How goods can get damaged prior to delivery

When you need to send a package its often advisable to check the condition of the goods your sending before you let your courier collect it.

Before you start protecting your goods with packaging its important you check your goods are intact and damage-less.  By double checking you will be able ensure you don’t blame your courier for any damage and reduce the chance of your customers being disappointed. If you put a heavy item into a box that isn’t very robust, you’ll be lucky to have a package left by the time it reaches you. It’s just basic physics…Heavy item + weak box = goods broken in transit.

When in transit your goods can often bounce around inside the packaging and sometimes come loose in the parcel delivery system. The importance of getting the right product and the right box is essential. Never try to send a fragile product through a courier service if you know it won’t make it. Either because you can’t package it right or it’s so delicate that it will break under a little shock.

It is best to try and avoid sending food, liquids and aerosols via the postal system but that doesn’t stop people doing it. So use a same day courier to ensure they get there in one place or piece. When sending goods that can be broken in a transit ensure extra protection is used, this is as such products can weaken packaging if broken. For example if a dozen bottles of wines are sent and one breaks then the box will become wet and flimsy. This could potential cause the other bottles to break in transit as the protection is weekend.

Many courier services use sorting offices to distribute packages, unlike us. We don’t rely on machines to sort your parcels, we use trained and local staff to sort your goods in every one of our depots.  Ensure you use a courier you can trust as you don’t want your parcels to be thrown over the fence or kicked around.

By using a same day courier you cut out warehouses and get a driver to delivery your goods from you to your customers. This is the safest and quickest way to send any parcel, use our motorbike courier services to get your packages delivery quicker than any other vehicles on the road.

If you want to discuss your needs then please give us a call on 0800 742 587

Parliament Approve Tram Train

In the past week we have seen the undersecretary of state for transport Norman Baker giving approval for a pilot tram train scheme in South Yorkshire. It seems that Network Rail, Northern Rail and Stagecoach Supertram will all work together to deliver and sponsor the vehicles and scheme.

The pilot is going to determine the practical and operational issues of extending Tram Trains from the national network to on-street running and running trams and heavy rail vehicles safely over existing heavy rail infrastructure. The tram system pilot will also try to gauge acceptability and perceptions of the system to potential users.

By launching the pilot it appears that the government are trying to understand the technical and operational challenges involved in this project so that the concept can potentially be rolled out elsewhere in England.

It’s estimated by 2015 the new tram train will be capable of using both light and heavy rail infrastructure. The aim is to provide continuous travel from Sheffield’s Supertram network onto Network Rail’s national rail network.

News already released information relating to the new vehicles, the goal is to try and provide three services an hour operating from Parkgate Retail Park in Rotherham, travelling through Rotherham Central Station and joining up to the existing Supertram network at Meadowhall where the services will then continue onwards to Sheffield City Centre.

This is great news for Yorkshires economy as the project is expected to create around 25 new driver jobs and around 10 other maintenance and protection vacancies. The project is estimated to run for two years and alongside the additional capacity being provided for the Supertram system, is expected to cost £58 million, including the cost of the vehicles and infrastructure changes.

As a same day courier service, we welcome the news of any improvements to reduce the amount of vehicles and congestion on the roads in the UK.  If the pilot works we hope to see the project introduced into York and Leeds as well.

Testimonials & Scoot Business Directory

Here at Mail Box Express we know how important a recommendation can be from a friend, family member or a colleague. Receiving feedback has helped us develop and grow over the last 18 years enabling us to invest in new technology and services to provide a more reliable and user friendly online service.

If you have recently used one of services we would like you to let the world know about your experiences of using one of the fastest growing and most reliable courier services in the World. Please select the depot you used on the left and it will take you to the Mail Box Express Google reviews page.

The testimonials page allows you to see what our customers have been saying about us and the services we provide, if you would like to give a testimonial email karl@mailboxexpress.co.uk with your details. Scoot is another way you can review Mail Box Express and its services,  please leave us a review and let the world know about your experiences:

View Mail Box Express (Leeds) Ltd. on the Scoot Directory

Congestion stats on local authority managed ‘A’ roads

This month has seen the release of provisional information about congestion on locally managed A roads between January and March 2012.

In the UK these roads account for around 80% all ‘A’ roads and motorways in England and carry an estimated 50% of the traffic on our rounds.

The congestion on the roads is measured by estimating the average speed achieved by vehicles during the weekday morning peak, 7am to 10am. The data are based on GPS location reports from a fleet of probe vehicles and, in the case of the statistics published in this release, are weighted to take account of the relative traffic flow on each road.

