Courier work

[Eagle Empire]

Anyone here ever tried or have wanted to try it?

 

[sirjames]

Did it for 8 years between 1995 and 2003. Best job in the world. Do it before you get too old and serious!

Dont ride a fixie if you want to actually make money and not just look the part....

 

[Eagle Empire]

Did it for 8 years between 1995 and 2003. Best job in the world. Do it before you get too old and serious!

Dont ride a fixie if you want to actually make money and not just look the part....

Are you aware of an arthouse film about bicycle couriers in Melbourne titled, "Under The Steel Wheels"?

 

[Eagle Empire]

sirjames - If you don't mind, I have some questions about work I'd like you to answer:

1. Were you cycling on a daily basis before commencing work as a courier?

2. How was your fitness before and after working as a courier?

3. How did you obtain an interest in working as a courier?

4. What bike/s did you use for work?

5. What is the furtherest destination you travelled to for a pick-up or delivery?

6. What road rules did you break to receive fines?

7. Did you write off any bikes during work? If yes - how?

8. What types of devices did you use for communication with the courier company?

9. Why did you quit the job?

 

[sirjames]

Are you aware of an arthouse film about bicycle couriers in Melbourne titled, "Under The Steel Wheels"?

Ha yes! i have it on VHS! Pulled it out of storage only last week. Need to get it put onto DVD...

 

[sirjames]

sirjames - If you don't mind, I have some questions about work I'd like you to answer:

1. Were you cycling on a daily basis before commencing work as a courier?

2. How was your fitness before and after working as a courier?

3. How did you obtain an interest in working as a courier?

4. What bike/s did you use for work?

5. What is the furtherest destination you travelled to for a pick-up or delivery?

6. What road rules did you break to receive fines?

7. Did you write off any bikes during work? If yes - how?

8. What types of devices did you use for communication with the courier company?

9. Why did you quit the job?

Are the questions because you want to do it or are you doing research into it etc? im happy to respond, just lets me know how to tailor the responses.

 

[Eagle Empire]

Ha yes! i have it on VHS! Pulled it out of storage only last week. Need to get it put onto DVD...

I obtained a copy on DVD some months ago and then got multiple copies made. If you'd like a copy, I'm happy to pass one onto you free of charge. Are you in it?

 

[Eagle Empire]

Are the questions because you want to do it or are you doing research into it etc? im happy to respond, just lets me know how to tailor the responses.

For research purposes. If truth be told, I've been doing it for the past 25 months. Given you did it for eight years, your responses could provide a good insight for readers.

 

[i_hate_scams]

what do you mean by too old? over 28?

 

[sirjames]

Ah maybe, i stopped when i was 29, just wasnt recovering very well, but then again i wasnt looking after myself either so yeah...i guess its a young blokes job in that there is no security, its dangerous and its tiring. I got sick of having no paid leave by 29.

 

[sirjames]

sirjames - If you don't mind, I have some questions about work I'd like you to answer:

1. Were you cycling on a daily basis before commencing work as a courier?
Yep riding to and from Uni and just around town.

2. How was your fitness before and after working as a courier?

I thought i was pretty fit before hand but not 10 hour a day bike fit. Couple of weeks though and you start getting on top of it. I race now and the fitness i had then didn't translate to race fitness, its just the ability to ride all day really.

3. How did you obtain an interest in working as a courier?

Travelled to Melbourne on holiday (I'm from Perth originally) and loved watching them in the city in 1994. Went home and got a job that summer!

4. What bike/s did you use for work?

Firstly a MTB then a stripped down road bike, a few different kinds, mainly steel or alloy frame, 9 speed, solid wheels, cheap/mid gruppo older model. Just stuff that lasted and was cheap to replace. A bloke on a fixie never outearned a bloke on a geared bike in Perth. Im not saying that never happens, but i dont see the point in restricting yourself to one gear.

