New York Courier Drivers And Operators Forum

Courier Affiliate Program

2010-06-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

CouriersRUs.com Launches Affiliate Program
The number one courier transportation directory CouriersRUs.com is seeking partners wishing to earn an income by marketing it's directory listings.
You can sign up to become an affiliate here, it's an easy process and you can start uploading a banner or text link to place on your website or social page.
Earnings are currently $30USD for a featured and $10 USD for a regular listing for each confirmed listing you send.

What we like about the program...
1. The earning potential is massive.
2. Choice of small banners that should only attract business owners.
3. Pay out minimum is only $10.00 USD.
4. Pay out method Paypal.

This program would also suit general directories with a transportation category.(i put a banner in my 'Transportation and Logistics' category at my own directory www.yourblogsite.com).

Sign up to the program here: www.couriersRUs.com

CouriersRus - World Courier Directory

2009-11-27T05:44:00.000-08:00

Finally a world wide courier only directory is now online and business listings are filling fast.
The webmaster from a smaller New York company received a 27% increase in traffic to the booking website with a basic listing only ($19.95). What this equates to in actual earnings is unsure but probably paid for the yearly fee in the first week easily.

The courier / messenger business is so competitive and getting some online traffic is a challenge even to well known companies. What the experts tell you to do is get your site listed in as many directories as possible but what is the point of being on a site full of landscape gardeners ?
Check it out here

Thanks To Yourblogsite.com For The Help

2009-09-03T04:51:00.000-07:00

How Do I Get More Hits To My Website?

Link building how to

2009-08-31T03:51:00.000-07:00

Add Your Blog Add Your Web Site Add Your Article

New York Courier Website

2009-08-04T00:27:00.001-07:00

Bridge Climb

2009-07-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb.. That is cool.

Courier Air Travel

2009-07-02T03:25:00.000-07:00

Thinking of becoming an Air Courier? Essential information before you do is available here....

bookamessenger.com Coming soon

2009-06-29T04:41:00.000-07:00

bookamessenger.com Website is under construction and will be up and running soon.

bookacourier.com Coming Soon

2009-06-29T04:23:00.000-07:00

Coming soon http://www.bookacourier.com

Dui Process, Clear Your Drunk Driving Record

2009-06-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

" Simple Step-by-Step Actions You Can Take Today To Clear Your DUI Record, Get Your Drivers License Back, and Save a Ton of Money, No Matter What State You're Located In!"

Backed by a mountain of legal research- and proven results for thousands of users. DUI Process Works. Guaranteed.
Visit duiprocess

I Quit My Messenger Job For At Home Income

2009-05-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

I used to be a courier / slave.... i quit and now i make as much sitting at home getting up whenever i damn well please and i got no traffic headaches im kicking myself for not getting into this years ago......
This is how you can make a real income from home on your pc and its easy..
It helps if you can spend about 3 hours a day on your pc getting it set up then it runs itself you wont believe till you try..
I get paid via paypal its quick and easy.
After youve read the details or watched the video you will see why i am telling you all...
Give it a try it honestly works..
Copy and paste this into your browser..... www.computerincome.ws

Good luck
Rob (wscorp)

2009-05-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.my.ws/wscorp

New York City Police Target Cell Phone Abuse

2009-03-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

MARCH 13...New York City Police have caught 9,016 citizens using cell phones whilst driving. Details on just how many drivers recieved the $120 fine are not clear.
The cell phone crackdown figure seems astonishing compared with the 'normal' day figure of around 500 drivers.

I applaud the Police on this occasion and strongly suggest that you buy your self or your car a handsfree kit, and to the arragant peanuts that can afford expensive cars but cant be bothered installing a handsfree you should be fined double.

Johnson Messenger CB Radio Telephone

2009-03-25T04:52:00.000-07:00

As seen on ebay......Comon guys ditch those blackberries and get back to old skool !

New York Courier Van Messenger

2009-03-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

Courier Driver or rider have your say on the New York courier forum.
Messenger's all over New York city vent your frustration you never know who might be listening. Get something off your chest, pay rates?

