flow immediately, then use that income to fund the client-development activity needed to win direct B2B accounts. By month 12–18, the target is to have at least 50% of revenue from direct contracts — that is the point where margin materially improves. A well-structured business plan should model both phases explicitly: the sub-contractor cashflow bridge and the direct-client ramp.

Licensing & Legal Requirements for Courier Companies

United States

General Business Licence (city or county): Required in most US jurisdictions. Cost typically $50–$400; processing time 1–4 weeks. File with your city or county clerk.
Employer Identification Number (EIN): Required if you hire employees or form an LLC. Free from the IRS; immediate online registration at IRS.gov.
FMCSA USDOT Number: Required for vehicles over 10,001 lbs GVWR operating in interstate commerce. Registration is free; annual Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) costs approximately $300.
Motor Carrier Operating Authority (MC Number): Required for for-hire interstate freight carriers. $300 application fee via FMCSA; issued within 20–25 business days. Most small local couriers do not need this if they stay intrastate.
Commercial Driver's License (CDL): Required only if the vehicle exceeds 26,000 lbs GVWR or carries hazardous materials. Standard courier vans (Transit, Sprinter) do not require a CDL. Cost $75–$250 depending on state; 4–12 weeks for testing and issue.
Commercial auto insurance ($1M CSL minimum for interstate carriers): $1,500–$3,000 per vehicle per year from specialist transporters' insurers. Personal auto policies do not cover commercial freight — operating without commercial cover voids all claims.

United Kingdom

DVSA Goods Vehicle Operator Licence (O-licence): Required only for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes GVW. The majority of courier vans (Transit, Sprinter, Vivaro) fall below this threshold and do not require an O-licence. For operators with heavier vehicles: application fee is £257; financial standing proof of £8,000 for the first vehicle (£4,450 each additional); processing time 7–9 weeks via the DVSA online portal.
Goods-in-Transit Insurance: Covers damage or loss of client goods in transit. Minimum cover typically £10,000 per consignment; most B2B clients require £25,000–£50,000. Annual cost £400–£1,800 depending on declared payload value.
Employer's Liability Insurance: Legally required if you hire any employees (including part-time drivers). Minimum cover £5M. Annual cost £500–£1,500 for a small fleet.
ICO Data Protection Registration: Required for any business processing customer data (names, addresses, route information). £40/year for Tier 1 organisations. Register at ico.org.uk — takes 10 minutes online.
ADR (Dangerous Goods by Road) Certificate: Required only if carrying hazardous cargo (flammable, corrosive, toxic). Course and exam: £300–£600; processing 2–4 weeks. Not required for standard parcels.

Canada & Australia

In Ontario and British Columbia, operators must register for a Commercial Vehicle Operator Registration (CVOR) for vehicles over 4,500 kg GVW. Goods and Services Tax/HST registration is required once annual revenue exceeds $30,000. In New South Wales and Victoria, heavy vehicles over 4.5 tonnes require registration under the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and a Mass Management Accreditation. Sub-25 kg parcel couriers are generally exempt. A National Police Check is required for drivers working with medical or government clients.

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Five Mistakes That Delay Courier Business Breakeven

These are the patterns Avvale sees most often in courier business plans that struggled to get funded or reach profitability within the modelled timeline. Each one is fixable — but catching them before you launch costs nothing; catching them after is expensive.

1. Adding vans before reaching delivery thresholds on existing ones

Profitability per vehicle sits at roughly 800–1,500 deliveries per month. Operators who scale the fleet before hitting that threshold on vehicles 1 and 2 typically extend breakeven by 6–9 months because fixed costs (insurance, finance payments, GPS subscriptions) compound faster than revenue.

2. Relying solely on sub-contractor parcel gig routes for Year 1

National carrier sub-contract routes (DPD, Evri, Amazon Logistics in the UK; FedEx Ground, UPS in the US) produce 5–10% net margin after all running costs. That is not enough to build equity or service a vehicle loan. The plan needs a parallel client-acquisition track from month 1 — even one direct B2B account materially changes the margin profile.

3. Using personal van insurance for commercial deliveries

A personal car or van insurance policy is voided the moment the vehicle carries goods for hire or reward. This is not a technical footnote — it means zero cover for vehicle damage, no liability protection for client goods, and personal exposure to third-party claims. Commercial courier insurance costs £1,200–£2,400/year per van in the UK and is unavoidable.

4. Manual route planning beyond 15 stops per driver

Operators who plan routes manually on Google Maps above 15–20 stops per driver typically waste 25–40 minutes of productive driver time per shift through suboptimal sequencing, per route-optimisation research cited by Routific. At a driver cost of £14/hour, that is £6–£9 of wasted labour per day per driver — roughly £1,500–£2,200 per year per van that route software ($125–$150/month) more than recovers.

