3 Types of Courier Services

Thousands of courier service vehicles crisscross the country, carrying parcels of various sizes and shapes to various destinations. Courier services are essential for businesses to move goods from one place to another.

This article delves into the world of courier services and all the aspects you need to know. Let's go.

How does courier work?

The company's main focus is that the package arrives safely or on time. However, many take care of it before the package reaches its destination. Although the main purpose is to deliver goods to specific people, courier services have their own ways of working at specific places and times.

The functioning of the courier company depends on the following factors:

• Service type
• Position
• Contract
• Package sensitivity

Couriers collect packages directly from stores or merchants and deliver them to customers. Depending on distribution and shipping costs, some companies may use multiple modes to process orders.

Most courier companies use large vehicles to move goods from one place to another, but they also use smaller vehicles such as bicycles and minivans to deliver goods within an area. Companies are now upgrading their services with GPS tracking systems.

The following items cannot be sent by courier.

• Currency
• Liquid and semi-liquid.
• Precious and semi-precious stones
• Radioactive material
• Weapons
• Stamp items
• Fresh food
• Empty share
• Check 
• Game machine
• Ivory
• Passport
• Dangerous Goods and other Dangerous items

How are couriers tracked?

Aside from these items, courier companies ship almost everything else under the sun. Nowadays, each package is assigned a unique tracking ID or number, allowing the sender and recipient to track the movement of the goods. 

Additionally, most couriers keep senders/receivers informed by proactively notifying the status of the goods via email, WhatsApp, or SMS. Tracking is a cumbersome process, but courier partners can go a step further and provide their customers with:

• Packet route
• Delivery status

Estimated time and date of delivery. Every package collected from our courier office goes through multiple steps to enable tracking.

Barcodes are an efficient way to track the status of packages and are the most reliable solution for preventing packages from being misplaced or lost in transit.

Barcode generation gives each package a unique ID number with all the necessary details. It is scanned 4 times. The first is before it is loaded onto the transport vehicle, the second is when it reaches its destination the third is when it is unloaded for shipping, and finally when it is delivered.

Once delivered, the tracking system will be updated with details such as delivery time and recipient name, and the status will change to delivery. 

The courier service sector offers different types of services, main three types of services are there such as:

Standard Service

This courier service is the most used and most affordable service for sending packages to any destination. Shipping services generally prioritize weight over package size.

Express service

Express delivery services, as the name suggests, are only intended for receiving packages within a designated area and delivering them on the same day.

Night service

Overnight courier services are a godsend for businesses that need to ship packages in an emergency, as they operate outside normal courier business hours.

Other types of courier services are as follows:

• On-demand service

This is a great service for medical emergencies and other types of emergencies that cannot be overlooked. On-demand or urgent delivery means that the customer's package is delivered to the recipient in the shortest possible time.

Freight

Freight Services offers two types of deliveries:

• Full Track (FTL)
• Less Load (LTL)

If you don't like the above options, the company can also ship the goods in a van. Freight services are ideal for business models that require the transportation of large quantities of goods or the handling of hazardous materials. 

Parcel service

Parcel services are very popular for three reasons:

They ship to local areas for same-day delivery.

Most deliveries are made during the day.

We ship large and small items, although there are exceptions for some items.

Same-day service

As the name suggests, a same day courier service specializes in same-day delivery and is popular with urgent customers. They're also best for perishable items such as cut flowers, fruit and veg, which all need to get to their destination as soon as possible. Courier services have evolved and now serve many businesses as a single point of contact between people.