All New York Courier and Messenger Services - Add a Business To The List

2009-03-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

www.newyorkcouriers.com
www.grcourier.com
www.breakawaycourier.comwww.queenscourier.com
www.needitnowcourier.com
www.atozcouriers.com
www.directrush.com
www.jefex.com
Camejo Couriers
Canavan Couriers
www.manhattancourierservices.com
www.grcourierservices.comwww.allamericatransport.com
Citipak Delivery System Incorporated
www.apluscouriers.com
Bombino Express Worldwide Incorporated
Champion Courier Incorporate
Cavalry Couriers Incorporated
www.albtransportation.com
www.jetxdelivery.com
Cargo Procurement Agency
www.checkercourier.com
minutemencourier.com
www.ceocourier.com
Bullit Messenger Service
Bromleys Express Service
www.getgomessenger.com
www.beckex.com
Bromleys Express Service
www.manexpcourier.com
Brisk Messenger SvceBrinks Incorporated
Blue Streak Couriers
Best Way Corporation Beavex Incorporated
Express It
First Global Xpress
New York State Messenger Courier Association
Orbit Lightspeed Courier
Pedal Pushers Messenger Service
Perfect Courier Limited
Pony Express Courier Systems
Nahoum Ken
Nydex
Quick International
Quik Trak Messengers
S M S Industries
South Bank Courier
Speedy Package Delivery
Strawberry
Streetwise Messenger Of NYSupreme Systems
U S Courier Systems
Unique Courier
Uptown Couriers
Urban Express.com
White Cloud Delivery Service
Beckstar Express
USPack Courier Service

Comment if you know of any other's and we will add them to the main post ( especially the smaller one's ). Thanks.

Courier Jobs Available In New York City

2009-03-15T03:39:00.000-07:00

Post your courier job available here under comments or contact moderator for an exclusive post.

Courier Jobs Wanted In New York

2009-03-15T03:36:00.000-07:00

Post your courier job wanted ad here under comments.

Decline In Bike Messengers

2009-03-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

In the mid-'80s, New York had more than 7000 bicycle couriers. During the dotcom years there were 2500 and now there are barely more than 1000, says Joel Metz, who has a courier business in Portland, Oregon, and helps run the International Federation of Bike Messenger Associations.

Although he believes talk about the death of the bicycle courier may be premature, Mr Metz concedes that business is on the wane: "Whether [the] dent is due primarily to the general downturn of the economy ... or to changing methods of sending information ... I'm sure either point could be argued."
Electronic file transfers will "change what the industry moves, but in the end, we'll adapt and rebound - perhaps not to pre-email heights, but enough".

Fed Ex Sorting Parcels On A New York City Street

2009-03-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Sorting parcels on the sidewalk and in vacant lots seems to be common practice for some parcel delivery companies.

Unburdened by Gas Costs, Bike Couriers See a Chance

2009-03-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

New York City’s bike messengers remain a fixture on the streets, having weathered the advent of the fax machine and, of course, e-mail. Now, with the cost of gas pummeling courier companies that rely on motorized vehicles, a few enterprising cyclists are using the opportunity to generate more business.

A small but growing number of pedal-powered messengers are outfitting their bicycles and, in some cases, tricycles, with boxes and flatbeds on which they can load hundreds of pounds of cargo.

“Eighty percent of the jobs done in a van I can do,” said Hodari Depalm, the owner of Checker Courier, a cargo messenger company in Manhattan that says it can move up to 200 pounds of documents by bike. Mr. Depalm said his two-man messenger business had increased by 20 percent within the last year.

Gregg Zukowski has had similar success. A couple of years ago, Mr. Zukowski, the owner of Revolution Rickshaws, a fleet of pedicabs in Manhattan, replaced the passenger seats on a few of his tricycles with flatbeds and lockable cargo boxes capable of carrying up to 550 pounds of goods. He started using the tricycles to make deliveries for bakeries and catering companies and was even hired last month to help a man move into a one-bedroom apartment.

“We’ve joked about doing funerals,” Mr. Zukowski said. Mr. Zukowski’s business is catching on swiftly enough that he hopes to have as many as 30 of his tricycles on the road in the next 18 months.

The messengers can appeal to customers by charging less than couriers who use cars or vans, and to their consciences by pointing out that they are not hurting the environment.

Meanwhile, car and van couriers in New York City are struggling with mounting fuel costs. Local companies are passing the cost of gas on to the customer. Some apply a flat fuel surcharge, while others try to negotiate delivery rates with each of their clients.

“Some clients refuse to pay a surcharge,” said Charles F. Chiusano, vice president of Avant Business Services in New York City and Connecticut. About 15 percent of Avant’s business is with state and county agencies, whose rates were established in contracts signed years ago. When fuel prices soared, and agencies refused to alter their terms, the company had to cover the extra costs or risk losing the contracts.

“If the contract goes out to bid, other companies are willing to underbid, hoping things will get better,” Mr. Chiusano said.

As much as courier companies feel the pinch, those hit hardest by fuel costs are the drivers. Almost all car and van couriers are independent contractors responsible for their own operating costs: gas, parking, vehicle payments and insurance, health insurance and taxes. When gas prices rise and customers like the city or state refuse to pay a fuel surcharge, the money comes directly from the driver’s pocket.

“It hurts,” said Ken Moody, a courier from the Bronx who makes deliveries for Breakaway Courier Systems in his Honda Fit. “Things have been very tight for me lately.”

Mr. Moody, 57, said he needed to make $1,000 a week to cover all of his business and living expenses. That often requires working seven days a week. But during the usually slower summer months, he has been earning only $600 to $700 a week.