5. What is the furtherest destination you travelled to for a pick-up or delivery?

Probably 10 or so K. If you know Perth, i've picked up from Curtin Uni, Kensington, Bayswater, Mt Hawthorn, Wembley, Shenton Park, Nedlands. 10k radius i guess.

6. What road rules did you break to receive fines?

All of them

7. Did you write off any bikes during work? If yes - how?

Snapped 11 frames. Fatigue or them just being sh.t i guess. Had 3 stolen.

8. What types of devices did you use for communication with the courier company?

Straight two way and pen and paper up until about 2001. Then pager and radio from then.

9. Why did you quit the job?

Few things. Started getting the fear. Felt tired. Had done a lot of study and felt i should use it before i was 30. Was getting a bit over it. Wouldn't go back to it even though its the best job i have ever done.

 

[Eagle Empire]

First of all, thanks for your responses, sirjames. I presumed you had worked in Melbourne. Although I've never worked in Perth, I too am originally from there and therefore familiar with the city.

1. Were you cycling on a daily basis before commencing work as a courier?
Yep riding to and from Uni and just around town.

As was I. I guess it's not terribly important but it sure helps (especially CBD experience if working in a big city).

2. How was your fitness before and after working as a courier?
I thought i was pretty fit before hand but not 10 hour a day bike fit. Couple of weeks though and you start getting on top of it. I race now and the fitness i had then didn't translate to race fitness, its just the ability to ride all day really.

Good point.

Before I started, I was fat. Now, I eat healthily and have since noticed a remarkable improvement.

3. How did you obtain an interest in working as a courier?
Travelled to Melbourne on holiday (I'm from Perth originally) and loved watching them in the city in 1994. Went home and got a job that summer!

Now that there are fewer couriers than in the 1990s, it is far more difficult to land a job. It took my a few months to get one. I obtained interest through a friend who was working at the time.

4. What bike/s did you use for work?
Firstly a MTB then a stripped down road bike, a few different kinds, mainly steel or alloy frame, 9 speed, solid wheels, cheap/mid gruppo older model. Just stuff that lasted and was cheap to replace. A bloke on a fixie never outearned a bloke on a geared bike in Perth. Im not saying that never happens, but i dont see the point in restricting yourself to one gear.

I can see why a courier in Perth would not want to ride a bicycle with a single chain drive. In Melbourne, you have to consider the mainly flat topography and also weather. Fixed or free, riding single when working as a courier in Melbourne makes a lot of sense.

I started with a MTB hybrid bike. Six months in, I changed to a single-speed roadie. My performance improved dramatically. In that time, I also built up a three-speed roadie (50-15/17/19) and that was alright but always preferred and still prefer single chain drive.

5. What is the furtherest destination you travelled to for a pick-up or delivery?
Probably 10 or so K. If you know Perth, i've picked up from Curtin Uni, Kensington, Bayswater, Mt Hawthorn, Wembley, Shenton Park, Nedlands. 10k radius i guess.

Curtin Uni - far out! A friend of mine worked for two years in Perth and the furtherest he went was Daglish.

In Melbourne, my company doesn't send me out past the inner-city suburbs, with a few exceptions. The furtherest I've travelled for a pick-up/delivery is Coburg.

6. What road rules did you break to receive fines?
All of them

I bet.

7. Did you write off any bikes during work? If yes - how?
Snapped 11 frames. Fatigue or them just being sh.t i guess. Had 3 stolen.

Ah, the perils of courier work! I've snapped four frames as a result of fatigue and one frame as a result of colliding with a car. None stolen.

8. What types of devices did you use for communication with the courier company?
Straight two way and pen and paper up until about 2001. Then pager and radio from then.

My company equips me with a PDA system and two-way radio, but I have used only pen/paper and radio in the past, so I truly appreciate the PDA.

9. Why did you quit the job?
Few things. Started getting the fear. Felt tired. Had done a lot of study and felt i should use it before i was 30. Was getting a bit over it. Wouldn't go back to it even though its the best job i have ever done.

