Courier brokers, load boards and comparison sites vs a direct same-day courier
How Courier Exchange, Shiply, AnyVan and the national same-day brokers actually work, where your money goes, and when booking a courier direct is cheaper, faster and safer.
Search 'same day courier' and most of the first page is not couriers. It's companies that take your booking, post it to a board of self-employed drivers, and keep a margin. That isn't a scam; it's a business model. But it changes what you get for your money, so it's worth understanding before you book.
The four kinds of 'courier' you'll find online
| Type | Examples | How it works | What you're paying for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Load board | Courier Exchange, Haulage Exchange | Businesses or brokers post a job; subscribed drivers bid or grab it | A marketplace; you need a membership to post |
| Auction site | Shiply, AnyVan | You post the job, drivers quote, you pick the cheapest | The platform's fee plus whoever bid lowest |
| National broker | The big 'same-day' brands with call centres | Sales team quotes, dispatch posts it to a load board, a subcontractor drives | Margin of 20–40% on top of the driver's rate, plus VAT |
| Direct courier | A regional firm with its own driver network | You book, their driver does it, they're accountable | The driver and the service, with one margin |
Where the money goes on a broker job
A typical 90-mile van job quoted by a national broker at £260 + VAT breaks down roughly as £150–£170 to the driver, £90–£110 to the broker, and £52 of VAT. The driver who turns up has never spoken to the broker's customer, doesn't know the site, and is paid the same whether the goods arrive pristine or not. If you want proof of delivery, you get what their subcontractor's app happens to produce.
What a direct courier changes
- You see the driver's name and vehicle before they arrive, and dispatch can reach them.
- The quote is built from a published rate card, so you can check it, and it includes the road charges a broker bills afterwards.
- Proof of delivery is standard, not optional: photos at both ends, signature, GPS and time, emailed as it happens.
- If a job goes wrong, there's one company responsible, and it's the one you paid.
- No VAT where the courier isn't VAT registered: 20% straight off for consumers and non-registered businesses.
When a broker still makes sense
Anywhere a regional courier can't collect. Our drivers collect within 120 miles of Birmingham; if you need Aberdeen to Plymouth, a broker's national board is the right tool, and so is a parcel network if it can wait a day. For anything that starts in the Midlands, booking direct is cheaper and you know who's driving.
Questions that expose a broker: 'Who will be driving?', 'Is the Congestion Charge in that price?', 'Will I get a photo at collection?' A direct courier answers all three before you ask.
Prices quoted are our published rates at the time of writing, with no VAT added. Enter your postcodes for a fixed price today.