Statistics for the period September 2011 to March 2012 are currently provisional and will be finalised, along with subsequent data from the 2011/12 academic year, in November 2012. The following image shows the key finding of the report released by the department of transport this month:

The right way to pack different types of goods

From Land’s End to Llandudno, from London to Loch Lomond, we cover the whole of the UK, so when it comes to your customers, you’ve got their needs covered too!

If your company needs to send goods around the UK or Europe then you need to the best way to package your goods. Not every product require the same protection, some goods need more protection than others. If you require urgent courier service for a delicate product or document, you need to ensure its protected against damage and the weather in transit.

If the goods are not correctly packed, then it could cause them damage. Here a few items that need packaging differently:

Books and files

Whenever sending any books and or files through a parcel delivery service, you should remember that these items can be easily damaged. The corners are usually the weakest areas, these areas a most vulnerable whilst in transit. It’s important to use high quality corrugated fibreboard to wrap the delicate papers. When using the fibreboard, keep at least a 20mm overlap at the ends. Ensure extra care is added into the protection process to help reduce damage.

Documents and papers

Many businesses have turn to reliable courier service like us to collect and delivery important letter and documents. Usually DX collections and tender delivery services are common amongst the legal and financial industries. For letters up to the thickness of 10mm, flyers can be used. However, if you are sending a bulk amount of papers with a thickness of around 45mm, you should use a box to protect papers. Always add lose papers into boxes and secure the box from all sides. Use any cushioning to fill the empty space in the box. The size of the box will depend on the size and amount of the letters.

Blueprints and maps

Builders and architects need to neatly fold the blueprints or maps and place them in a long tube, this is the best way to send any important papers through courier services. Always avoid using cylindrical tubes. Some people forget to ensure both ends are secure, it’s always best to tape the end to ensure the papers don’t fall out.

Here at Mail Box Express we deliver a wide range of documents and equipment to businesses around the world. It’s always important to protect your parcel to the best of your ability. We offer a free packaging service for any parcels that are not correctly protected. If you like to find out more information about any of the service we can provide visit Mail Box Express for more information.

Government crack down on drug driving

The government has announced plans this week to crack down on those who drive under the influence of drugs. The proposed new legislation was unveiled in the queen’s speech, the new law will create a specific drug drive offence. At the moment police have to demonstrate that driving had been impaired by drugs in order to prosecute any potential drug driver.

Under the proposed legislation it will automatically be an offence to drive any motor vehicle if you have certain controlled drugs in your body in excess of specified limits. The new legislation will make it much easier for police forces to take action against expected drug drivers.

Devises set to screen drugs in the body are expected to receive type approval from the Home Office by the end of the year. Road safety Minister Mike Penning said on the department of transport website that:

“Drug drivers are a deadly menace – they must be stopped and that is exactly what I intend to do.

“The new offence sends out a clear message that if you drive whilst under the influence of drugs you will not get away with it.

“We have an enviable record on road safety in this country and I want to keep it that way. This measure will help to rid our roads of the irresponsible minority who risk the lives of innocent motorists and pedestrians.”

A review of drink drug and drink driving law in 2010 recommended that a new specified limit offence should be developed. The exact drugs covered by the new legislation and the specified limits for each will be determined following advice from an expert panel and a public consultation.

Earlier this year the Department for Transport announced the formation of the panel and today is confirming the membership. It includes experts in the field of alcohol and drug misuse and will also work with officials from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department of Health.

The proposed penalty for the new offence will be a maximum of 6 months imprisonment and/or a fine of up to £5,000, and an automatic driving ban of at least 12 months.

Motorbike couriers: Ugent UK same day delivery

If you’re looking for a company who can provide you with an urgent same day delivery service you might be interested in knowing that we have one of the largest fleets of motorbike couriers outside of London, Enabling us to quickly respond to any of our customer’s delivery needs within minutes of booking. For an urgent delivery there is no vehicle better suited to a same day delivery than a motorbike as a motorbike can take a third less time to get to any destination than a van.

The Mail Box Express motorbikes can transport: keys, passports, letters, documents, parcels, medical samples, replacement parts, blood and much more. Usually the average motorbike can take weight up to around 15kg with a maximum length of 32cm, width 26cm and depth of 23cm.

Our advance riders are fully trained and have travelled millions of miles and are fitted with satellite navigation systems, mobile phone receivers and the POD hand sets. With a fully traceable service account customers are able to follow the location of their delivery and get proof of delivery within 30 seconds drop off.

As a specialist courier our motorbike couriers can offer a fully accountable and secure service for delivering sensitive and legal documentation within the UK. So if you have a time critical same day delivery consider selecting a motorbike courier as your preferred delivery choice on our online booking system today.