It is without doubt a satisfying occupation. There is no other occupation like it. I'm leaving my job soon for the reason that I need to move on from working a dead-end job. It truly is a dead-end job. And the pay these days isn't like the golden age of the 1990s. If working for a company that pays well, income is not an issue. But most companies do not. As you said, it's a not a job worth going back to even if it is the best occupation you ever have.

 

[Eagle Empire]

what do you mean by too old? over 28?

"Too old" meaning you can no longer balance yourself on a bike.

 

[sirjames]

I obtained a copy on DVD some months ago and then got multiple copies made. If you'd like a copy, I'm happy to pass one onto you free of charge. Are you in it?

Would love a copy! save me converting it! that would be awesome! Let me know if i can pick it up or send you some cash for postage.

 

[sirjames]

First of all, thanks for your responses, sirjames. I presumed you had worked in Melbourne. Although I've never worked in Perth, I too am originally from there and therefore familiar with the city.



As was I. I guess it's not terribly important but it sure helps (especially CBD experience if working in a big city).



Good point.

Before I started, I was fat. Now, I eat healthily and have since noticed a remarkable improvement.



Now that there are fewer couriers than in the 1990s, it is far more difficult to land a job. It took my a few months to get one. I obtained interest through a friend who was working at the time.



I can see why a courier in Perth would not want to ride a bicycle with a single chain drive. In Melbourne, you have to consider the mainly flat topography and also weather. Fixed or free, riding single when working as a courier in Melbourne makes a lot of sense.

I started with a MTB hybrid bike. Six months in, I changed to a single-speed roadie. My performance improved dramatically. In that time, I also built up a three-speed roadie (50-15/17/19) and that was alright but always preferred and still prefer single chain drive.


Curtin Uni - far out! A friend of mine worked for two years in Perth and the furtherest he went was Daglish.

In Melbourne, my company doesn't send me out past the inner-city suburbs, with a few exceptions. The furtherest I've travelled for a pick-up/delivery is Coburg.



I bet.



Ah, the perils of courier work! I've snapped four frames as a result of fatigue and one frame as a result of colliding with a car. None stolen.



My company equips me with a PDA system and two-way radio, but I have used only pen/paper and radio in the past, so I truly appreciate the PDA.



It is without doubt a satisfying occupation. There is no other occupation like it. I'm leaving my job soon for the reason that I need to move on from working a dead-end job. It truly is a dead-end job. And the pay these days isn't like the golden age of the 1990s. If working for a company that pays well, income is not an issue. But most companies do not. As you said, it's a not a job worth going back to even if it is the best occupation you ever have.

Yeah the 90's were a golden age though apparently so was the 80s!I know when i started in Jan 95 there were about 60 odd pushies around Perth and when the earning wheel stopped in 03 there were only abotu 35 of us. That said i made HEAPS more from 99-03 because the amount of pushies dropped off more than the workload. But yeah, it was hard to break into then....i guarded my position and so did the other 10 or so who were "fed".

 

[Eagle Empire]

Would love a copy! save me converting it! that would be awesome! Let me know if i can pick it up or send you some cash for postage.

I'll send it through the mail and PM you my bank details. $3.00.

Of course, if you're in the CBD during business hours I can offer a free courier service.

 

[sirjames]

We can catch up in the city if you like ill PM you now.

 

[gimp!]

Where would one start in looking for a job like this? I am 26, but unfit, and am sick of my career choice. My mate and I always talked about how sweet of a job it would be while you were young!

 

[Eagle Empire]

Where would one start in looking for a job like this? I am 26, but unfit, and am sick of my career choice. My mate and I always talked about how sweet of a job it would be while you were young!

To get work you simply contact the courier companies that have bicycles couriers in their fleet.

I can send you a list of the companies via PM if you have a further interest.

 

[Eagle Empire]

If you're looking to get into it, it's important to remember that remuneration for most bicycle couriers is unattractive.

This mock ad for a courier company is indicative of the working conditions.