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What exactly will I be delivering? Independent contractors can deliver a number of different things like paper products to printers, small envelopes from office to office, boxes of products and samples, etc. Each delivery order is different and requires that you read the information on the job order and can handle what the customer is having delivered. In some case there might be heavy boxes that need to be delivered or other items that require special handling. How much can I make? This is a great question but unfortunately the only answer is it's impossible to tell. There are a number of variables that come into play with each person: their vehicle type, their knowledge of the area, their proficiency at getting around, the hours they work, and how they schedule their deliveries (i.e., how any deliveries can you do and still maintain a high on-time percentage). On our home page, if you click the link "View a Sample of Job Postings", you can see the previous 25 jobs posted as of that moment and a summary of the previous day's activity. Looking at this at various times during the day for a few days may help answer your question. What kind of vehicle do I need? We accept all vehicles types rated under 10,000 gvwr (except motorcycles) Is it better to use a car or a van? This is always a great question. The answer isn't always clear. 1. Economy cars are always good for delivering small items and are economical to drive but afford no additional flexibility. Additionally, car owners are allowed to only see car type deliveries on our load board. They cannot view, accept, or bid on anything other than car orders. There is one exception to the car category and that is a pick-up truck without a cap. A pick-up truck without a cap should only be listed as a car because we don't allow any of our shipments to be exposed to the elements and the interior is only suitable for smaller deliveries. 2. SUV's and Wagons are the next step up and can offer more cargo space than cars. They are typically a little more expensive to operate but have the opportunity to view all of the deliveries for cars and SUV's/Wagons. 3. The next step in order is the Pick-up truck with a cap. This vehicle is capable of fitting more cargo in its bed than the first two categories. Some pick-up trucks are more economical than others and this might be a consideration. Pick-up trucks can view, accept, and bid on deliveries for cars, SUV/Wagons, and pick-up truck deliveries. 4. Mini-Vans are next and typically have a little more cargo room than pick-up trucks and are allowed to view deliveries for cars, SUV/Wagons, pick-up trucks and mini-vans. 5. For the best versatility the Full size van is the best. Although the fuel economy isn't usually great, it has the potential to view, accept, and bid on all orders. This vehicle has the ability to take a van load and small packages all at the same time. Please bear in mind that all of the vehicle types listed above are good vehicles to use as long as they are dependable and in good repair. Any vehicle that is prone to breakdown is a poor bet and can come with costly consequences. Why do I need to obtain a Public Carrier Certificate and Commercial Auto Insurance? The Illinois Commerce Commission states on its web site "Companies or individuals performing a for-hire transportation service of general freight (except household goods) within Illinois must register with the Illinois Commerce Commission to obtain a Public Carrier Certificate". As an Independent Contractor using the Alternative Courier load board, you would fall into this category. The reason you must obtain Commercial Auto Insurance is that the ICC requires you to have it to obtain a Public Carrier Certificate. What geographic area does this cover? Most deliveries will emanate to and from an area within a 50 mile radius of Chicago. It is possible however to see deliveries going to areas outside of the 50 mile radius and we do have additional deliveries going to and from other states (you will need an FMCSA authority to go to and from other states). What if I'm given a wrong address for pickup or delivery destination? Unfortunately, pickup or delivery addresses can be wrong every once in a while. If this should happen to you, please contact the delivery company that placed the delivery. Let them know what the problem is and wait for an answer. Once an answer is received, if need be you can request an accessorial charge for a wrong address. Every company handles these situations differently so ask them what they intend to pay for the inconvenience, and enter that amount as an accessorial charge in the phone app What if I feel I am entitled to compensation for something not covered by the base price of the job? A case like this (waiting time, parking fees, extra weight, etc.) should be handled as above. Contact the delivery company, explain the situation, agree on an amount they will pay you, and enter it as an accessorial charge. What if I have a problem at the pickup or delivery, or at some other point in the delivery? Whenever an independent contractor has a problem, it is in their best interest to contact the delivery company that placed the delivery order on the load board with the specifics or the problem. A contact phone number for such situations will be shown on every job. What if I break down? The best thing to do if you break down is to contact the delivery company(s) to let them know of your plight. If you need to be towed or you can no longer finish the delivery(s), you will need to stay in touch with the delivery company(s) until they are able to retrieve each shipment that you have. The best thing to do is work with each company as best you can. What if I'm late on a delivery? Alternative Courier will keep track of all your jobs as to whether they were delivered on time and calculate an on-time percentage which delivery companies will see. If a driver has an unacceptably low on-time percentage, as determined by an individual delivery company, that company may not allow that driver to handle their jobs until the percentage is brought up. (If a specific delivery is late, there may be extenuating circumstances to keep the job from being considered as late. This is up to the delivery company to determine.) What if I can't send a signature/POD back on my android phone? If the signature/POD doesn't get sent to our database, it will not update the delivery information correctly and can cause you to have a late delivery. The best thing to do is to call the placing delivery company and let them know your problem as quickly as possible and they will have to manually enter the POD. Eventually you should be able to resend the signature and POD or you might be able to download the data base on to a computer and send it to alternative Courier at info@AlternativeCourier.com . Can I hire an additional person to do deliveries? We have had a few requests for independent contractors to add additional people to our "load board" app. Unfortunately we haven't developed for that yet. We will consider this at a later time if there is enough need expressed to us. One thing to keep in mind in Illinois and in most states is that if you work by yourself you don't have to purchase Workers Compensation insurance. If you hire even one person that you pay, you will have to pay for Workers Compensation and we would require documentation of this insurance. |