The core problem of almost every small fleet: vehicles are either overbooked or parked. One key account fills the calendar – until it shifts the volume elsewhere. Sustained utilization needs more than one channel. Four routes bring courier businesses new orders, each with a different mix of margin, predictability, and effort.
The four order channels at a glance
| Channel | Order type | Margin | Predictability | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freight exchange (Timocom, Trans.eu) | single runs, spot market | low to medium | low | subscription from approx. €50–100 per user/month |
| Parcel-network subcontracting (DPD, GLS & co.) | fixed tours, per-stop rates | low | high | contract + vehicle requirements |
| Direct clients | framework agreements, recurring runs | highest | medium to high | months of acquisition |
| Platform marketplace | direct drives and small transports from your region | medium | grows with your rating | free, commission per order |
Route 1: freight exchanges – fast, but margin-poor
Timocom and Trans.eu are the fastest source of single runs: search freight, call, drive. Everyone who works them knows the flip side: many carriers bid on popular lanes at once, and prices slide toward cost. Payment is on invoice with negotiated terms – 30 to 60 days are common, and a payment guarantee usually requires paid factoring (at Timocom 2.49 to 4.49% of invoice value depending on the term). Verdict: good against acute empty runs, no foundation for a business.
Route 2: parcel-network subcontracting – predictable, but dependent
Fixed tours for parcel networks (DPD, GLS, UPS, Amazon logistics partners) deliver the opposite: full predictability, the same route every day. Pay is per stop or per tour – calculable, but tight. The economics work through stop density and using the vehicles for other work in the afternoon. The risk is dependency: one contract partner sets price, territory, and standards, and adjustments rarely favour the subcontractor. Solid as a building block, fragile as the only pillar.
Route 3: direct clients – best margin, longest ramp-up
Workshops, laboratories, wholesalers, machine builders: whoever regularly moves urgent goods prefers a fixed service provider. This is where the best margin lives – no intermediary, a framework agreement. The price is acquisition: identify decision-makers, win a trial run, build trust over months. Two things accelerate it: visible references (reviews, a Google profile) and a professional appearance on documentation – digital proof of delivery instead of paper slips convinces buyers faster than any brochure.
Route 4: platform marketplace – orders without acquisition
The youngest channel: platforms that broker regional transport orders directly to registered fleets. With Maxmove this works without a base fee – register the fleet, set vehicles and territory, accept matching direct drives and small transports; billing is a commission per completed order. The difference to a freight exchange: the price is fixed upfront instead of decided in an underbidding contest, and payment and proofs run through the platform. On top comes your own booking page for direct clients – so the marketplace channel feeds the direct-client channel over time.
What fits which fleet?
- 1–3 vehicles, starting without a client base: marketplace plus occasional freight exchange – no fixed subscription cost, utilization from day one.
- 5–20 vehicles with a parcel-network base load: fill afternoon and evening capacity via marketplace and direct clients; the base load pays the fixed costs, the extra runs pay the margin.
- Specialized fleets (refrigerated, bulky goods, spare parts): direct clients first – specialization beats price competition, and exchanges rarely represent it.
Whatever the channel: accepted orders must be driven efficiently. From a few vehicles upward, dispatch decides the margin – which software helps is covered in Route planning software for couriers.
The operational takeaway
No channel replaces the others: the exchange fills gaps, parcel networks pay the fixed costs, direct clients bring margin, the marketplace delivers both in small steps – without acquisition effort. Healthy fleets mix. Only one state is unhealthy: a single channel above 80% of revenue.