“I’m here from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., but that doesn’t mean I’m working the whole time,” he said as the movie “Alien 2” played on a DVD player behind him at dispatch headquarters.

Mr. Chiusano said he negotiated better pay rates for his drivers with fuel-efficient vehicles, and he tries to adjust delivery routes to be more fuel efficient.

But other drivers have quit because of the tough economic circumstances. Lucky Singh, a dispatcher for N.Y. Minute Messenger and Trucking in Manhattan, said three drivers left the company in recent months to drive taxis. Mr. Depalm said a few of his friends working as couriers sold their vans and are now bike messengers.

Meanwhile, Mr. Depalm’s cargo bike company is doing fine, he said. “The more they keep raising gas prices, the better it is for me.”

Mr. Zukowski has not only been getting more accounts for his delivery services, he’s also been making money by renting or selling the cargo tricycles, which are manufactured in England, to local businesses. “Green Apple Cleaners bought a work trike from us so they could move their dry cleaning,” he said. “The manager of Stuyvesant Town is interested in purchasing a trike to move office supplies.”

He said the director Wes Craven rented one to film a scene for his next movie, and Nike borrowed one for a photo shoot.

“We’re mobile and agile,” Mr. Zukowski said, ticking off the tricycle’s selling points. “You never use gas or fuel, parking is never an issue, you don’t get tickets and maintenance is low.”

Still, courier companies that rely on gas-powered vehicles say they expect to remain in business for a long time. “Until someone figures out how to transport things like they do on ‘Star Trek,’ I’ll be fine,” said Rick Katz, a partner at LightSpeed Express Delivery Systems in Manhattan.

courtesy of nytimes.com

Is Being A Courier A Good Job ?

2009-03-14T03:49:00.000-07:00

Is being a courier driver or rider in New York city a good job? Every job has it's downside what are the good and bad points about the day to day life of a courier and is the industry regulated well?

A Day In The Life Of A New York Courier

2009-03-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

Come on guys and gals give us an insight into what it's like to be a courier driver or rider in the big apple.

Obama Introduces Independent Contractor Legislation

2009-03-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

September 28, 2007
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has introduced the "Independent Contractor Proper Classification Act of 2007 (S. 2044)," which addresses the issue of classifying employees v. independent contractors.

Behind the introduction of the legislation is Obama's belief that employers misclassified workers as independent contractors rather than as employees to avoid compensating for minimum wage, overtime pay and benefits.

His legislation closes a perceived loophole in the tax code that occurs if an employer has been consistently reporting workers as independent contractors to the IRS and if the employer can verify its decision-making based on reasonableness in that the employer relied on the advice of an attorney or accountant's interpretation of the statute.

Sponsors include Senators Durbin, Kennedy, and Murray. The bill introduced on September 12, 2007 addresses what the sponsors view as weaknesses in the current laws regarding independent contractors. The bill would:

allow the IRS to require employers to reclassify workers misclassified as independent contractors;
authorize the IRS to issue regulations and revenue rulings establishing standards for properly classifying workers as independent contractors;
eliminate the ability of employers to rely on industry practices as a reasonable basis for classifying workers as independent contractors;
require the IRS to develop a procedure by which employees could challenge their classification as independent contractors;
provide protections against retaliation for workers who take advantage of the challenge procedure;
require IRS audit of employers that have misclassified workers and require misclassifications to be reported to the Department of Labor;
require DOL to investigate industries that are revealed by IRS data to have high rates of misclassifications;
require the DOL's FLSA poster to inform workers of their right to challenge their classification as independent contractors;
require employers to notify independent contractors of their federal tax obligations, of their right to obtain a determination of their independent contractor status from the IRS, and of the labor and employment law protections that apply only to employees; and
require employers to keep certain records relating to independent contractors for three years.

Bill reference:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.2044:

Robber Nabbed With Help Of Bike Messenger

2009-03-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

Chicago Sun-Times, March 3, 2009

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS

A bicycle messenger is being credited with helping catch a man who allegedly robbed a bank using a butter knife Monday afternoon on the North Side.

The 44-year-old man was arrested at 4:30 p.m. on the 2000 block of West Belmont Avenue, according to Shakespeare District police, who were citing preliminary information.

He remains in custody and hasn’t been charged with anything as of 1:15 a.m. but the FBI is investigating whether he may have been involved in other bank robberies, police said.

The robber, armed with a butter knife, is suspected of walking into the North Community Bank, on the 2800 block of North Western Avenue and threatening a teller. The suspect allegedly grabbed money from the teller, who was counting it, and fled the bank by jumping into a cab, police said.

A bicycle messenger who saw what was going on began following the cab, which was weaving in and out of traffic. The messenger was able to use a cell phone to call authorities and direct police to where the suspect was, police said.

The messenger’s name was not immediately available but police said he may be considered for some type of recognition for his efforts.

Thanks to Messmedia.. http://www.messmedia.org/index.html