5. No anchor account before scaling headcount

Hiring a second driver before securing a contract that justifies the headcount creates fixed payroll before the revenue arrives. One medium-sized B2B client with 30+ daily stops — a printer, a solicitor's chambers, a medical supply distributor — is worth more revenue certainty than three consumer-facing routes at the same theoretical volume. The business plan should identify the anchor account strategy explicitly.

Transport & Logistics — Client Composite

How a Former Dispatch Manager Raised £55,000 to Launch a 2-Van Courier Business in Birmingham

Priya came to Avvale with 11 years of warehouse operations experience managing last-mile dispatch for a national retailer — she understood route economics in detail but had never written a business plan or applied for a loan. Her target was a 2-van B2B courier operation in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, serving legal, medical, and creative-sector clients who needed same-day city-centre delivery with a named driver and proof-of-delivery photo.

Avvale built a 5-year financial model showing breakeven at month 9 on two vans, with expansion economics that justified adding one van per quarter from month 10 if client volume grew as modelled. The model used per-stop cost analysis rather than the blended-rate approach common in off-the-shelf templates — that granularity made the difference when the British Business Bank loan committee reviewed the application.

The plan secured a £25,000 British Business Bank Start Up Loan and a £30,000 equipment finance facility from Aldermore — enough to cover two used Vauxhall Vivaro vans, 12 months of insurance, Routific software, and 90 days of operating expenses. Priya signed her first anchor account (a Birmingham solicitors' firm with 35 daily document runs) three weeks before the vans arrived.

Composite based on real Avvale client outcomes. Name and identifying details changed for confidentiality.

Sample Courier Company Business Plan — Executive Summary Extract

Here is an extract from a courier company business plan written by Avvale's team, so you can see the depth, tone, and structure before you decide which option suits your stage:

Executive Summary — Extract

SwiftRoute Couriers Ltd — Birmingham, West Midlands

SwiftRoute Couriers Ltd will operate a B2B same-day courier service across Birmingham's city centre and inner ring road postcodes (B1–B9, B15–B17), targeting legal practices, healthcare providers, and creative agencies that require a named-driver, timed-delivery service with GPS-tracked proof of delivery.

The company will launch with two Vauxhall Vivaro L2 cargo vans in January 2027, targeting a fleet of five vans by Q4 2028. Year 1 revenue is projected at £218,400 (based on 24 stops per van per day at an average £18.50 per stop, 300 operating days, 85% utilisation). Direct driver costs (including employer NI, holiday pay, and pension contributions) represent 37% of revenue; vehicle running costs (fuel, servicing, insurance, GPS tracker) represent 21%. At 85% utilisation on two vans, the business reaches monthly breakeven at month 9 and generates a Year 1 EBITDA of £28,400.

Expansion to five vans in Year 2, funded by retained earnings and a Close Brothers hire-purchase facility, increases Year 2 revenue to £546,000 and EBITDA to £87,000 (16% margin). The founders are investing £15,000 of personal capital and have been offered a £25,000 British Business Bank Start Up Loan, subject to plan approval. The remaining £30,000 vehicle finance is to be arranged via hire-purchase on vehicle delivery...

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What the Courier Company Business Plan Template Covers

Every Avvale courier company business plan template includes these sections, pre-structured for the logistics and delivery sector:

Executive Summary — Your courier business at a glance: service area, fleet size, target clients, Year 1 revenue projection, and funding ask.
Company Overview — Legal structure (sole trader, Ltd, LLC), ownership, operating territory, and founding rationale.
Market Analysis — Local courier market sizing, e-commerce demand data, named competitor analysis (national carriers and local independents), and the gap your business fills.
Service Offering — Delivery service tiers (same-day, next-day, scheduled route, specialist cargo), pricing model, and SLA commitments.
Operations Plan — Fleet management, driver scheduling, route optimisation software selection, proof-of-delivery systems, and vehicle maintenance schedule.
Sales & Marketing Plan — B2B prospect targeting strategy, Google Business Profile optimisation, referral programme design, and the anchor-account acquisition playbook.
Management Team — Founder background, planned hires (dispatcher, driver manager), and advisory relationships.
Licensing & Compliance Checklist — Pre-populated with UK and US requirements; annotated for easy completion.

The Financial Forecast (included in our $300/£250 Research + Content and $1,000/£800 Bespoke packages) adds a 5-year Excel model with per-vehicle revenue build, income statement, cash flow, balance sheet, break-even analysis, and SBA or Start Up Loan-formatted assumptions. The model includes a fleet expansion module so lenders can see the growth economics without asking for a second document. See our related guides: free business plan templates, business plan writing service, and our market research package for transport and logistics businesses.

