Business accounts are the revenue and individual deliveries are the volume of enquiries. Publishing zone pricing, stating what you can carry, and being clear about timing handles most of both.

Two customer types, one of which pays the bills

Account customers. Law firms, medical offices, print shops, parts suppliers, and anybody with regular movements. They choose on reliability, invoicing, and whether you can be relied on at four in the afternoon.

Individual senders. One-off deliveries, frequently urgent, deciding on price and timing.

The account side is the business. The individual side is most of the enquiries and most of the site traffic, and it is worth serving properly because some of those become accounts.

Pricing, which can be published

This trade prices by distance or zone and by service level, which makes it publishable.

What to state: zone or distance bands with a price, service levels such as same day, scheduled, and rush, and what defines each in actual hours rather than in adjectives.

What moves it: weight, size, whether it needs two people, waiting time, after-hours, and multiple stops.

Waiting time deserves a stated rate, since it is the most common source of dispute and customers do not anticipate being charged for it.

A published table lets somebody self-serve and eliminates the enquiries that were never viable, which in a low-margin high-volume trade matters more than it does elsewhere.

Timing, stated precisely

The thing this trade is judged on and the thing most sites describe vaguely.

Same day means different things to different operators. Stating the cutoff time for same-day pickup, the typical delivery window for each service level, and what rush actually means in hours removes the ambiguity.

Also worth stating: how quickly a driver can be dispatched for an urgent job, which is the question the individual customer is actually asking.

What you can and cannot carry

The page that prevents wasted dispatches.

Dangerous goods transport is regulated federally with training and documentation requirements, so a business that does not handle it should say so plainly and one that does should state its certification, naming the regulator rather than restating rules.

Medical and pharmaceutical transport frequently has its own chain-of-custody and temperature requirements, and stating what you comply with is what wins those accounts.

The account side

Worth its own page, because these customers need different information.

How to open an account, whether there is a volume commitment, billing terms and frequency, whether rates differ from published pricing, and how bookings are placed for regular movements.

Also: whether there is a portal, how proof of delivery is provided, and whether reporting is available. Account customers frequently need documentation for their own clients.

Named contacts matter here more than in most trades, because a business relying on you for time-sensitive movements wants somebody to call rather than a general line.

Tracking and proof of delivery

Increasingly expected and a real differentiator for smaller operators.

Whether the sender can track, whether the recipient is notified, what proof of delivery consists of, and how long records are kept.

Photograph proof of delivery is worth stating specifically, since it settles disputes and larger competitors have trained customers to expect it.

Where you do not have tracking, being honest about how status is communicated is better than implying capability you lack.

Insurance and liability

The question account customers ask and individuals should.

What coverage applies to goods in transit, what the default limit is, and whether additional coverage can be arranged for high-value items.

Cargo liability limits are frequently much lower than customers assume, and stating the default plainly, with the option to declare a higher value, is both honest and protective.

The rest

Service area stated precisely, including whether you go beyond it and at what rate. Fleet described, since a customer with a large item needs to know what you can accommodate. Hours including whether after-hours dispatch exists. And a booking route that works quickly, since an urgent sender will call whoever answers, which is the same volume-and-access reasoning as in websites for junk removal businesses.


Frequently asked questions

Who are the two customer types?

Account customers such as law firms and medical offices who choose on reliability and invoicing, and individual senders deciding on price and timing.

Can courier pricing be published?

Yes. The trade prices by zone or distance and service level, so a published table lets customers self-serve and eliminates enquiries that were never viable.

What causes most disputes?

Waiting time. It should have a stated rate, since customers do not anticipate being charged for it.

How should timing be described?

Precisely. State the cutoff for same-day pickup, the delivery window for each service level, and what rush means in actual hours rather than adjectives.

What should the cannot-carry page cover?

Size and weight limits by vehicle, dangerous goods certification, temperature-sensitive handling, high-value coverage, and anything you will not carry at all.

What do account customers need?

How to open an account, billing terms, whether rates differ, how regular bookings are placed, proof of delivery format, and a named contact rather than a general line.

West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.

Enquiries for deliveries you cannot legally carry?

We publish the zone pricing and the carry limits, which filters the enquiries and speeds up the ones worth having.

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