Recommended Technology Stack for Courier Startups

A courier company business plan should identify the software tools you will operate from day one — lenders increasingly ask about operational systems as a proxy for business readiness. Below are the tools most commonly used by independent operators at each stage:

Route optimisation — Routific: Best for fleets of 1–10 drivers on planned daily routes. From $150/month for up to 1,000 orders. Integrates with most courier TMS platforms and exports driver manifests to a mobile app.
Route optimisation — Spoke (formerly Circuit for Teams): From $125/month for 1,000 stops. Built specifically for last-mile courier operators; includes real-time customer ETAs and photo proof-of-delivery.
Dispatch and fleet management — OnFleet: Enterprise-grade dispatch with live driver tracking, automated customer SMS, and analytics dashboard. From $599/month. Suited to operations running 10+ vehicles or high-complexity routing windows.
Invoicing and accounting — QuickBooks or Xero: Both integrate with route software via Zapier. Xero is preferred by UK operators for VAT reporting; QuickBooks dominates among US courier businesses.
Customer communication — Intercom or a simple CRM: Even a £20/month HubSpot starter licence keeps client contacts, delivery preferences, and renewal dates in one place — important when one anchor account represents 30%+ of revenue.

If you are also researching adjacent business models, our delivery company business plan template covers the broader last-mile delivery sector, including e-commerce fulfilment and freight forwarding.

Muhammad Tayyab Shabbir

Founder & Lead Consultant, Avvale

Tayyab has over 7 years of startup consulting experience and has helped launch 300+ businesses across 30 countries. He co-authored a book that is taught at University College London, where he earned both his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Theoretical Physics. He personally reviews every bespoke business plan before delivery.

Courier Company Business Plan — Frequently Asked Questions

How profitable is a courier company?

Net profit margins for courier companies range from 5–15% on sub-contractor parcel routes to 18–30% on direct B2B contracts. A 3-van operation averaging 28 deliveries per van per day at a blended $32 per delivery can generate roughly $806,400 gross annually. Profitability thresholds sit at roughly 800–1,500 deliveries per month for a single-vehicle operation. Direct client contracts (rather than sub-contractor gig work under national carriers) consistently produce the better margins.

How much does it cost to start a courier business?

Typical startup costs for a single-van courier business run $33,000–$85,000 in the US or £22,000–£68,000 in the UK. The largest single outlay is usually the vehicle ($10,000–$30,000 used), followed by commercial auto insurance ($1,500–$3,000 per vehicle per year) and 60 days of working capital ($8,000–$25,000). Lean starts are possible from around $15,000–$20,000 if the founder drives and uses a personal vehicle initially, though dedicated commercial insurance is still required.

Do I need a licence to run a courier business in the UK?

For vans under 3.5 tonnes GVW (the vast majority of small courier operations), no DVSA Goods Vehicle Operator Licence is required. You do need to register as self-employed or incorporate, hold goods-in-transit insurance, public liability cover, and — if you employ drivers — employer's liability insurance. If you plan to carry hazardous goods (ADR), an additional certificate is required. For heavier vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, an O-licence is mandatory and requires proving financial standing of £8,000 for the first vehicle.

How do I get clients for a courier business?

The fastest route to a stable client base is winning one or two anchor B2B accounts — a local printer, florist, medical supply firm, or e-commerce merchant with a daily delivery requirement. Cold outreach to businesses with regular send volumes is more predictable than relying on consumer marketplaces. Many new couriers also start as sub-contractors for national carriers (Amazon Logistics, DPD, Evri in the UK; FedEx Ground, UPS in the US) for volume while building a direct-client book on the side. Google Business Profile and local SEO are high-ROI channels for capturing nearby search demand.

What vehicles do I need to start a courier company?

Most independent couriers start with a cargo van — the Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, and Vauxhall Vivaro (UK) or Ford Transit Connect and Ram ProMaster (US) are common choices. A used van in good mechanical condition typically runs £8,000–£22,000 (UK) or $10,000–$30,000 (US). Refrigerated vans command a 30–50% premium but open medical-supply and food-service B2B niches. For urban last-mile work, e-cargo bikes are increasingly viable for inner-city zones with access restrictions — at £3,000–£8,000 per bike they cost far less to run than a van.

Can I start a courier business from home?

Yes. Most single-owner courier businesses operate from home. You need a business address for registration (a virtual office works if you prefer not to list a home address), commercial vehicle insurance, and goods-in-transit cover. There is no requirement for a depot or warehouse at launch. As the fleet grows past 3–4 vehicles, a secure yard or small unit becomes worth the cost for vehicle security, maintenance scheduling, and driver handovers.

What software do courier companies use?

Route optimisation is the highest-ROI technology investment for most couriers. Routific (from $150/month for up to 1,000 orders) and Spoke — formerly Circuit for Teams — (from $125/month for 1,000 stops) are well-suited to small fleets of 1–10 drivers. OnFleet (from $599/month) is built for larger, more complex operations. All three offer live driver tracking, proof-of-delivery capture, and customer notification. For dispatch, invoicing, and customer management, many smaller operators use a combination of Shopify, WooCommerce, or a purpose-built courier TMS alongside their route planner.